Making a Mark An Ethnography on a local Tattoo Shop and its Artists ...

<strong>Making</strong> a <strong>Mark</strong><strong>An</strong> <strong>Ethnography</strong> on a local Tattoo Shop and its ArtistsBrooke LavenMrs. CaryCIS Writing29 October 2007

Laven 2Brooke LavenCIS Writing Block 2Mrs. Cary29 October 2007<strong>Ethnography</strong><strong>Making</strong> a <strong>Mark</strong><strong>An</strong> <strong>Ethnography</strong> on a local Tattoo Shop and its ArtistsPrefaceGrowing up in a conservative, traditional, “all-American” family, I was not familiar withthe subculture of tattoos. My parents drilled into my head as a child that tattoos were bad; theywould always tell me that it says in the Bible to never mark your body. As a result of thesewarnings, tattoos frightened me. I was curious, yet unsure of people who chose to put art on theirbodies. I thought that the ink would seep into their veins and they would die of ink poisoning.When two of my cousins each got a tattoo, I was intrigued despite my initial apprehension. Thatwas the only exposure I had ever had to the subculture of tattooing. Now, being 18 and playingaround with the idea of getting a tattoo, I am interested and want to know more about thissubculture. In order to do that, I am going to be doing my research on Good Clean Fun TattooShop in Monticello.My assumptions of the members of the tattoo artist subculture would be punk, emo-ish,tattoo covered people with piercings and laid back attitudes. I think that they most likely love

Laven 3their jobs and are skilled in what they do. I assume they are patient and relaxed, probablybecause they tattoo for long hours at a time. These assumptions are based on watching Miami Inkand L.A. Ink (a reality TV show about a tattoo shop and its customers on TLC); I have thispreconceived notion in my head of fun times and interesting customers all the time. I alsoassume that they will be judgmental of me, just as I’m judgmental of them.ResearchThe word tattoo comes from the Polynesian word “ta”, which means striking something,and the Tahitian word “tatau”, which means “to mark something”. Tattoos have gainedincreasing prominence in the past decade. Typically, people with tattoos are assumed to be “badasses” or “druggies”, but tattoos are an artistic expression of individual taste and style. Tattooingbegan in the early centuries; scientists found certain markings on the skin of a mummifiediceman dating back to 3300 B.C., which they believe is the earliest form of tattooing. Tattooingwas originally connected with soldiers and prisoners as markings of identification anddehumanization, then spread to athletes, and now is common among many average households;used as a sign of social status, as a mark of one’s passage through life, or simply as a way tobeautify the body. There is an estimated 20,000 plus tattoo parlors in the United States today,which is continuously increasing in numbers.The legal age in Minnesota to get a tattoo without parental consent is 18, the age that thegovernment considers you an adult. Because of this I believe it is an appropriate, mature age fora person to make their own decisions. Laws require the tattooist to maintain a permanent recordof each person along with the name, address, phone number, date of birth, signature, a signed

Laven 4consent form, a parental consent form if a minor, and instructions for wound care to be kept for aminimum of two years.In order to become a tattoo artist, a certification in first aid and CPR is needed. Also, aRed Cross AMA certification is required. Some kind of art schooling is also important to graspthe basic art concepts used consistently in the business. Apprenticeship is a huge step in theprocess of becoming a tattoo artist. Apprenticeships usually last 1 to 2 years, and is the schoolingto learn everything there is to know about the art of tattooing.Good Clean Fun tattoo shop first opened on Friday, June 13, 2002, across the bridge offof Highway 25 in Monticello, Minnesota. John, Ben and their piercer at the time, Joel, workedout of that shop until June 1, 2005, when they moved into the same building as the movie theater,which gave them more room. John, the owner of Good Clean Fun and a tattoo artist for 13 years,opened up the shop because no one in that area at the time specialized in all custom tattooing.Observational DataIt’s 1:45 on a Saturday afternoon. After going to the unoccupied abandoned shop anddiscovering that the subculture I had planned to observe had relocated, Paige, my partner incrime, and I quickly made our way to the new location of Good Clean Fun. I could see the 20-foot-high, lettered TATTOO sign from the highway as we approached. There were not many carsin the parking lot when I pulled up to the brick, glass-encased building with a big green awning, Iwas nervous. I was scared that they wouldn’t accept me or that I wasn’t dressed in acceptableattire. I thought they wouldn’t give me a chance. As we walked in, the relaxed atmospherecaught my attention right away. Aqua blue walls, hardwood floors, three contemporary tancouches, and pictures of Japanese, Asian, and traditional art hung all over the walls. Laughing,

Laven 5talking and the buzz of the “spring loaded engraving machine”, a.k.a. tattooing machine, caughtmy attention. It was an inviting atmosphere meant to be welcoming and inviting to customers.The long hallway held four rooms to the left and four to the right; four tattoo rooms, apiercing room, an office, a dirty room, and a clean room. There were cut-outs from each roomconnecting them to each other and to the lobby. It made the layout feel more open and spacious.This is not what I thought a tattoo shop would look like. I imagined tattoo shops to be a shady,“back alley” place with dingy lighting and a rough atmosphere. The name, Good Clean Fun isironic because I believe they are trying to portray the image that they’re different, safe, and notlike people’s expectations.Two guys greeted us when we walked in. I saw them through the cut-out as I wasstanding in the lobby. Ben and Nick welcomed us and proceeded with what they were doing.Paige and I stood at the doorway to the room and watched, fascinated by what was going on. Ourbroker and apprentice, Nick, was lying on a massage table positioned diagonally to fit in theroom, while Ben tattooed a picture of Norman Collins, (whom I was told is a tattoo legend), onNick’s calf. Ben was a reddish-blonde, wearing a black shirt and cuffed blue jeans. He fashionedtwo piercings below his mouth--one on each side. Ben fit my previous stereotype of a tattooartist a little more than the others. Nick had on a green and white plaid, short sleeve button-upshirt and blue jeans. His ears were gauged and he sported what I was told as being a “freshly cut”gelled, jet black Mohawk. He came off as a punk rocker kind of guy. He had a black star on hisleft fingernail, which I assume was a result of boredom from the varying clientele.My eyes were immediately drawn to the floor. It was cement, which is strange becausethe lobby and the hallway are hardwood. “Tattoo rooms have to be non-porous, only cement, sono contaminants can seep in. It’s the law in Minnesota,” Ben informed me. The cement was

Laven 6painted with a traditional unique style of art. Ben proudly announced to me that he painted it andit was a painting of a maelstrom. It is a traditional symbol meaning storm, and trials andtribulations that a person goes through in life that make them become who they are.Ben had a tattoo on his right forearm with multiple colors of two hands with a lock andkey, birds and swirling clouds. I wanted to know the meaning of this interesting tattoo. He toldme the left hand represented the hand of evil and the right hand represented the hand of good.The lock and key symbolized a quest for love and companionship. The birds represented thedesire to be free, and the swirling clouds symbolized the maelstrom. To think that one tattoo heldso much meaning and depth struck me profoundly. I assumed people got tattoos because theyliked the design and style, which sometimes is the case, but I never took the time to understandthe true symbolism and underlying meaning woven into a tattoo.Drawings and sketches covered Ben’s bookcase and door. As I walked back out to thelobby area, I noticed a sign hanging on the wall. It was in big bold letters, and when I read it, Ichuckled to myself:!!NOTICE!!IF YOU ARE:DRUNK,HIGH,SUNBURNED,UNDER 15 YEARS OLD,WITH CHILDREN OR INFANTS,STINKY, DIRTY,BITCHY,

Laven 7OR AN ASSHOLE…PLEASE COME BACK WHEN YOU ARE NOT!!!Later, Ben told me that sign was up from past experience. I found it ironic that such asign had to be posted in the tattoo shop where I had assumed the tattoo artists would possess atleast some of the qualities.Folders on the coffee table displayed different artists’ sketches for the customers to viewwhile waiting. This subculture was reminiscent of a hair salon because people can pick theirfavorites, get inspired by drawings, and find a tattoo artist they really like based off of sketches.Ben was giving Nick a tattoo because they had free time and were in a way, “playing around”,trying new things on each other, which is what I’ve seen stylists do in a hair salon. In the lobbyby the register there were five business cards; Janell (Nelly), John, Kyle, Clayton, and Ben. Eachartist creatively designed their card their own way; each one with a different theme, color, andlayout. I thought this was really interesting and probably meant to attract customers to theirartistic talent and abilities.Comment: Does this sound okay andfit??As I went back into the room where Ben was tattooing Nick, I noticed a protractor andseveral other basic stencils placed on the bookshelf. The roughly 8 by 12 foot room contained somuch art, uniqueness, and personality; I was quite surprised. I thought it would be grungy, dull,and unfriendly. I was very curious how they related their shop to Miami or L.A. Ink, becausethat’s really all I could fathom a tattoo shop to look like before I arrived. “It’s not really thesame. Not everyone who comes in has had cancer, and we’re definitely twice as funny!” Benremarked as he focused intently on Nick’s leg. I think the popularity of those shows has affectedthe tattooing industry greatly because it doesn’t make it seem so scary or only for a certain genre

Laven 8of people. More and more people are coming to accept the idea of tattoos because they’rerealizing that it’s a more accepted concept.As I checked out the other rooms, I noticed each room had a Craftsman tool box; somered, some black, and some with flames. I thought it went well with the flow and personality ofthe shop. The shop had a more relaxation-meets-punk feel. The tool boxes added flare, but yetwere totally functional and provided that uniqueness factor to the shop. Each tattoo room hadmultiple mirrors of different lengths, paper towels, a stainless steel sink, and trays to hold thetattoo supplies. The piercing room was set up like the others with an extra big mirror and an oldorange dentist chair smack dab in the middle.We left to the sounds of a Lucy Poured CD and Nick saying, “Dude, my grandpa wants‘flippin the bird’ tattooed on his head,” and Ben responding,”Your grandpa’s fucked up man!” Iwas confused, relieved, and intrigued as I left this fascinating place.To experience more of this subculture, I made my second trip to Good Clean Fun. It was2:45 p.m. when I pulled up a week and a half later. Two girls were looking at the piercings in theglass case when I walked in. I was surprised that I knew these two girls from school. Sam, one ofthe girls, informed me that she would be getting a tattoo that day and was very excited. Sam, atypical 18-year-old brunette, dressed in pink sweatpants and a tan sweater doesn’t seem like theusual person who would come in and get a tattoo. She was going to get a lotus, (flowersymbolizing purity of the heart and mind) on her lower back and wanted it to look likehenna,(flowering plant producing red-orange dye used on skin to create temporary designs). “Ialways got henna when I was younger, and I wanted to get it permanent and have been thinkingabout it for almost a year.” She had to fill out a bunch of paper work and show her license.

Laven 9I wandered back to Ben’s room to find a middle-aged woman wearing a flowered tanktop with colorful, Japanese art all over her back. Ben was tattooing a geisha on her left shoulder.(Geishas are immaculately dressed in ornate and expensive kimonos. Not a strand of hair is outof place; their white facial make-up is perfect. Their manners are delicate and calm, in keepingwith the ideals of feminine beauty that they embody.) She informed me that she loves Japaneseart and got her first tattoo in California when she was 17. This information surprised me becauseit seemed like such a big decision to make at such a young age. Ben’s room was set updifferently today. The woman was sitting on a chair and the massage table was nowhere in sight.I noted that it was for positioning reasons and to make sure the person was most comfortablesince they sit in the same position for long periods of time.I made my way down the hall to find Sam. Kyle was going to be tattooing her today.Kyle was dressed in a grey, long sleeve shirt, chain necklace, jeans; with a black handkerchiefsticking out of his back pocket and black sneakers. He had wavy hair and stylish bluedisinfectant gloves. I found that Kyle was very fond of his cell phone, which he checked off andon. Kyle told Sam that if she felt nauseous, drowsy, dizzy, or just wanted to stop; he would stop,and stated bluntly that people have thrown up before. He shaved the spot on her back and thenwiped it with disinfectant spray. Then he placed the ink stencil in place and asked her if she likedthe placing as she looked at it in one of the dozen mirrors. The next step was picking the rightcolor, which he showed her by opening up a case that contained a whole array of colorful tubes.As he began to tattoo, Sam said through clenched teeth, “It feels like someone’s bitingmy ass, like they’re taking a pen and scraping my skin.” Kyle was not sure about me watching.He informed me that a girl about my age a couple of years ago at his old shop came in and saidshe was writing a story like me, and turned it into a bashing, deceiving article which ended up in

Laven 10the paper. I was shocked anyone would do that. I wanted to gain these peoples’ trust and respect,and to let them know that I would never do that. They had a right to be concerned; they wantedto keep a good reputation at the shop and about tattooing. Throughout my observations, Idiscovered an unwritten rule was respect. This business is all about respecting and gaining trustfrom others. Tattooing is growing and being accepted more and more, and they don’t want toscare anyone away.John, sporting a vintage 1967 black hat over his shaggy, blonde hair, wearing a brown,long sleeved Good Clean Fun shirt and, of course, the mandatory blue disinfectant gloves, wasanother guy I met. John told me that he is the owner and has been tattooing for 13 years.“Tattooing fell into my lap. I was introduced 18 years ago and the first time I picked up a tattoomachine it was awesome. It was the medium I wanted to work in, but I just hadn’t found it yet.”A big misconception Ben and John informed me was that people with tattoos are shady,bad people. Tattooing is an art. “You work just as hard, and put just as much dedication in if youwere a painter,” Ben told me flatly. His comment caught me off guard because I’d never reallythought of tattooing in that way. Painters work on canvas and portray themselves and their ideasexpressively. Tattooing is the same thing as painting except their canvas is the body. They get tomake strong, creative, and lasting art on a person’s body forever.It’s competitive; working hard and gaining business is the most effective way of makinga name in the business. John told me, “The greatest thing about being a boss is nothing, knowingyour destiny is filled with cold fast food. I hate being the boss. Bosses suck.” I found thatinteresting because I assumed that people who are bosses like to be in charge. I was alsosurprised that John had no tattoos or peircings; I had always assumed that body art would bemandatory for the owner of the shop. John proved me wrong. “Nope, no tattoos. Those things

Laven 11hurt!” John told me that with such a straight face that I thought he was being sarcastic. He wenton to show me his serious face and his joking face, which both looked the same to me. I wasshocked that the “head honcho” at Good Clean Fun didn’t display a single piece of artwork onhis body. He defied all my previous assumptions. It just goes to show that not all people smokewhat they’re selling.John seemed like a great guy who was passionate in everything he did. “It’s not a goodtattoo unless you’ve concentrated enough that you’re nauseous and mentally drained.” Hedescribed the process of tattooing as FM; “Fuckin Magic.” He was quite fond of that saying, andI was intrigued by the language of this subculture. “[you] can’t explain [tattooing], we couldexplain until we’re blue in the face and you would not understand.” I believe that is a fairstatement being that I am an outsider in their eyes, and don’t know the first thing about tattooinga person. I am learning though and trying to grasp this huge concept of understanding the reasonsand decisions that go into the tattoo decisions.If tattooing hurt so bad and was painful, why do people continue to do it? John broughtthat up as he was in the process of tattooing a skull and wing design on a man’s chest. “It’sdefinitely addicting. It’s a rush; a free high of adrenaline and endorphins.” The man he wastattooing nodded in agreement, turning to me and saying, “Every time I come in hear I hate it,but I just keep coming in and I hate every second of it.”Nelly, the piercer and only female employee at the shop, and Nick were sitting in thelobby eating Chinese food. Nelly, a brunette with an array of piercings, one of which was locatedin the middle of her forehead, were quite adept with chop sticks, which I assumed was frommultiple take-out dinners on weeknights like that night. The strong aroma of Chinese floatedthrough the air, while muffled laughter and talking could be slightly heard coming from the back

Laven 12rooms. As I said good-bye and thanked them, John left me with this piece of advice, “I wake upevery morning and I get to try.” I took this comment as meaning he gets a new start, a secondchance. I think that comment, relating it to life in general is true. He gets to try at life.ConclusionFormatted: Font: BoldFormatted: CenteredWhen I first walked into Good Clean Fun Tattoo Shop, I thought tattoos were bad andpeople got them to mark up their bodies. Really though, tattooing is art. It is artwork that affectspeople and a part of them for the rest of their lives. When I think of art I think of canvas, paintbrushes and drawings; that is exactly what the art of tattooing is, just in a different form. Thissubculture has really opened my eyes to the wide range of art. Tattoos affect people much morethan anything hanging in a gallery because the canvases for tattoos are people. They usesymbolization to express and create masterpieces.The tattoo artists that I’ve met at Good Clean Fun proved most of my assumptions wrong.They care about every customer and are passionate about increasing the reputation of the tattooindustry. They want to protect the name just like any other business would do. These peopletaught me about life. Not everyone is the same as me in life. There are all kinds of people outthere. I shouldn’t judge them; I should get to know them before I make any assumptions. Ishouldn’t be afraid to step out of my comfort zone because stepping out of the comfort zoneleads to new understandings and learning about yourself and life in general. I have realized that Ihave more in common with them than I thought.Throughout the years, and for as long as I can remember, tattooing has had a badreputation. People don’t look deeply into the subculture and find the importance of it. It really is

Laven 13safe. There are so many regulations and laws needed to be followed to run a tattoo shop safelyand efficiently.Coming from a traditional family background, I stepped into this subculture with awillingness to learn. I learned not to assume things right away and to find the facts and give thema chance. Determination was a big thing throughout this experience; I set my mind to actuallystepping out of my comfort zone and asking difficult questions. My assumptions are verydifferent now. I respect the subculture of tattooing and the people who express themselvesthrough this medium. They portray indescribable meaning and depth; it’s all about expressingoneself through art.