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An Open Letter: Evolving the Tattrx brand

July 13, 2015, 10:50 am
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Morgan English
July 13, 2015, 1:38PM
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An open letter to all fans and visitors of this site,

After a year of beta testing tattrx.com, this free and open-source directory for people to find modern tattooers, I've decided to scale back and return to purely social media outlets.

The project was a labor of love, a way for tattoo masters to easily stand out, for young tattooers to find an audience, and -- most importantly -- a way for modern customers to make informed decisions and minimize regret. Candidly, I've been working 80-100 hour weeks and building the site mostly alone (with some great help from the guys at HippoBrain Design), and I've spent about $5,000 of my own money to launch and promote the project.

I don't really feel driven by profit, I see it as a fun and philanthropic gesture to help people around the world, and I've been rewarded in so many ways with beautiful artwork and beautiful friendships. Now, unfortunately, the time and energy and money required to sustain the site is just more than I can manage. (And I don't want to litter the site with ads, or charge people to participate.)

And so, this month, the Tattrx directory will retire.

You can still infinite-scroll tattoos, updated daily, on tattrx.tumblr.com. The artist profile pages will be gone (apologies for broken links that ensue), but overall it should still be a useful tool to find inspiration and new connections.

I'll continue to promote modern and experimental tattoo art on instagram, facebook and tumblr, and create limited edition prints in the Tattrx Shop. So this isn't "goodbye", but rather "I'll see you soon."

Keep exploring, experimenting, and challenging norms. "This is how it's always been done" is not a good reason to keep doing anything. Reject trends, reject ignorance, and just continue to find your truth.

If you've benefited from my work in any way, I humbly ask you to consider buying me a cup of coffee or two, by donating $5 or even $10 to my PayPal:

With love and respect, from my home to yours.
ॐ

Morgan English
Founder, Editor-in-Chief
Tattrx, LLC
shop.tattrx.com

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Tattrx Shop

July 20, 2015, 1:32 pm
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Browse Tattoos 1

July 20, 2015, 5:40 pm
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tattrx tattoos infinite scroll tattoo artists worldwide
URL: 
http://tattrx.tumblr.com
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Browse Tattoos 2

July 20, 2015, 5:41 pm
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tattrx tattoos infinite scroll tattoo artists worldwide
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Browse Tattoos 3

July 20, 2015, 5:50 pm
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tattrx tattoos infinite scroll tattoo artists worldwide
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Stories

July 30, 2015, 1:04 pm
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Stories

July 30, 2015, 1:04 pm
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Valuing Impermanence, with David Boggins
August 14, 2015, 1:24AM

Mo Ganji: Singularity, Simplicity & "Nepal Lines"
June 23, 2015, 10:42PM

Noel'le Longhaul, on Exploring Gender & Embodiment with Tattoos
June 7, 2015, 11:52PM

"Waldeinsamkeit" and "To see the world" by Expanded Eye
May 11, 2015, 11:53PM

"Aleatorium" by Pain Ting
April 30, 2014, 11:22AM

Idexa Stern, "Balancing Darkness and Light"
April 7, 2015, 8:28AM

"Conflicts" by Victor Montaghini, for Tiago
March 29, 2014, 12:34PM

"How has Suicide Girls changed my life?" by Dwam
March 20, 2014, 9:56PM

Yeyo Mondragon, on Defining Your Freedom
March 5, 2015, 11:52PM

Katia Somerville, on the Sanctity of Self Care
February 17, 2015, 2:52AM

The Impact and Intimacy of Freehand Tattoos
January 25, 2015, 9:54PM

Hannah Willison, on Tattoo Art Activism
January 5, 2015, 7:14AM

Bouits: Fragments of Childhood Fixed in Time
December 27, 2014, 11:15AM

Sara Rosenbaum, on Evolving Shop Culture
December 15, 2014, 11:14PM

David Côté: Trippy Themes and Lucid Dreams
November 30, 2014, 11:57PM

Scientific Themes and Spirituality, with Cody Eich
Nov 16, 2014, 11:33PM

Geometric Ambition: Corey Divine
November 5, 2014, 11:57PM

Gene Coffey + Kevin: The Watercolor Trend and "What Does it Mean?"
October 29, 2014, 11:26PM

Lionel Fahy: On Melodies and Rotaries
October 19, 2014, 12:47PM

Cartoons, Cats and Optimism, with Costah
October 2, 2014, 5:33AM

Jared + Kizun: A Daily Reminder
September 24, 2014, 2:47AM

Thomas Sinnamond, On Custom Tattoos and Individuality
September 15, 2014, 12:47PM

-- PAGE 2 --



All text © Tattrx, LLC

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Stories | Page 2

July 30, 2015, 1:46 pm
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"FAMILY" by Idexa Stern, for Dino
September 2, 2014, 10:13PM

Double Feature: Jukan Unter Strom and Chrizzn
August 20, 2014, 11:14PM

Xoïl and Zach, from a Client to a Friend
July 10, 2014, 12:51AM

Trying New Things, with Katakankabin
June 25, 2014, 11:58PM

Cy N Caro: Face Tattoos and Human Decency
June 12, 2014, 2:25AM

Designing with DotsToLines
May 19, 2014, 1:29PM

Al Fresco with Okan Akgöl
April 30, 2014, 1:14PM

An Evening with Adrià de Yzaguirre
April 22, 2014, 8:37PM

-- PAGE 1 --



All text © Tattrx, LLC
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Valuing Impermanence, with David Boggins

August 13, 2015, 10:47 pm
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Morgan English
August 14, 2015, 1:24AM
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"Scars fade. Tattoos fade. We all fade. Everything you know about yourself will fade. We are impermanent."


Deconstructed mandala tattoo for Rachel © David Boggins; Image © Laura Dark

Morgan: What inspired your deconstructed mandala series?

David Boggins: That for me came from a place of stress. I was doing a lot of detailed lace work, and started fantasizing about scribbling during it, just to ruin the tattoo. I realized it also embodies that very zen idea of celebrating impermanence, which I strongly believe in.

So I sort of followed that impulse and started making tattoos that were imperfect by design. They were all spontaneous, I never drew one more than an hour before someone came. The response was overwhelming. My clients like the idea that something doesn't have to be perfect, to be perfect.


Deconstructed mandala tattoo for Kelsey © David Boggins

M: What attracts you to sacred geometry?

D: A mandala is far more than a simple shape. It represents wholeness, and can be seen as a model for the organizational structure of life itself -- a cosmic diagram that reminds us of our relation to the infinite, the world that extends both beyond and within our bodies and minds.

We are cosmic. We are chaos. We are love.


White ink mandala tattoo, healed 2 months © David Boggins

M: What do you say to critics of white ink tattoos?

D: Scars fade. Tattoos fade. We all fade. Everything you know about yourself will fade. We are impermanent.

I always want to break out in a destructive, nontraditional way, when I feel I get backed into a corner, or a rut. I worked 4 years at a traditional shop, and saw a hole in the market for the kind of work traditional artists didn't want to do. That's when I opened [my own studio], American Crow.


Cosmic rose tattoo for Kat © David Boggins

M: What's your approach to the client / tattooer relationship?

D: I focus a lot on the client relationship. A lot of tattooers sacrifice the experience for the sake of the "perfect" execution. But if the guys in the shop are rude, and metal music is playing, and they don't give a shit about talking to you, well you'll remember that every single day. It doesn't matter how it looks, if you'll walk around branded with a bad memory.

For me and my clients, we're talking or laughing the whole time, or watching a movie and enjoying the afternoon. The tattoo process is such a rich tapestry of experiences, it's not just about a perfect line.


Celestial wave mandala tattoo for Lisa © David Boggins

M: Columbus, Ohio, is a pretty traditional tattoo market. Do you ever get negative feedback from the local community?

D: Youuuu betcha. It's always from traditional tattoo artists... saying I'm permanently ruining my clients. But I don't feel that way, and my clients don't feel that way. And while I don't have a problem with them, they seem to have a problem with me and what I'm doing. My clients get it all the time too, when they go into other shops asking for watercolor. I'd say 4 out of 5 people will get pressured to get something they don't even like. Most tattoo artists are male, the majority of my clients are female, I don't know if that has anything to do with it. But they just get bullied for wanting something different.

It's all from this old school state of mind, that if your lines aren't dark and bold and look just like work from 50 years ago, it's an "unsuccessful" tattoo. But I mean, Sailor Jerry was super innovative for his time. If he was tattooing today, he'd probably still be innovating.

I personally like the zen idea of a tattoo fading, or changing over time. Because our bodies get old and change too.


Deconstructed mandala tattoo for Kelsey © David Boggins

M: You've mentioned the word "zen" a few times. Do you meditate or subscribe to any spiritual ideology?

D: No, I think "zen" is just a way to communicate my artistic terms with a concept most people can understand. Just accepting that nothing is forever, not even a tattoo, that it dies when we die. For some reason the zen description helps me get that idea across, without too much explanation.

M: What's next in the evolution of your process?

D: Well, you're catching me at a weird time. As far as where I go from here, I'm not sure. A year ago, I might've had an answer, but now I feel like anything's possible. I just worked my first convention, I've never traveled for a guest spot, but who knows?

I keep being moved toward destruction and breaking out of my comfort zone. So it's open, I'm open. I guess that's a good place to be.


Cosmic mandala tattoo for David's brother Michael © David Boggins

Text © Tattrx, LLC
Images © David Boggins
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LUDWIGSHAFEN GERMANY

August 28, 2015, 8:00 pm
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Dots N Doodles

September 6, 2015, 7:47 am
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Sean Parry

September 6, 2015, 7:51 am
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Ace of Art

September 6, 2015, 8:01 am
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BATON ROUGE LOUISIANA USA

September 6, 2015, 8:11 am
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Kirk Boutte

September 6, 2015, 8:12 am
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Ricky Havok

September 6, 2015, 8:35 am
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Roger Parrilla

September 6, 2015, 8:43 am
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Cake

September 6, 2015, 8:56 am
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Bright Colors on Dark Skin, with @effumlife

September 14, 2015, 4:58 am
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Morgan English
September 15, 2015, 10:24AM
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Kirk B. (@effumlife) is committed to mastering the art of tattooing bright colors on dark skin.

EFFUM isn't just his shop name, it's also a way of life, and an acronym for liberation and autonomy: "Expressed Freedom For Unified Minds." He challenges industry standards, confronts institutionalized racism, and doesn't give a single fuck.


© Effum Bodyworks

M: I look at tattoos all day, and had never seen such bright colors on dark skin. Is this a rare talent, or is the skill just rarely pursued?

K: The first five years [of my career], people of color would come in and assume they could only get red, black, or green.

That simply isn’t true – not then or now. They’d been misinformed by artists who, for some reason, made no effort to tattoo dark skin, and therefore knew little about what it took. Even some black artists prefer to tattoo pale skin, unfortunately. I saw a need and chased it.


Left: Kirk B.; Right: Model wearing the Effum middle finger logo © Effum Bodyworks

M: Why is there a bias toward pale skin?

K: People who want to “succeed” look for pale skin to show their abilities concerning a color spectrum. But how is that a challenge?

95% of people I tattoo are black. I spend 75% of my time doing cover-ups. I don’t mind, but it’s not the best use of my time, and I'd like to see fewer people coming in for cover-ups because mediocre tattoo artists were more committed to money than success.

Black people spend a lot of money in this industry, and don’t get a huge return on their investment. I push back on that. We may not have a lot to invest in one sitting, which is mostly a consequence of income inequality, and who has access to art, but black people will be repeat customers.


© Effum Bodyworks

M: So are some tattooers actively discriminating against minorities?

K: There’s a lot of racism. Manufacturers don’t set out to make products for dark skin. Many artists don't even try to find what works for dark skin. There wasn’t a lot of [minority] representation in our industry, and a pervasive fear of tattooing black people – I can speculate on the reasons why, but won't.

I will say this: we have a long way to go, and I hope more artists, black and white and everyone in between, will buck the fear of tattooing black skin. Equity in art is imperative to success.


© Effum Bodyworks

M: How can dark-skinned customers empower themselves and improve their tattoo experience?

K: It's important that customers manage their expectations, and do their research to find a tattoo artist who is committed to success on their skin specifically – and someone they trust.

On a fundamental level: come well rested, don’t rush your artist, and if you’re in pain, take a break or come back for a second session. Know your limitations, and trust the experience.


© Effum Bodyworks

M: What do you tell tattooers who want to be part of the solution?

K: Mentorship is important. Find someone who can help you find the right products for dark skin, teach the right techniques, etc. No need to duplicate efforts.

You also have to hone your communication skills. A lot of black and brown customers will come in asking for a tattoo they saw on white skin. You need to have compassionate but direct conversations with your people, letting them know they can't always have what they’re asking for exactly, but you can potentially give them something better.

And watch documentaries like Color Outside the Lines, by Miya Bailey. It gives a lot of context for the moment we’re living in right now.


© Effum Bodyworks

M: You post a lot about the hustle, encouraging artists to work nonstop to overcome socioeconomic barriers. What drives your outreach?

K: I want us not to get comfortable. Sometimes I think black folks have sold ourselves short. Sure, our culture has been appropriated significantly, but we’ve also given a lot away. There are complex systems in place (racism, economic disenfranchisement, etc.) that keep black and brown artists from reaching peak success, but we're also uniquely positioned, given our cultural creativity, to stretch the industry in different ways. We need to harness that uniqueness. We have to be creative, given the constructs that exist, and sometimes that means working harder, longer hours.

I don’t have all the answers, and I won't pretend to, but after 17 years of tattooing I am committed to supporting the success of black artists. Maybe I didn’t create the wave around tattooing on dark skin, but I know I created a ripple, and that is important to me. Now we see black artists being recognized for tattooing on dark skin in tattoo media outlets. That is a triumph for the industry.


© Effum Bodyworks

M: You're also vocal about trusting God. Does your faith impact your professional life?

K: Definitely. Personally, I’m deeply impacted. I’ve committed my life’s work to art, but also to faith. They’re not mutually exclusive.

Concerning my customers, I'm committed to giving them more than just a tattoo. They trust me with their skin and their hard earned money; I owe them more than art. I don’t push my beliefs on people, I just aim to use my life (in coordination with my beliefs) to inspire.

When you come to me for art, I want you to leave with more than a tattoo. I want you to leave having had an experience.

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Kirk @effumlife is part of a collective of black artists who strive to create beautiful pieces on dark skin, calling themselves the COTLcollective, inspired by the film Color Outside the Lines. He's based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA, at EFFUM Bodyworks.

Pick the tattoo done on a Caucasian. Only one guess per person. Go!

A photo posted by Effum Life Presents: (@effumlife) on

All views expressed in this article are entirely those of Kirk and Effum Bodyworks, and don't necessarily reflect the viewpoints of Tattrx.Text © Tattrx, LLC
Images © Effum Bodyworks

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Winston the Whale

September 24, 2015, 7:50 pm
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