End of Maternity leave .......

[Still Kate]

Hello All,
           I hope you've all had a lovely refreshing weekend.

Well, its time for me to go back to work .... eventhough I'm basically self employed and can pick and choose my hours to a certain extent its still going to be a bit of a shock.

I've ordered all new tattoo equipment, a new machine (I need a spare anyway) brand new beautiful inks and all the other bits and pieces. I have 3 customers waiting for tattoo's already and I will be starting those next week once they have approved the drawings.
Though a lot has changed, I can now buy disposable tips and grips which aleviate the need for autoclaving everything and obviously the needles are disposable but I can now buy these ready made and sterilised instead of making up my own needle sets (which takes an age).
The cash outlay is horrific as I've needed to stock up on gloves, platic aprons, cleaning and sterilising supplies, creams and dressings aswell as everything else but I should make that back with these first 3 tats.

So please wish me luck and if I ever suss out how to post photo's on here, I will send a few in.

Have a good week.
Kate. xx

[Ara]

I was gonna say--cash outlay might be horrendous now, but the want for tattoos and the cost of them tends to be so high that you could replace that quite quickly.

Man, wish I was closer to you-I've been looking for a new design. 

Good luck!  Have fun

Ara

[Rowan CedarWolf]

That makes two of us Ara! I would love to get a new tat! I love my tats, but I have found them to be addictive.
Oh how I wish you were closer Kate! I would be coming to see you a lot!

[Brijrian]

I've heard that they are addictive! Anyone have any idea why?

I'm working on designing a special first one for myself right now (with the help of my artistic sister).

How many tattoos do you have Kate? (Just out of curiosity!)

And good luck on restarting yoru business! I've been doing the same over here. And you're right about the shock! (I'm a stay-at-home businesswoman/mom too.)

[Still Kate]

Hi Brijrian,
I have too many to count.... hang on.... My left arm from my shoulder to my fingertips is completely covered in black and grey work, mainly japanese style. I have my right leg completely covered from my ankle to knee with lillies, again in Japanese style with colour. Both shoulder blades have big tattoos, on one side a witch sitting on a pile of skulls, the other side a large design of a Cadeus, Then my right arm is covered half way down with flowers and waves, again, a Japanese style design. There is a vampire bite on my neck and a crown with graffitti writing under it which covers the back of my neck.  Japanese writing on my fingers and a cherry blossom on the palm of my hand.(I did that myself as I wanted to see how painful it was to tattoo the palm, don't ask why I haven't a clue), oh and there's a devil on the top of my foot. 

They are addictive, I'm not entirely sure why but you do get an adrenalin rush as the tattooist begins and then the bodies natural pain killer kicks in so this in itself is quite addictive. 
It doesn't help being in a tattoo studio all day, especially if its quiet, we get bored and start sticking needles in each other. And if we get any new art work in then we have to try out some of the designs, it can get a bit out of hand. We've started using bits of Jon now, he's got some lovely artwork on him.

Sometimes its the best job in the world and sometimes the worst. We have some idiots that come in, some can be abusive, some are drunk and some smell! (We don't tattoo those) then some pass out, some throw up ..... its endless. Plus I have to be careful with Hepatitis and HIV / AIDs and get tested regularly. On top of that I worked for 2 years with NO pay, full time, just to do the training and I had to pay for all my own equipment at the start. And I have regular training days to up-date my Health and Hygine certificates and Cross-contamination training, which I have to pay for. And then I pay the studio owner 25% of everything I earn as this is basically rent for my area in the studio. Any piercings I do I don't get paid for because I don't provide the jewellery or equipment for those- the studio provides that, except on Sundays or if I'm there on my own then I get to keep 50% of the piercing cost.  I have to provide all my own ink, needles, tattoo machines and equipment and the studio provides the sterilisation facilities, electricity, heating, work benches etc. I also still do all the cleaning because I'm a bit obsessive about that. But the other two tattooists buy me lunch and keep me supplied with coffee in exchange!

I just love it when kids come in and want to be a tattooist, its not as glamorous as everyone thinks nor will you get rich quick and most don't want to clean up several piles of vomit on a busy day! But when you've done a design and it comes out exactly perfect on someones skin, then thats the best feeling.

Love
Kate. xx

[Labrys]

I've heard that they are addictive! Anyone have any idea why?

I hear this a lot.  I have seven main tattoos, or depending on how one counts...eleven.  I don't particularly feel addicted.  I do contemplate another to fill what seems like a void on my right arm, but nothing has suggested itself to me.  I have thought about a very tiny tatt on my left big toe (to balance one on my right) to see if getting inked would inspire me. 

But the money never seems to be there...not even for a tiny one.

[Brijrian]

So is your avatar picture actually you Labrys? I thought that in a past post you said that it wasn't...But I've always thought it a very pretty picture.

[Ara]

I found them addictive, and I'm not sure why.  When I got my first one, I thought it would be my only one (it's a little witch happy face on the inside of my forearm  <|:) )  I got it as a good luck symbol.  After I got it, I started finding more and more designs for new ones that I wanted that meant something to me.  I think the first step is actually gettin the courage to get one, but then you want more and more. 

Hopefully the urge to get a new one won't come along until I have kids--I've already had a few ideas for those!

[Labrys]

So is your avatar picture actually you Labrys? I thought that in a past post you said that it wasn't...But I've always thought it a very pretty picture.

No, it is me.  Tho' temporarily I once had a different avatar that was not me...

It is me before I put on 10 lbs in the last year of painfully lazy, alas...we took this shot right after I had the Athena between my shoulder blades re-done.  Ow.  Just let me say, having all that scar tissue re-ripped to do the exact same tatt really hurts.

[Rowan CedarWolf]

I have four. My first was a red parrot on a branch with an orchid on my left shoulder, I don't know why I picked it, I was 18 and legally able to get one so I did, I had always wanted a tattoo so as soon as I was legal I got one. My second is on my right ankle, it's two hearts one over lapping the other with ribbons over and under it. I got this after I had my second child, each heart represented one of my kids, I really need to update that one as I have had another child and I now have 2 step children. My next adventure in tats culminated in getting 2 the same day. I have a tat on the Goddess Isis on my right shoulder that goes from the top of my shoulder down 3/4's of my rib cage, that one hurt! and then I had the one on my right wrist done the same day. It's a bracelet tat in the center is a triquetra and the sides are celtic knotwork that go from the sides of the triquetra around to the underside of my wrist.
I know I want another one, but I don't know what I want next, which is good, cause I don't have the money for another right now!

[Brijrian]

I didn't realize we had so many marked people! Wow. Thanks for sharing all of your neat tattoos. I wish I could see them..they all sound so interesting and pretty!

[Lark]

I can help you with how to upload pictures, but do remember that some of our folks are on dial-up so try not to load too many.

First you have to upload them to a hosting site such as photobucket.com  or snapfish.com.  Then when you make a post look in the row of icons above the posting block and you'll see an icon with a picture in it.  Click on that and it will give you the   Simply put the URL from your photo hosting site between the two sets of brackets and the picture should appear in your post.

-Lark-