Interview Feri

Interview

Name: Feri
Tattoo Respect te Alkmaar (NL)

Can you describe yourself in one sentence?
Straight forward, what you see is what you get.

How long have you been piercer?
For 20 years now! 



Why this profession?
I like to work with different people every day and every day is a new challenge.
Not one day is the same, just like every body.

How did you learn the trade?
When I was 18 years I apprentice as piercer, it just  interested me, why I don't know.. 



What was the first piercing you pierced?
The very first piercing I have ever pierced was a helix a piercing for a young lady.
It was pretty exciting, but all went well!

Who or what inspires you?
People who have many piercings I find them pretty interesting!
But my real inspiration, good question. I think especially the reaction of the clients after


Can you tell something about your studio/workplace?
I work at Tattoo Respect it's the second oldest tattoo shop in Alkmaar, and exists 10 years! (secretly advertise! ;)
We are a kind of family ☺

What kind of piercing do you prefer?
I actually don't  have a preference. 



What is the best advice you've ever received as a novice piercer, and want to give assistance to others who start in this industry?
The best advice is that you need to consider everything
Also after a piercing, the client can faint, for me it's just a piercing, but for the client it can be a real happening!


Do You  have a separate story or experience you'd like to share?
I remember a few years back. A young lady came by for a tongue piercing, and was very nervous. Together with her colleague we have reassured her and she felt nothing, at the end she burst into tears. ;) of joy!
The following day she came back along with 3 other people who wanted a tongue piercing!

Does  your work involves more than just piercing?
Piercing and piercings orders. Also watch the internet for research and bloopers Who doesn't :)

How do you see yourself in 5 years? 
On a desert island together with my girlfriend ;) but that will not happen haha.
No, still be piercer/floor manager in the shop here.

Do you have a tip or do you want to add something to this interview 
A burp is a fart, that doesn't know his way to the ass!

-Answers and Photo Feri
Angie
-Published Tattoo Planet E Magazine 104/ december 2015

Report Scarification class

Scarification 

I always want to learn more. At my studio, not only do I piercings but also provide tattoo removal, hair removal by IPL, permanent make-up and I have a freelance tattoo artist who comes in once or twice a month to tattoo for a day. And to expand my studio and knowledge, I signed up for Scarification seminar.

August 8th 2015, I attended the seminar for Scarification in Amsterdam and the seminar was given by Wayde Dunn. (I didn't meet the legend Ron due to cancelation unfortunately)

Here I was again at Classic Ink And Mods, with 2 other girls. Wayde is from Australia and did a great job teaching us. He took the time to explain the different aspects of scarification. It was very interesting, especially the parts on different types of healing, results and I was fascinated about the outcome of ones scarification.

After the theory, it was time to practice. One of the students, Jennifer, was our 'victim'. Because of my previous job, I was used to cut people, only deeper, so I like to say it again: I'm sorry Jennifer :) My first try out was a little to deep, but after a while I got the hang of it and Jennifer was pleased with the outcome of her new fish scar.

It really was great meeting Wayde and the other students and I'll be back for the advanced class for sure!






Practicing
After I got all the gear for practice.
I found some friends, willing to be my victims. Before I wanted to offer this in my studio, I needed to master the skill.

So, I started on myself. It's a weird feeling, working on inside of my lower leg with a wolf print. My mom came by, and told me I was nuts, but in the end did like the outcome.

I wasn't pleased myself, some scars were too wide, others too thin. But hey, that's the point! To learn and keep practicing.


So now it was my friends turn (evil grin). I did a chest piece of an eagle, swastika on a leg and hearts on an arm. I have to say, it wasn't bad. Not fully 100% satisfied but good enough. And now I keep track on all of them, to see how they heal up.

Special thanks to Cor, Tom and Nel, to be brave enough and be my victims! And since I'm really enjoy doing it, let's hope this small town is ready for it.




New hobby
It may sound weird, but because of the scarification, I found myself a new hobby. While studying scarification (online), you also see brandings popping up.  Very interesting and to see the different way it can be used, I got myself a 'Peter Brenn Junior' kit! Don't worry, it's not for the body, but for wood. But it is a craft I like to learn as hobby at home :)

done by me




Photos Angie
-Angie

Story behind a Known piercer/mod artist Ryan Oulette

Story behind a known piercer

Ryan Ouelette

I don't think I ever really planned to become a professional piercer, it just kind of happened. I know it sounds cliche but I feel like this is the career I was meant to be in. I started piercing myself in my early teens, and had the my first piercing from someone else when I was 16. I knew what I was doing was dumb and sloppy, so I decided to learn all I could about piercing and see where it would take me. I started with books and websites. Back in the mid 90's there were very few resources. I found a little info online, but not much more than anatomy texts or pictures of other piercings. I found a video tapes through tattoo magazines. Not great information but I feel like I was starting to at least learn how things should not be done, that was a start. I got some tools and supplies and saved up to buy an older model sterilizer, and that is when I started feeling a little too prepared I think. I started piercing friends and got a job part time at a tattoo shop. Things started to grow faster for me then. I found the BMEZINE website and started learning from as many articles, interviews, and procedural pictures as possible. I eventually landed a full time job at a new tattoo shop when I was 20 and that was the biggest change for me. I worked for that place for about 6 months before they started having business troubles, in less than a year they ended up closing. I took the opportunity to open my own small studio in their old location. It was only one room for piercing, one for tattooing, and a lobby. Very small but it had potential. I did what I could with my resources and budget. Around this time I started attending the Association of Professional Piercers' conference in Las Vegas and that is where I really started to learn the most technical and safety data. I learned a lot abut techniques too, but more from casual chats with other piercers than in classes. I also became heavily involved in the BMEZINE website as both a piercer and scarification practitioner.  After 5 years in my original location I decided to expand and moved just across the street to about double the space in 2006. 

With the new space I increased to 3 tattoo rooms, one piercing room, and dedicated sterilization room planned with Association of Professional Piercers standards in mind. Things went well there. I expanded into better jewelry and always tried to improve small features around the shop when I could afford to. I also continued attending the APP conference and after awhile I started to get involved in the organization as a volunteer. Around 2009 I started submitting some ideas about a conference mentor program for new attendees and a new style of classes. Rather than standard lectures I felt a more hands on teaching approach could be beneficial so I worked out a proposal for the current workshop class system with my friend and fellow piercer Jesse Villemaire from Canada. Fast forward to 2015 and I have since moved again. I bought a two story building and made a huge expansion to the studio. I am currently the only member of the APP operating in my State, and we exclusively offer the highest quality body jewelry available. I have been instructing classes for the APP for several years now as well as the Boston Tattoo Convention, the BMXNET conference in Germany, and the new UK-APP group. I feel very lucky to have had these opportunities in my career. It took a lot of hard work and money, but every bit of it was worth it. 

I have seen the industry change from being an afterthought at tattoo shops to being a huge deal. A huge flood of piercers realizing that education and quality are important issues in the field. Every year the APP and it's conference grow by leaps and bounds. Clients are better educated through social media and really know the difference between quality piercings and jewelry, and low end work. I am excited to see what the future holds for this business. As someone who never intended or expected to be in the position of running a business or educating the next generation of piercers I am very pleasantly surprised with where piercing has taken me.

Ryan Ouellette

Precision Body Arts

3 Elm Street (new location)

Nashua, New Hampshire

www.precisionbodyarts.com

-Photos and Story: Ryan Ouelette
Angie
-Published Tattoo Planet E Magazine 104/ december 2015

Ryan & Me (Essen2015)

Interview Eddy Vercaemere

Interview

Name:
Eddy Vercaemere
Owner & Piercer at Eddy Tattoo in Kortrijk (BE)

Can you describe yourself in 1 sentence?
I am very seriously about my work and set myself the question if it can be any better.

How long have you been piercer? 
Started piercing 2 years later then tattooing, so since 1994


Why this profession?
Actually it longs with tattooing, through the many ask for it in my studio, I started.



How did  you learned the trade?
My mentor has took piercing appointments in my studio for 6 months, and learned me the trade

What was your first piercing you pierced?
A belly button piercing.

Who or what inspires you? 
I try as much as possible to do standard piercings, I won't let me influenced by extreme things, like someone that once asked for an eyelid piercing. Who had seen it somewhere on the net and wanted this too. Such piercings are sometimes posted to take a nice picture or just Photoshopped, but certainly gives problems. I always count from the success rate on healing places.. There is no point to pierce a place you already know in advance that it is not good.

Can you tell something about your studio/work place?
We have a separate place for the piercing and also a separate room where we do intimate piercings. With us you can find all types of body piercings. I already have everything, standard such as navel, nipple, tongue, lip, eyebrow etc but also surface, dermal, and all intimate piercings. A wide collection of tunnels and stretch you can also find at us. 



What type of piercing do you prefer?
A nipple piercing I like doing because I do this free hand without clamp, this to the tilting of the nipple. So  it is  correctly placed. 



What is the best advice you've ever received as a novice piercer, and want to give assistance to other who start in this industry?
There are so many things to watch out for, every piercing is different. What I find important is to mark the piercing standing. Because by sitting down this may be slanting. Always do  bother to let the customer standing upright and give them a mirror check.
For a tongue piercing I find that many piercers too little or no account of the tilting of the tongue. By this I mean that if you have the tongue and you put a tip on using a marker, that this point  will get further behind gets stuck in the . As a result, the tongue piercing is  to far behind  and can even be painful. So I know some important tips, but the best is to find a good mentor.



Do you  have a nice or separate story or experience you'd like to share?
We already have done a couple of  Uvula piercings
You need  2 people for his (someone should push the tongue down with a spatula) and agree gestures signs with the client before you start. He cannot talk while you are working on him.
But the strangest thing I came across is a boyfriend who came along for moral support and then eventually itself bland fell at the sight of a belly button piercing of his girlfriend. When they get together after, by the window of the studio, she showed him her piercing and he faint again. 



Does  your work involves more than just piercing ?
I am also a full time tattoo artist and we also remove tattoos with the latest laser equipment. 



How do you see yourself in 5 years?
still busy hopefully.


Do you have a tip or do you want to add something to this interview?
Come all by the studio


-Answers and Photos : Eddy Vercaemere
Angie
-Published Tattoo Planet E Magazine 102/ oktober 2015

Report BMXnet

BMXnet is a great non profit organisation who focus there work as consumer protection, information and helpdesk to the body modification industries customers, and by that they try to do there part in public health and education for a better, cleaner and professional Industry.

Education and the availability of information has always improved different parts of our daily life and it is about time to do that to the whole spectrum of body modification. The goal is that regulations are made with a sense of proportion and that the industry will be involved in this.
To reach all that goals one of our main instruments is the yearly conference we do bring body modification professionals ( tattooist, piercers and so on) together to share, learn and get updated.

Next to this main mission, we want to develop and maintain the cultural aspects of body modification. To bring ancient rites like suspension,Kavadi and so on to the modern aspects of sterile and hygienic approved procedures.

Last September 2015, finally, my first BMXnet conference experience!
An annual recurring event which this year was held for the 9th time on a perfect location in Essen Germany The :"Unperfekthaus".
4 days of seminars, lectures, advice, information and discussions about various aspects of this industry. Surprised at the amount of people who came from so many corners of the world to be at the conference. And made this 4 days one big family, no one looks down on you, consider you as equal whether you are novice or professional worker for years.

As a newcomer I have greatly enjoyed this event and learned and met alot.
Classes that were given by professionals as A.P.P. and A.P.T.P.I. members, experts in Hygiene and other professional artists who wanted to share with us their experience and or investigations. 

After a full  day of classes we were entertained with shows in the evening among other "Superfly Suspension Crew", "Coco Katsura", "pain solution" and others.
Also workshops, and on the roof of the building you could attend or experience suspensions.
On the last day, there were vendors with quality jewelry and  at the end of the day you get a certificate with the described classes that you had attended.
Very sure this is an annual outing for me, not only for  all the information but also for the sheer fun that this event brings.

BMXnet conference 8-11 september 2016
www.bmxnet. org

Stefan- Organisation

This is the 9th BMXnet, Do you see a growth? 

Small growth, not much, but the larger group you find after their first time they come back year after yearat the Conference

How do you see the BMXnet over 5 years?   
We have reached our goal already achieved by a platform where people can network. As non profit organization, we are not out on growth, though we want to grow organically.




Ryan Ouelette-APP-Pricision Body arts
Brian Skellie-President APP-Piercers.com

What is your impression about this event?
Ryan: it is actually the same as the annual Vegas APP Convention only you see  more compatriots. Here it's really an amalgamation of different countries. You meet many people and learn that every one is working in there own way, which we also learn from.





Rolf Buchholz-Dortmund (D) 
Guiness book of record holder, most piercings

BMXnet is one of his favorite event on his list to visit,
not for the seminars, because he works for a German telecom company.
Purely to meet people, the shows and his great hobby suspension










Jose Carlos-Piercer Madrid (Spain)
Here for the 5th or 6th time, am not sure:) it feels like family.
I like to come, share information, meet friends, interesting seminars
Also visited the APP in Vegas 2 times.








Sabrina (piercabella)-Piercer-Tübingen (D)
Sheila-Noelle-Piercer & tattoo artist-Switzerland

Sabrina: for all those nice people to meet, making contacts,
and for the information and seminars.
Sheila: My highlight of the BMXnet, my first suspension! and also to the information of the seminars, meeting people.

-Angie
-Photos by Angie
-Published Tattoo Planet E Magazine 102 Oktober 2015

Interview Renee Donners

Interview

Name:
Renee Donners
owner and piercer at "Staal en Inkt "vof te Heerlen (NL)

Can you describe yourself in 1 sentence?
Friendly, helpful and creative.


How long have you been piercer?
Since two years professionally.

Why this profession?
It's a challenge every day, every body is different and you have to keep that in mind, and I like that. And I also like to be among people, and to let each customer go out the door satisfied.

How did you learned the trade?
My husband, Ed Donners, with whom I run the studio for several years, is a professional piercer. And I rolled in it The first time I pierced  under the guidance of Ed, which ultimately grew into my current job. In addition, we never stop learning, there are always new techniques on the market and it's always nice to be able to exchange information with other piercers. And it's important to regularly refresh old information.

What was your first piercing you pierced?
An earlobe. With needle, we don't use guns!

Who or what inspires you?
Brian Skellie, Ryan Oulette, Bethra Szumski, Elayne Angel. These are a few names, where I've gained a lot of information from, and what I now practice in use.

Can you tell us something about your studio/workspace?
"Staal and inkt" is located in the Centre of Heerlen. My husband and I have been owner of the studio since december 2014.
At steel and inkt we have two tattoo artists as self-employed professionals and a tattoo apprentice. The studio contains two floors, with the upper floor as piercing space, so we can offer  privacy to the customer.


What type of piercing do you prefer? 
I have not directly a preference for a piercing that I prefer.

What is the best advice you've ever received as a novice piercer, and want to give assistance to other who start in this industry?
Not everybody is the same, always take a good look at the anatomy of the body to see what the possibilities are.
To the starting: Create distinction between you and all those other studios what you want to do. Be a reputable piercer, learn don't just screw around!

Do you have a separate story or experience you'd like to share?
That's the great thing about the job,  every day you make fun and have separate experiences with it. Every customer is different, everyone reacts differently to a situation. What I always like about it is when parents with their daughters, +/-7-year-old, come in to do the ear lobes. First of all, I think it is always very nice that parents have enhance in the difference between piercing and shooting of piercings, and that gives me the confidence to pierce the ear lobes of their children.
And the kids never give a kick ☺

Does you work involves more then just piercing?
My work consists of more than just piercing. Next to piercing I do magnetic implant, RFID chips, and regularly busy with scarifications. We also organize 2 or 3 times a year suspension days.
And next to the fun work also administration.

How do you see yourself in 5 years?
5 years I see myself still in the same place. I trust that the display cases are filled with even more quality jewelry.
We already have a large assortment of Industrial Strength, Gorilla Glass, Evolve and Diablo Organics jewelry, but there can always be more ☺
you can never have enough beautiful jewelry.


Do you have a tip or do you want to add something to this interview?

Getting a piercing?  Inform in advance is a good thing, where do they use high-quality jewelry, which ultimately is  better for healing. Do not run in the first best studio, unfortunately there are still enough studios/ piercer who skimp.
Piercing seems so easy, just making a hole, but there is so much more to it.

-Answers and Photos: R. Donners
Angie
-Published Tattoo Planet E Magazine 101 september 2015

Stretchen

Stretchen

An existing piercing hole which you stretch to a bigger size. Most famous stretch  place is your earlobe. you  can have it done at a  piercing shop, but you can also do it yourself. For that you need to learn more about stretching, seek all the information you can before starting, and find out if your earring hole is placed in the middle or if it is skewed. if you're not sure ask a piercer and if necessary let it re pierce . When fresh piercing, wait at least 2 months before you start stretching, to give it enough healing time.

Stretching is a slow process, be very patient to achieve your desired size, too fast can cause trauma for your earlobe, such as sanding out, or a blowout. Stretching is painless, to get results you need at least wait a month to size up. (this depends per person) If you have pain with stretching you should wait longer, your ear lobe needs to be healed.

Tapers are the best tools for stretching, preferably steel or better  titanium and glass, these are smoother than acrylic, you can also be hypersensitive to acrylic, and that makes the process not more comfortable. There are also spirals and there is the tape-wrap method.


With stretching you start with the first subsequent size of your earlobe hole (which usually is 0.8 or 1.0) you start with 1.2 mm after which the successor sizes 1.6 mm 2.0 mm 2.5 mm etc (see size chart)
Do not skip size!

Your stretch supplies:
make sure you have a correct size taper, vitamin E oil/Jojoba oil and  a  plug or tunnel in the right size, have  a mirror at hand.
process :
Wash your hands. Massage your earlobe with the oil, and do a little oil on the tape, slide the tape with the smallest tip first in your earlobe, make sure you have 2 finger points resistance at the back of your earlobe, slide carefully the entire taper through, put you plug or tunnel in place,  a taper is only a tool for stretching , no wear ornament!



Good to know:
* Best time to stretch is after a shower/bath your ear will be warm and soft.
* Stretching may not hurt, if you feel pain, then wait a little longer
* Blood or a too tight feeling, downsize, go back to a smaller size, let your ear heal first
* Have your plug or tunnel out for a longer time, your hole will shrink
* Blowout, (a bit of skin behind your ear) means  you stretch too quickly or used a too big size.
* listen to your body, take care of the earlobe, irritation: use saline soaks
* Safe stretch size, up to 8 mm, there still is  a chance, you can downsize  back to normal, this depends per person. beyond 8 mm the chance is very small.
* Clean your tunnel/plug regularly, it can smell!
* Best is to stretch with glass, and go 1mm at the time, stretch naturally with 3 months apart
* Please consider good material, invest in good stuff!
* when in doubt or need advice ask your piercer
* Stretch no further if you only have about 2 mm to the outer edge, much chance of tearing out.
* Please be patient, it takes time to get to your desired size.

Listen to your body and be patient!
Good luck with your stretch journey

Angie
- Published Tattoo Planet E Magazine 101/september