Sporadic at Best, but Grateful Nonetheless
My blogging intentions are always good but somehow it's one activity that always gets lost in the mix, shamefully lurking at the back of the line marked priority. At the ten month mark of opening my own studio I continue to have a surplus of gratitude for all of the individuals who I've spent time with in the new space. I have amazingly loyal clientele, many of whom I've spent far too many hours alongside to merely deem a "client", I'm met some wonderful friends when all is said and done. You've all shaped me and my work. It's a slow moulding and shaping, more like erosion or perhaps the growth of moss in arctic conditions, but it's a constant growth which I'm witnessing when I get the change to pull back and view my life and career. I thank you all for that.
Also, I'd like to thank Mikel (www.mikel.ca) for sharing the space with me. As someone who has approximately a decade more experience in the tattoo world than I do there has definitely been much to learn and observe. I thank you for the generosity of knowledge, the conversations, and the ease of working alongside another artist.
I tend to put my head down and work. It's good to once in a while look up and see what's changed, what I need to work on, where my priorities are or may be in the future. In the past year I put my head down and somehow I went from being booked three months in advance to close to six months in advance. It's a time of contemplation at the moment. Again, I'm nothing but grateful for having such a loyal (and patient) clientele. You're all very impressive.
As the scheduling continues to mount I begin to toy with the idea of specialization. I tend to have a passion for a few styles, still a somewhat broad spectrum but a bit more paired down from taking on each and every project. My heart has always been with Japanese style work. This was my first passion of tattooing far before I myself began to tattoo. Alongside that I have a strong affinity for American Traditional imagery (or at least that which is inspired by such imagery). And thirdly, I've come to enjoy mandala and/or geometric type work, especially dot-work as an aesthetic which seems to be gaining steam in the tattoo realm.
It becomes a thin wire to tread as in no way am I ever wanting to disregard any individual's tattoo ideas or aspirations. I tend to feel as though I have strengths as well as areas I'd love to work more within to become stronger in said areas. So, having said all of that, this is where my aim tends to be taking me. There are a few analogies I like to use. One being, if you had a chef known for his French cuisine you likely wouldn't ask him to cook Indian for you ... he might do an excellent job but it's not the ideal. I will continue to take on many/most projects but my aim is a slight bit more direct these days ... Japanese, American Traditional, and Mandala/Geometry ... this is where I'm headed at the moment.
I write this and ask the question, "why am I sharing this most anyone willing to take a few minutes to read it?" Well, the mere fact that it's full of positive sentiment is reason enough to put it out into world. And a final thank you to any who have made it all the way to this final line.