"Do you think people will have disposable income to get tattooed by the time we can go back?" Another artist asked as we chatted about the future yesterday. It's a legitimate concern for "nonessential" workers. Will the world remember us when it starts back up again? To be honest, I hadn't thought much about the future during this time. But as I stood at the sink washing dishes last night, the long forgotten words of my mentor suddenly hit me, "people will still get tattooed."
It was late 2007 when I sat in the back drawing room of Billy Jack's Tattoos in Bristol, TN. I was not far from the official start date of my tattooing apprenticeship under Billy Jack Trivett. I, a naive and stupid 20 year old, sat while Billy told me all the ways in which tattooing was the best career path that anyone could choose. I listened wide-eyed about how tattooing gives you the freedom to live a fast life on your own terms. I'm more of a "slow life" person, but the "on your own terms" part still sounded like a win. "Even if the economy's bad," he said, "people will still get tattooed. They can take your house and your car, but they can't take your tattoos away, and that's important to people." Billy passed away on March 21st this year. I hope his spirit will forgive the infrequency of my visits over the years (or lack there of) but I feel he would be glad to know that his guidance on navigating the tattoo world will live on. Yes, we do decorative, humorous and joyous art for people, but often, it's the hard times in a person's life that tattoo artists end up memorializing. These are the times that change and define who we are as people, the pressure is what turns us in to the diamonds we are meant to be. This is the true underlying healing that tattoos provide. You fought your way over the mountain and we will give you that image to look back on. Psalm 34:18 says that the Lord is near to the brokenhearted and, while we cannot save the crushed in spirit, the tattoo artist and the brokenhearted often find themselves in company together. With Covid 19 on track to deliver enormous devastation and heartache, I believe that there will still be a place for tattooers and our 12,000 year old craft in the future. On Monday, Governor Bill Lee issued a "Safer at Home" order, shutting down all nonessential business in Tennessee. This extends Now or Never Gallery's closure, and that of all other Tennessee tattoo shops until the order is lifted. As Covid-19 cases continue to rise in our area and across the country, I cannot say with certainty when we will be back. All I know is that we will. In speaking for the artists that I know, tattooing is as much a part of us emotionally as it is physically. Being separated from the craft has truly been hard on us because it's not just our job, it's our way of life. We decorate the world and heal souls, and that matters to us. So, remember us as we remember you. I hope that you and your family are safe and well. I hope that you have everything that you need to sustain you through this strange journey that we're all on. Lastly, I hope that the time will fly by until we get to gather again and share our stories in person. Until we meet again, may you all be incredibly blessed.
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorSummer Hamrick at Now or Never Gallery |