The commitment of making an appointment.

Where the hell is that dead horse? Time to beat that bloated disgustingly smelly corpse a little more I suppose.

Many of my clients both old and new have "regular" jobs where at the end of a week or two they go in to a regular paycheck. And if the company you work for doesn't meet their quota of sales or what have you, their pay check goes untouched. They can still look forward to getting the same paycheck every week.  If you are one of these individuals, imagine getting your paycheck and finding hundreds of dollars missing because the company you work for didn't do well that week. Some others like me work on a sort of commission basis, we only make money when we make the company money. So I live a very different lifestyle than most people. I depend on my clients.

When you come in and make an appointment and leave the mandatory $50 deposit you've made a commitment to show up that day ready for your tattoo. By not showing up and failing to even show me the courtesy of a phone call you not only forfeit that deposit but the time and energy spent finding the right reference picture or the countless hours spent drawing or redrawing a picture not to mention paper, ink from my personal printer etc all go unaccounted for and I am left scrambling to fill that position. I depend on my clients because just like you I too have bills to pay. I have to buy clothes for my kids, pay my rent, and put gas into my car just like you. Many people hear us tell you that we charge $150 an hour and think about how much money we must be raking in as if we tattoo from the time we get to work until the time we leave. Untrue. Hours are spent on artwork, refining drawings, researching and marketing. Or worse, trying to fill spots left by no shows or last minute re schedule situations. That $50 is a small compensation for a three hour time slot we may have booked you for.

And far worse are the clients who we've grown to trust and have waived the normal deposit and then don't show up. As if us having a stronger bond than that of a first time client makes me loosing money that day easier to deal with. Its not, I find it much more frustrating and take it way more personal because they know how I feel and what its like for me. I do not live close to either studio I work for. I drive 45 minutes to an hour each day one way. Yes, this has been my choice, but I decided to continue to work in south jersey where I could continue to provide quality tattoos to my clients, their friends and their families. I could make things easy on myself and get a job closer to home but I value my clients. And even though I drive those distances I can count on one hand in the last 4 years how many times I've missed or had to reschedule a client due to me running late or being unable to show up. Unfortunately I can not count the number of times I've been stood up or had to reschedule someone last minute.

Let me also mention the question asker. The person whom you have an online question and answer session where in they drill you on how much something will cost and you then go through the normal responses. Then they want to know where you work as if the studio names and locations are not all over my Facebook, Instagram, Website, Tumblr, and Twitter pages. They also then want to know your hours, when you have openings, how soon you can get them in, how much the deposit is, etc. And then you NEVER hear or see them again. Hours and hours of time wasted with nothing to show for it except some hope that you might have a cool appointment soon.

So I guess all that I'm asking for is a little consideration when it comes to not only making your appointment but keeping it as well. I appreciate all of you and would love to continue to provide you with the best tattoos that I can. And I'll continue to make the sacrifices of driving, working late and getting up early to get your drawings done, but show me and my family the same respect please.

Beaten, Never Broken

Living in Philly has its ups and downs. On the plus side I have endless choices of places to eat which are open at all hours of the day and night. We’ve got museums, shopping, bars, parks, sports, the list goes on. But with the good there comes the bad. This city is also full of inconsiderate people, litter, traffic, and crime. I’ve been on the receiving end of the last a few times. I’ve had a car and a motorcycle stolen and most recently I was liberated of 90% of my tattoo equipment. Some could say it was my fault for having left it in my car, but it takes a special kind of scumbag to steal from someone’s car. Now I could get mired down in self depreciating feelings and throw myself a pity party but I take solace in knowing that whoever took my things will never be able to use them to create the tattoos that I did or will do for that matter. I’ve contacted the majority of the tattoo studios in the area and have friends keeping a watchful eye on both craigslist and ebay in case the douche bags try selling my equipment.  

I’m also feel lucky in that I’m surrounded by positivity. I have two great studios where I work with truly good caring and generous people. I’m also proud to have some of the greatest clients who trust me and keep me busy creating one of a kind artwork. So I thank not only my coworkers at Moerder Tattoo and Broadway Tattoo Lounge but also each and every one of you.

I will rebuild. I lost material possessions, not my ability to do my job.  My equipment will be replaced and I will continue to do what I love doing. I’ve got two upcoming conventions; Wildwood is in a couple of weeks and then Inked Out NJ is in September. I’ve still got some limited openings for each for anyone interested. And as always if you’d like to book an appointment email me at scottdoestattoos@gmail.com and we can see what my availability is. 

So once again, thank you to the staff at BOTH Moerder Tattooand Broadway Tattoo Lounge. Please show them support by following them on instagram and facebook. And an especially big thank you to my amazing clients, without you none of this would be possible!

Nothing endures but change.

Yep things change, people change, its how we grow as humans. So as sad as it is I bid farewell to my home of almost four years and to the people who were more like a family then co-workers. I have no animosity towards Dynasty Tattoo and hope they continue to provide the excellent work we all strived to produce. 

There is always a moment of awkwardness as both parties try to settle in to the new changes and I'd like to make the transition as easy as possible for my loyal clients. That being said as of July first I will be splitting my time between two studios. The majority of my time will be spent at Broadway Tattoo Lounge in South Amboy NJ. And because I didn't want to leave my clients here in south Jersey hanging I will still be available one to two days a week at Moerder Tattoo in Hammonton NJ, a mere half hour (?) from Newfield. So if you have work that needs finished by me or you are looking to start something new please contact me so that we can get you squared away with an appointment. My contact info has not changed, you can email me at scottdoestattoos@gmail.com or contact me through facebook if its easier. If you currently have a pending appointment I will be contacting you shortly to try and reschedule you. I will honor any security deposits that were given to Dynasty. However, if you no longer wish me to do your tattoo and would like to have someone else at Dynasty finish your tattoo then please by all means do so. 

Please bare with me as with any changes there will be some bumps in the road but I am working to make things as simple as possible for all involved. Thanks to all of you for your continued support and I hope to be seeing some of you real soon!

Broadway Tattoo Lounge

http://www.broadwaytattoolounge.net/

259 Oak Street
South Amboy, NJ

Moerder Tattoo

http://www.moerdertattoos.com/

320 12th Street 

Hammonton, NJ