Keep it Humble: There is Always More to Learn

I have been piercing since 1999. When I started piercing, there were only 2 shops in my city that offered tattoos as well as piercings. I apprenticed under a piercer who took the Gauntlet piercing courses in New York.
Given the fact that Gauntlet helped to pave the way for the APP (more or less), I did not realize how important his knowledge and experiences were. And in retrospect, I may have taken that for granted.
I was glad to have gotten my foot in the door at a reputable shop and absolutely thrilled to be a part of the body piercing industry.

In 2002, I opened Dead RockStar Tattoos and Piercings and, by this point, had built a solid and dedicated client base. I had become the go-to guy for people with piercing questions and/or complications and piercers from other local shops were calling to ask me about certain piercings, procedures, and whatnot.

This was all fine and dandy but what I did not realize was that, slowly but surely, my ego had begun to inflate. I do not consider myself egotistical by any means but when you have nobody else around you, that has the same level of experience, it can be hard to keep ye ol' ego in check and sometimes a "holier than thou" attitude (that pun is very much intended) can start to develop.

In 2006, I attended my first APP conference. I remember sitting on the airplane on the way to Vegas and thinking, "I have been doing this stuff for 7 years. I don't think I will get much out of this conference but it's worth a shot."  I could not have been more wrong. That first APP conference was one of the most humbling (and awesome) experiences that I have ever had. After the first day of classes I went back to my hotel room and re-evaluated my entire piercing career. I had a LOT to learn.

The rest of that conference was an experience I will never forget. The people I met, the experiences I shared and the amount of new information that I walked away with was amazing and very refreshing! I could not wait to get back to my shop and put to work all that I had learned in that one week.

Every year I look forward to the APP conference and I have never been let down. In fact, I am amazed at how the APP is in a constant state of progress to make things bigger and better.

All of my rambling on this can be summarized into one statement:
If you think there is nothing left to learn in this industry and you know it all, it is time for you to get out of piercing. Keep yourself humble enough to know that there is ALWAYS something else to learn.

And Then There Was This One Weirdo...

Seeing as I'm new to the blog, I figured I would introduce myself. My name is Kelli Zeien and I've been piercing professionally for just under 4 years now. I'm currently piercing out of Sinister Productions Tattoo Studio in Mt. Pleasant, MI.

This past summer was the first time I was fortunate enough to attend the Association of Professional Piercers Annual Conference in Las Vegas, NV. I went an extremely roundabout way of getting myself there, moving to good 'ol Sin City the day after Christmas in 2012. It was all worth it. I met a good amount of the piercers I talk to all the time online, colleagues that I look up to, and I even got to meet a celebrity while we were paying tribute to Shannon Larratt through the Cyborgs blood portrait. And, of course, got my learn on every day!

Shortly after Conference, I moved back to my hometown to restart my piercing career. I refused to get back into the industry, despite so many telling me to just cave and buy the cheap crap, until I could guarantee that I would only use the best jewelry and supplies in order to offer my clients the best piercing experience possible. In the end, my persistence paid off as I now offer the best piercing service in the Central Michigan area!

I've pierced in a number of different states, including Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, and Nevada. I tend to be a bit of a nomad, making friends out of coworkers wherever I go, which has resulted in my group of friends being spread all around the country. I'm extremely talkative, especially if someone brings up the subject of body modification. Good luck getting me to shut up if you ever happen to be one of those poor souls!

Now that you probably know more about me than you actually wanted or needed to, I hope this becomes a sound source for anyone interested in piercing/body modification/what we actually do at work and the industry as a whole (because god knows that none of us pierce nearly as much as we'd like to). We aim to make this yet another source to help everyone stay forever learning. And who knows, maybe we'll learn a thing or two from you.

Helping Hands

Many of us are small business owners, if we are not owners ourselves we usually work for a very tight knit small business. The nature of competition would suggest that giving your competitors tools to succeed is a poor move. However in  our industry  we have plenty of top notch industry professionals willing to hand over information absolutely free of charge. Information it may have taken a specific person years to attain. This almost counter intuitive behavior, I believe, ultimately stems from a love of the profession as a whole. In a society where statistics show 70%-80% of people hate their job we all not only love it, but want the best for it after we're gone.

Every day my faith is renewed by someone's comments. A prime example is Fakir Musafar, a living legend in the piercing community that has been piercing since the 1940's. This single man has given more to the piercing community than anyone else I have ever personally spoken with. That is just the point though...I have spoken with him. Not at any great length, but I have. I was born in 1990 and I have been piercing professionally almost three years, yet he has still taken the time out to answer questions for me and various others.

The list of generosity goes on for miles, there hasn't been a single day in the last 6 months I haven't seen Brian Skellie helping someone (incredibly effectively). I see many of the same faces day in and day out providing good information for everyone to absorb. This may be one of the truest forms of professionalism I've ever known, doing good for your profession as a whole with no immediate personal gain. Many of us will send clients to one another based on location, some areas even meet up regularly to discuss the status of the community. Individuals like this are the absolute future of this industry in my mind.

As a young piercer I owe it to these people, myself, and the industry to be a good student and stay humble. One day I will be the one passing this information through the ranks through whatever vessel exists. Being young and arrogant its important for me to check myself as often as possible, I don't know it all even if some days I might feel like I do. The good thing is that there seems to be a fail safe built in to the community...If you think you know it all, you probably don't know what you're talking about and someone will make you aware of that immediately.

I propose taking a few moments out of your day today and simply thanking someone who has helped you along your journey in this industry. I wouldn't be where I'm at today had I never stumbled upon the APP website, or the IAM learning forums. Stay humble, and make sure you are forever learning.

Knowing Your Limits

There are certain things I simply don't feel comfortable doing for one reason or another. Experience plays a huge part in this. An important question to ask is "How do I communicate effectively that I don't feel comfortable performing this piercing without seeming under qualified in other areas?" In my mind, the simple answer is stay humble and stay honest. The thrill of landing a big sale can turn honest piercers crooked sometimes. When you are honest with your clients it builds trust and with trust comes repeat business.

A simple phrase that works wonderfully is "I would rather lose the money than have you be unhappy with something." I use that exact wording for anatomical issues preventing a certain piercing as well. Most are taken aback with the fact that you wont just do something that isn't in their best interest just to make money. Its this little tidbit that makes you a true professional. You don't have to do it all, you don't have to be comfortable with everything, but you DO have to be honest.

Experimentation/ learning on casual clients falls into this same category. I've had plenty of clients that were regulars of other shops but after one poor experience sought out a new place of business. Usually the things that walk into my shop were meant to be "Projects" or experiments. When working with a client that you have pierced a few times before its important to remember that just because you have built that trust up doesn't mean you should exploit it. By botching one job, you potentially lose thousands of dollars, where by doing it correctly you stand to gain potentially hundreds. Bad news travels fast in this industry...taking chances on things you aren't comfortable with simply isn't worth it.

The pressure today to do bigger and better things is everywhere, there is a new craze every week thanks to Pinterest /Instagram / the like. Not living up to the hype does not make you a bad piercer.  I am personally a very meat and potatoes kind of guy, I'm content with noses and navels because I feel without a doubt that I am able to execute the procedure well. I probably wont be on the front page of whatever social media circle, but I will be taking money home to my family for years to come.

I love my job, and my clients kick ass. You probably feel this way also if you're even reading this. Every now and then its a nice reminder to keep your head on straight and remember that your clients well being is better then any payday you could ever have.

Welcome!

Hello all,

The purpose of this blog is to better our industry through relevant experiences and best practices within the body piercing and modification community. This blog is a spin off series from the "Piercing Marketing Group" and "Body Modification Learning Forum". Guest writers will be featured occasionally.

All guest writers are required to follow a few simple rules.

No clients names will be used
Other professionals names will not be used in poor context
No slandering of industry related companies
Stay professional and relevant.

Any questions or anyone who would like to guest write can be addressed to me (Coyote Black) at this email.

Coyotepittsburgh@gmail.com

Thanks!

-Coyote