It’s taken a full week to find words to explain everything I have experienced at Conference. Now, as I sit here trying to put those words to paper, I still cannot fathom how wonderful this opportunity has been for myself and the other scholars. The generosity of everyone who donated to the scholarships amazes me and I cannot thank them enough or tell them how much I appreciate the chance I was given.
The pull of modifying my appearance began as a young child—being just another face in the crowd made me feel as if I was invisible, easily passed over and forgotten; but now, being a part of this industry, I’m starting to feel more comfortable in my own flesh and I have no one singularly to thank for that feeling except for the community as a whole. Becoming a piercer has shown me that it is possible for me to help someone else struggling to be themselves and I am humbled by that prospect.
While at Conference I met some of the most exquisite human beings I have ever encountered. Being able to “nerd out” with them and spend hours talking about piercing particulars in detail has left a feeling a camaraderie that won’t ever fade, so I thank them for being willing to open themselves up to forming new friendships and becoming industry affiliates. Especially to the group of scholars that I had the chance to make lasting personal friendships with, I adore each and every one of them immensely for who they are and the fact that they are also trying to improve themselves and the shops they work at.
When I first signed up for a full week of classes I was intimidated by the workload I had ahead of me. Once I got there, however, I realized it wasn’t as bad as I was imagining it to be. A few others had mentioned that it was probably one of the smoothest Conferences to date, both for attendees and all volunteers; for that I am eternally grateful. Of all the classes I took, a few stood out more than the others: Safe Practices in the Sterilization (and Piercing) Rooms, Septum’s: Where Skill Meets Luck, Needle Theory, and Studio Documentation. After taking those classes I realized how lackluster my apprenticeship really has been and how much I absolutely do not know in regards to piercing safely and knowledgeably. It put a fire under my tail and made me desire to better my studio as a whole and myself for the sake of my clients. There is a lot that I don’t know, and I will be forever learning in this industry to help provide the safest, cleanest, most professional piercing that I am physically capable of performing.
In this world there are many different ways of learning and teaching to get the lesson across to a wide variety of individuals. Personally, I find the most success in learning new material via hands on experience. To quote Benjamin Franklin, “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”
Going to Conference, I was able to be part of a large community of people who all travel hundreds of miles yearly to learn more about their chosen career path so that they also can provide the safest procedures for their clients. This has helped me become a better person in and outside of the studio. To everyone who works endless hours and without sleep every single year to make the APP Conference run as smoothly as it does, to every single last volunteer who helped with registration, class credits, and any questions anyone may have had while in Vegas, and to every single attendee who works tirelessly every year to afford going to APP – keep doing what you’re doing. You are changing lives and not just your own. Thank you for this beautiful and unparalleled opportunity we are all given each year to better ourselves and our studios for the safety of our clients.