where did the tattooers go?

[hogg]

I recently apologized for my inactivity here.

I still enjoy looking through and reading new posts - but haven 't contributed or posted as much as I used to--- I don't know if it's because I'm old or just an old tattooer --- but I felt like many of my responses lacked empathy and came off impatient or preachy.

Sorry, i'll try harder

You've always been one of the more thoughtful posters here, @Deb Yarian. We're happy to have you post as often as you'd like.

[Deb Yarian]

Okay- i'll start my own morning column here.

Ha ha.

Thank you for the kind words

[Deb Yarian]

Of anyone here, you have more right to be preachy. You, Don and the rest of your family represent the kind of authenticity that cannot be faked, styled or imitated. A beacon for us all.

What a vey nice thing to say!!!

Stewart, often I think to comment on a post- and then you do, so articulately, that I just feel like writing "ditto"

[else]

@Deb Yarian , even if you felt like you were just parroting Stewart I would love to hear what you had to say anyway.

[Shannon Shirley]

I can only speculate, but most of the people who have gone, have had things happen in their life that make their life a lot busier. A lot of people have gotten married and or had kids (grandkids), some people have become much more in demand as a tattooer, others have other projects that occupy their time.

I agree that the dynamic has become the same as the tattoo shop, and that is why I usually am on in the morning and not so much at night. Usually someone has sucked the life out of me by the time I get home from the shop, and i am done talking about tattoos for the day.

f#ckin facts,hilarious.....yeah......I'm sure Ive got better things to do.

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Okay- i'll start my own morning column here.

Ha ha.

Thank you for the kind words

hell yeah.....

[Kev]

I haven't been doing much lately other than work and wedding plan (next week's the big day!) I have found time to get tattooed ( thigh panel by Scott Ellis) but the process has been moving slowly because I wanted to be healed for the honeymoon (beaches and diving and stuff). I'll be back in full post mode in a few. I know this is titled "where did the tattooers go?" not "where did the postaholics go?", but someone mentioned non-tattooers so I thought I'd chime in since I was around;)

[mario desa]

funny...i get back on here and i see this and the post speculating about our departure from ctc! ha! one kind of answers the other...it's more a forum for civilians (no offense). i'd like to chime in here and there, but honestly, i'd be more interested in a forum for tattooers only, as i chat with "civilians" all day!

but i want to try to make an effort again to be on here more because i do think it's a positive!

[Scott R]

funny...i get back on here and i see this and the post speculating about our departure from ctc! ha! one kind of answers the other...it's more a forum for civilians (no offense). i'd like to chime in here and there, but honestly, i'd be more interested in a forum for tattooers only, as i chat with "civilians" all day!

but i want to try to make an effort again to be on here more because i do think it's a positive!

Mario for what its worth you were active when I found this site and I have also read I assume every thread and you indirectly helped me start to get it. I have since lasered my crap and only get good tattooers who care about tattooing to tattoo me.

So I can see why you prefer not to post I for one am really glad you have.

I thank you

[davelang]

I was super excited about this forum and check it regularly-ish. I've actually just started delving into the blogs and stuff. Fucking LOVE the interviews. I honestly don't post much for the same reasons that have been stated about the forum being public and a mix of artists and enthusiasts. I have tons of respect for the artists that are on here and would love to be in a forum that was an exchange of ideas, etc, between artists. I think a lot of us hold back in front of the public so as not to offend or confuse new, old or potential customers. I know "artist only" forums can get pissy and jaded and all that, but if there was artist section on here, where folks like Stewart, Deb, Scott and Mario are talking technique, reference, suppliers and stuff away from the public, I'd be here every day.

[dari]

.... I know "artist only" forums can get pissy and jaded and all that, but if there was artist section on here, where folks like Stewart, Deb, Scott and Mario are talking technique, reference, suppliers and stuff away from the public, I'd be here every day.

davelang, we did discuss the possibility early on, but it's not really in the spirit of what we're trying to do with LST. But you know you can PM any artist on here, right?

Funny, wrote that before seeing @mario desa's post. But Mario, don't you think if it were for artists only, there would be a ton of people claiming to be tattoo artists that many of you would say that they are anything but "artists?"

[David Flores]

Has anyone thought of possibly cleaning up threads. Maybe delete threads that have been inactive for a certain amount of time that only one have one or two pages of replies. I know it's a big task, but I think if it was kept up, some older threads would be revived instead of starting new threads on topics. Also maybe have a tattoo advice version of latest tattoo lowdown, just one big thread for all the times people start a thread and the only thing they need to do is go into a shop. Those threads could be merged into it, as they pop up.

I know it's a little off topic, but since we are talking about the forum.

I think if tattooers want a special section on this site, I wouldn't care if it meant they hung around more. But @dari, tattooers should have to be approved by mods before gaining access to it. But that would mean a tattooer would have to step up and be a mod of that part of site.

[CaptCanada]

@David Flores remember we talked about that before and the answer from admin and mods was that LST wasn't made to segregate tattooers from clients

[David Flores]

@David Flores remember we talked about that before and the answer from admin and mods was that LST wasn't made to segregate tattooers from clients

I recall that conversation, just think if there is any hope of revisiting a time where tattooers were posting regularly, might have to revisit some things on the forum. Otherwise it's just a bunch of enthusiasts sharing insight which is fine as well, but like you said LST was supposed to be a place for both tattooers and clients.

[CaptCanada]

Yeah I agree with you I wish that it would return to the time when tattooers were posting regularly

[YawkeyWay]

I for one have had my tattooer come back to lurking after I told him I drove 3 hours to get specifically tattooed by him based on a reference from this site. I also have come to realize how lucky I am to live in Virginia and have a love for tattoos, especially old school stuff.

[CultExciter]

I for one have had my tattooer come back to lurking after I told him I drove 3 hours to get specifically tattooed by him based on a reference from this site. I also have come to realize how lucky I am to live in Virginia and have a love for tattoos, especially old school stuff.

Yeah, who is that? I'm a Virginian as well!

[Stewart Robson]

A place where tattooers can discuss techniques and information in a private environment away from 'the public'? Sounds great...

Wait, I work in one every day. It's called a tattoo shop.

Also I travel hundreds, often thousands of miles to go to these places in the real world. They are called conventions.

By visiting the cream of the crop of both shops and/or conventions, we grow as tattooers and humans. There is no excuse not to visit if you care about tattoos, tattooing, learning and getting tattooed.

LST does something else and does a damn fine job at it.

[YawkeyWay]

Yeah, who is that? I'm a Virginian as well!

Cult you are about to find out YOU were the first vehicle for influence. It was your post on Boyer followed by drive up the road to Staunton to get inked by Tim Forbus that originally got me looking at their work. After seeing Tim's Sacred Heart and one of his Gypsy Ladyheads, I gave him a call. Since then I have been inked by him twice. He was able to blow me away with my second piece as it was the most important one I'll ever own; it contains my girls names.

I told Tim I found him because of this site.

[davelang]

davelang, we did discuss the possibility early on, but it's not really in the spirit of what we're trying to do with LST. But you know you can PM any artist on here, right?"

I do understand that I can send a private message directly to an artist on this site, but there's a big difference between getting in on a conversation and cold calling someone that I don't know directly. It's just a whole different thing. Beyond setting up an appointment, or trying to buy a machine, painting or set of flash, I wouldn't bother any tattooers I look up to unless the conversation had already been established organically at a shop, convention, etc.

And I do get that the spirit of this website is not to be a separatist tech forum and don't discount that it is a great place for enthusiasts to get exposed to amazing tattooers and I do think the talent on here is flat out amazing. My point was just that if someone is asking why actual tattooers aren't posting too much anymore, I just know that if I think the general public is watching, any posts I made would be kind of surface level, because I talk about tattooing differently with tattooers than I do with customers.

[dari]

@JAllen, I'm on here a lot less too, due to my work and remodeling the house and general life business, too. I used to read every single word ever put up on this forum, but it was much smaller then. Now I might not get around to reading something until a month or so after it's posted, but I try to get there eventually. I don't think I was on much or at all during the incidents you mention. Our internet was even off for 10 days at one point last summer, it's ridiculous how far behind one can fall from something like that. I don't mean on just the forum, I mean with life's daily business and correspondence. I know it's no giant secret that the whole "instant access" has it's trappings, but it was more debilitating than I'd like. I've always enjoyed your contributions, and I remember you were trying to sell your house and move to Atlanta, right?

Obviously, I'm not a tattooer. But my husband is one of the founders of this site, and his intention was never to be on the forum everyday answering questions about bubbling and bleeding outlines and whatnot. It's not that he's not interested or entertained here, he's just busy. Since we've been remodeling our house, his time online has been generally spent researching building radiant heating systems and studying siding installation instructions, or just checking the local lumberyard hours. I also see him on craigslist looking at fishing boats, small ones that won't provide shade for easily sunburned women or hold a lot of noisy children. Every minute of his non-tattooing/drawing or family time has been spent either working on the house if the sun is up, or building machines when it's down. He also made a roses line drawing book, I think the e-book version of it will be on LST any minute now. But he is at the Reno convention right now, and if there's someone he thinks need to be interviewed for LST, he'll bring it back for us. Or maybe he'll just bring back a ton of stuff from Cabella's.

So I can answer the question "where did the tattooers go?" for one tattooer only, I'm pretty sure he went to work and will be back soon. Either that, or he's gone fishing.

[JAllen]

Hey @dari, I know exactly what you mean. My computer died last summer so I can only check stuff here on my phone or at the shop. The house remodeling is a full time job too, and trying to fit that around working a job is consuming. Yep, I'm still trying to sell the house and get back to Atlanta. Last year was a pretty crappy year altogether but hoping something happens so I can get moved. I'm usually pretty patient but I miss my wife and kid. Thanks for your kind works, greatly appreciated.

[Dan S]

Since I am not a professional tattooer, mods, please feel free to delete this post if inappropriate.

Just my little .02, but if the goal of the site is to educate the public about good tattooing, then I guess the artists are stuck with having the public post.

I can totally understand tattooers wanting to be able to talk to each other without the counter-crowd looking over their shoulder. I think that could be a valid part of the site, and wouldn't be hard to set-up. The software for most bulletin-board types sites provides for limiting access to various boards to members with differing levels of permissions, based on post-count or other criteria. As far as who gets to post there, I would say strictly established, known tattooers. If someone who did not fit that description wanted to post there, they could contact one of the tattooers who post in the restricted area and ask for a reference. Those allowed in this hypothetical area could be identified with a title, or another customization of their member name.

It's really a double-edged sword, eh?! If you want to educate the public, and in turn, get the opportunity to have clients who appreciate your work and are willing to pay for it, in time and treasure, then you are going to have to interact with them to some extent. And clients, if you want to have the opportunity to get work from someone who can do more than scar you for life, then it behooves you to read and learn here, and to avoid hassling the pros with endless bullshit.

And now you can flame away.

If this is a site for the general public, then don't complain when they show up. If it's a site for professional tattooers, then by all means, don't post if that restriction isn't honored.

[dari]

I'm sure there's a place in this world for a tattooer-only forum, and there are tattooers with enough free time to moderate it, but that's never been the intention for LST. From the newbie guidelines - "The goal of LST is to create a positive and respectful place where both tattooers and collectors alike can access a wealth of information about Tattooing, share their own experiences and perspectives, and cultivate valuable relationships within the tattoo community." However, the feature to set up one's own group on LST has alway been there, under the forum tab. Go to the community section, then groups, then create a group about anything you want, set the type to invite only, then invite, discuss, and moderate away.

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@JAllen, of course, we very much appreciate your contributions. And I can't imagine how much it would suck to be away from your family. Your wife must be much nicer than I am.

Regarding technology glitches, the p key and the backspace key on our keyboard were broken for a month before we finally replaced it. So annoying.

[ian]

When I joined the forum there were a good amount of tattooers here as well as 'collectors' that for the most that had a good idea of the ethics of tattooing.

Of course we want the forum to grow and in the growth you'll get some advanced collectors but you'll also get many newbies. I get the feeling that the tattooers that post/used to post here don't have time or just don't want to educate the public on tattoo ethics, especially after tattooing all day.

I did see @The Hyena over the weekend, super cool dude with some amazing flash he was selling, and I told him it's be nice to see him around here more often. He said he's going to make an effort to post more.

No offense to anyone but maybe a lot of the recent topics are too ridiculous for advanced tattooers to want to bother with and may actually be a turn off to them...

[G.Uristti]

Thanks for bringing this up @Shannon Shirley while we've never met, people who I think are awesome tell me that you're awesome. Everyone here should pay attention to what this guy says.

I still check the forums every day but I told myself I'd try to only get involved if I could be constructive in some way (even being a dick in a particular way can have a positive outcome).

Lately there hasn't been much 'new' information or discussion where I felt my opinion would make any difference. Often someone else gets to the point before I do. I don't want every post I make to be a verbose "Me too."

On the other hand... The more help or insight we give, the more help or insight we're asked for.

Everyone likes to say they "Did their research" for their tattoo but that often just means looking at pictures in a Google search or checking Instagram. But what about the kind of research where you follow an idea that someone mentioned and find out for yourself? Learning and discovery is fun. Information discovered is more cherished and valuable than information that's spoon fed.

Everyone wants a book or website recommendation where the mysteries of life and everything will be explained, with pictures.

Explorers will eventually tire of conversing with tourists and consumers but they may feel nourished conversing with other explorers. (I use these terms with their proper, non-insulting intention) If more people try to be explorers (intelectual, spiritual or physical) this site, and the world will be a better place.

well stated. i couldnt of said it better.