In April, the Association of Professional Piercers will be 25 years old. As a community, we’ve come a long way; from bedrooms, basements, and dungeons to a reputable international industry with professional organizations, standards, best practices, and training opportunities. With that change, we’ve also experienced a drastic shift in the public’s perception of our trade.
With public attention comes public scrutiny. As both an industry and individual practitioners, we have a decision to step up our game and work toward professional growth and advancement, or rebel in an attempt to hang on to our subculture status. It is my feeling that we should not settle for mediocrity and succumb to doing things the way they’ve always been done, just because change is challenging and intimidating. Learn new skills. Educate yourself and your staff. Make professional and personal development a priority. Aim for continual improvement.
Along those lines, the APP has made some updates to what was previously called our Health and Safety Agreement. This document has now been expanded to address the diversity and inclusivity of our industry, and has been retitled as the APP Member’s Code of Conduct.
Read about these changes and inspiring words on this topic from APP President, Jef Saunders, later in this issue. Staying grounded is a key component of professional and personal development. Logical and level-headed decisions are difficult to make when egos are unrealistically inflated or emotions are heated. Jacob Spjut explains the difference between an industry’s knowledgeable elites and the attitude of elitism. Knowing who in our community has a wealth of expertise on a particular topic is an important step to forever learning. On the same token, Chris Beierschmitt’s article provides information on finding reliable, credible, and trustworthy information from sources outside of our industry, including peer-reviewed research. We are human and not expected to know everything. As any good teacher will tell you, it is not about rote memorization, but about knowing where to look to find what you need. As the APP’s Membership Administrator, I am experiencing first hand the rapid and immense growth the organization and industry are undergoing. Personally, I am looking forward to seeing what new directions our leadership and industry elites will lead us in next. But it is important to remember that each individual plays an integral role as well. As Kendra Jane expresses, it is time to step up and be the change you want to see.
