Bonus Episode: TattooGate Commentary

Explicit content warning

05/23/23 • 42 min

A viral incident has the tattoo world buzzing! The TattooGate scandal is being discussed by tattooers and collectors alike. This controversy is a hot topic for a lot of people because it touches some emotional issues. The exploitation of the tattoo business, ripping off clients, understanding the value of your work, and ethics (or a lack of them) among many other things. Unsavory characters will always seek to take advantage of the gullible, but they can't function like that for a long time. They have to move on and find a new group of people to exploit. While this type of behavior may never be completely eliminated, if honest tattooers with integrity who genuinely care about the craft and clients who feel taken advantage of expose the unethical in the tattoo industry these instances will become less and less common.

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Episode 1- Introduction

Jack and Clay are street shop tattooers who work in walk-in shops that offer custom tattooing. You can get a sleeve or an infinity symbol and you will get the same treatment and level of attention and respect. Tattooing isn’t just one thing, it is an entire universe of different styles, opinions, beliefs, and ways of life. The growing popularity of tattooing has changed some aspects of it but the magic that attracted Jack and Clay nearly 30 years ago is still very much alive. “I Love Tattooing” seeks to preserve that magic and ensure it can continue for many generations to come.

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I Love Tattooing Episode 2: Apprenticeships

Tattoo apprenticeships are a sharply debated topic. Unlike many other industries that use the apprenticeship method to train new workers, the tattoo world does not have a universally approved or recognized process for apprenticeships. Before Clay's entry into tattooing he was a welder and worked in a union shop that had a standardized structured apprenticeship procedure. In the trade apprentice Clay did, all parties knew their role and what their expectations were. Although Jack did complete a formal structured apprenticeship from a competent instructor, this has historically not been the case for tattooing. This void in the industry seems to have allowed an entire new business of tattoo schools to grow unopposed as well as enabled unqualified people to take on the role of tattoo instructor. Jack and Clay explore the issues surrounding todays apprenticeship method (or lack thereof) in tattooing today. Find us: Visit our website: https://ilovetattooing.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ilovetattooing?s=20 Telegram: https://t.me/ilovetattooing Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/ILoveTattooing/100092671900404/ Substack: https://ilovetattooing.substack.com/p/i-love-tattooing?sd=pf