The Headphone Generation
I've been tattooing a long time, and these days I don't tattoo as often as I used to. That's made me think a lot about who I actually want in my chair.
I feel like a lot of younger tattooers are part of what I'd call the "headphone generation" — I just made that up, but it fits. Headphones in, dialed in, heads down. And I get it. But you forget that some of the closest friendships you'll ever build come out of this job. You're tattooing people from every walk of life, every career, every kind of interest — and there's a real relationship sitting right there if you let it happen.
These days, I don't really want to tattoo anybody I'm not going to enjoy spending that time with. My free time is limited. If I'm going to tattoo, I want it to be a genuinely good experience with someone I actually want to be around.
It's not about being precious or exclusive. It's about being honest that tattooing is intimate — you're spending hours with someone — and treating that time like it matters, for them and for you.
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— Austin