Biggy J

Well for one I think it is a way better show than the other bullshit drama crap out there. NY ink is the fucking worst and I wish Tim Hendricks wasn't apart of that. For one; it has decent critiques even if that douche bag Dave Navaro is one of the judges, but I guess he can do that being the producer. Oliver in my opinion makes the show worth watching. I liked that had Jack Rudy as a judge on there too. They should be putting well know respected tattooers as guest judges every week instead of tattooed celebrities. Time limits are a good indicator of what one can produce given that time. I agree most tattoos done properly take as long as they take. I think tattooing anyone over 5hrs at once is stupid anyways, it's hard on the body and the artist. I'll be watching season 2 and hoping it gets better! It is going to help teach the public about what to look for in good tattooing in the end.

Shark dick! - awesome!

Ibuprofen is a blood thinner - not good. Not as much as Tylenol, but still thins your blood. I believe the pain you experience is part of the "experience"! It's never as bad as your mind makes it out to be..

I have been working in a collective for 2 yrs now.I have found it to be way better than working for other people as I haven't worked for the most "awesome" people in my career. If they weren't tattooers they were opinionated ones. There are 5 of us - it started with 3. All bullshit & ego's need to be put aside and addressed as soon as possible. It's all about communication. Open lines of communication and the feeling you can share whatever's on your mind - no matter what others might think. Being proactive with shop duties needs to be addressed by all parties - you organize cleaning - partner 1 does the phone bill and does the website upkeep, etc. We all pull together and different times and address any issues as soon as they arise. We have all been working in this industry for a minimum of 11yrs, so i think that is also key. Experienced artists have more to offer & less bullshit to deal with. We all have different strengths and weaknesses with our work and push each other with constructive criticism in a proactive manner. There is a lot of variables you need to weigh before the simple yes or no. My experience has been great. I'm by no mean's "rich" in a monetary means but rich with experiences and life is too short not to live it to the fullest. Money shouldn't be the focus of going into a collective I think. If you want to make a "decent living" - does that mean making more $? You get what you put in - Hope this helps?!