Career

Thursday June 19th, 2008 @ 9:30 AM

Filed under: Culture

Let me just start by saying i love this website. putting that aside i just wanted to ask something. I love piercing, scar and tatoo but would never do one. I live in Oporto, Portugal and i would like to know what its needed to actually make tatoos, piercings, scar and implants. I what to know what kind of instruction you need to know to actually make any of the things i refered above. i want to be a bodymoder as a sidejob (im studying animation in college). I want to know if there is some sort of bodymod school in my town, and would also like to know what is legal and illegal in bodymoding in portugal. i await your response axiously

Yours truly

Koro-

Koro…Let me just say this rather baffles me, not to mention boils my blood.

You would NEVER get a piercing, scarification piece or a tattoo, yet you want to do this to other people, as a side job?

Can we say just a lil disrespectful to the many already working within this industry? If you have absolutely NO interest in obtaining any of the work yourself, what makes you think you should be doing it yourself?

Body Modification is NOT a “side job”…There is no “bod mod school of the arts”…No certificate programs or anything…You either do it because you have the passion and love for it, or you simply don’t.

In regards to what is legal and illegal in Portugal your best bet is to do your own leg work and contact health departments, read city/country laws involving tattooing, piercing, etc. In my personal opinion I feel that if someone is willing to pick up a scalpel, implants,whatever…They should be medically licensed to do so, which means going to med school and getting the damn certificate…But hey that’s just my personal opinion.

Maybe you didn’t mean your question to come off disrespectful but as I said the reality is this type of job is NOT a “side job” and when individuals come out of the woodworks saying they want to do it as “side jobs”, its a slap in the face to all of us who do it 24/7 a week, 365 days a year.

My advice to you is this…If you have no interest in obtaining ANY body modifications…Stick with the Animation course you’re taking in College and don’t even consider for one second attempting to do anything body modification related, unless you’re willing to put EVERYTHING into it.

Posted by Warren Hiller | Permalink | 18 Comments

Piercing career

Tuesday April 29th, 2008 @ 7:52 PM

Filed under: Culture, Piercing, Uncategorized

Im thinking about going into piercing as a career , I went to college an graduated but haven’t done anything with myself. Im just wondering what kind of path/adventure Im in for, I should also mention Im an artist photograper an do alot of hands on production work in the graphic arts field.

If you apprentice the good old fashioned way, you have this to expect:
Learning humility. Respect. Patience. Traditional well placed piercings that the client has every chance of healing- and once you’re ready… you get to learn how to apply it all. As time goes on, you come to realize that you’re a bartender, a hairdresser, a priest, a shrink, a nurse and a friend to people who all want your best- not just a good piercing, but someone who listens and helps them on their way. Be prepared for that- moreso than dealing with people’s skin, a good piercer has to deal with tempermental clients, clients having bad days, et all. And sometimes for a less than stellar income. Is it worth it? It can be. On a good day, you get out of the industry what you put into it. On a bad…

Now. If you plan on doing the “rockstar internet” route of learning to pierce- all you need to do is look the part. Stretch everything REALLY big. Tattoo your most public of areas. And most of all- remember- it’s about you, NOT the client. *

*If you take this route, expect a lot of people to be unhappy.

Posted by Shawn Porter | Permalink | 1 Comment