Jeremiah Daniels

[Jeremiah Daniels]

I have been tattooing for 16 years. I also have a home studio, completely setup to PRO shop standards, with autoclave (spore tested bi-weekly, multiple ultrasonic cleaners (used for different purposes, in different rooms), bathroom for client, room dedicated to cleaning and steralization, a waiting/consultation rooms, and immaculate tattoo room complete with hydrolic tattoo chair, artist stool, roll-a-round tattoo tray/workstation(HOT ZONE!!!), ultrasonic cleaner, etc. Madacide used for chemical steralization. All fluids and area labeled and protected. I tattooed professionally for two years, and worked very hard to master my craft. Tragically, my mentor and idol in the industry lost his battle with prostate cancer, which happened suddenly and unexpected. I had already earned my way from apprentice to artist(Tattoo Technition), but I do not feel I was ready to spread my wings and open a shop without my master. I had an issue with my confidence, and also was mourning still from the loss of an amazing tattoo artist, amazing family man, and an even better friend. Through all these struggles, I ended up in a very bad traffic accident which injured my back terribly, even worse with the everyday back issues from tattooing. Ultimatly, I ended up on disability and had to rehabilitate myself with my back. During my physical therapy and mental health therapy(due to stress of being helpless and feeling trapped in my home)I started building myself up, and making the entire downstairs of my townhouse into my studio. During this time I kept up with my BBP Certification, CPR/AED, and First Aid Certification, but I did lose my license, due to not working currently in a shop. In the state of TN, if you have been on disability or for any reason didn’t renew your license for over 2 years, you are no longer in the database and pretty much have to start from scratch. I’ve been wanting to find a new shop, but have found issues with finding a shop that is compatible with either my personality or or their being a ink snob. I have only used my studio to tattoo family and close friends during my downtime, which may not sound like much, but I believe I have logged about 200 some-odd tattoos in the past 2 to 2.5 years. Unfortunatly for my wallet, I didn’t get paid with cash, I got paid with experience and pictures for my portfolio. I am trying to work towards working my way back into the work force, but am having an issue with finding a shop I am comfortable working in that is accepting of me. For the 1st 4 or 5 years I didn’t take my tattooing and artwork as seriously as I wish I had. In the last 3.5 to 4 years I have had a fire lit under my butt and have been on fire with a passion for my craft like never before. I believe there is a drastic devide between having a studio in your place of dwelling, and being a kitchen magician who is just trying to make a quick buck, and don’t have a passion for the art. If you are tattooing another human being, you need to have a respect and a VAST knowledge of very important tricks, and issues you will definatly not learn without learning from a professional artist with a traditional apprenticeship. Learning from your own mistakes just isn’t fair to your clients, and is being blatantly dangerous where the worst case scenerio isn’t a shitty tattoo, but is an infection or bloodborn disease that can harm or even kill your client. If you don’t have anymore respect for the industry, then to tattoo like this, you don’t belong in the industry. Knowledge is power, educate yourself. Make sure in the minimum you have passed a blood born pathogen certification course, along with cpr and first aid, and actually have an area that is safe for you to even be tattooing in. If you have tons of cloth, fabric, unwrapped bottles/machines/hot zones/clip cords or are tattooing with your ink left out exposed near you while tattooing, just don’t!!! There are reasons there are laws against tattoooing while uneducated or unprepaired to due so. I know its hard to find an apprenticeship these days, I am a very sound and technical tattoo artist with a wide array of styles, tricks, and experience under my belt, yet I can’t find an appropriate shop in a decent sized city to work that will either take me on, or that I am willing to lower my standards enough to work at. I just am not willing to drop my standards to a level of being unclean or in an unsafe environment for myself or my clients, and the other shops I know are stuck up their own butts so far they formed together as the “Club Convention of Conseeded Tattoo Snobs.” Lol… Either way, the answer for me is simple… to CONVERT an entire selected area of your home or place of dwelling into a professional tattoo studio, that meets professional shop standards to the extreme of making sure you meet all other Health Code Law Standards that could pass a health code inspection if it were in a building zoned and legally acceptable to open a shop in. Other than the fact that your studio is a dwelling, you should strive to meet all standards and guidelines put in place by the health dept. If not, and you are just wanting to learn tattooing, or you think you can tattoo, or even if you can tattoo, but don’t have an appropriate areas to designate and the proper tools needed to run a clean, professional, comfy, and safe tattooing environment(autoclave with spore testing consistantly, barrier film/bags/etc, ultrasonic cleaner, Non-porous surfaces like non-cloth flooring and chairs, Madacide or equivalent chemical steralizer, etc, etc….) and most importantly the well versed, knowledgeable and precise understanding of the running and functioning of a professional and exceptional tattoo shop with a clean welcoming environment, out of this world artistry, and the respect towards the industry that will keep proving to be the most hardcore and yet sensible form of artistry that is on a rise that will only end if all of existance ends. Thank you for reading my hopefully helpful opinion about home studios and when a Private/Home Studios are acceptable in my opinion.

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