Category Features

Point 82: Raelyn Gallina

Comments Off on Point 82: Raelyn Gallina read Body Piercing Archives, Features, In Memorium, Industry History, Issue 82, News

By James Weber, Past APP President & Past Point Editor

The following appeared in issue 69 of The Point:

On September 6, 2014, the body modification industry lost one of its pioneers. After a long battle with cancer, Raelyn Gallina passed away.

In the early days of modern body modification, it was definitely a man’s world. Doug Malloy, Jim Ward, and Fakir are credited as being the “fathers” of the modern piercing movement, but while they were servicing a primarily male clientele, Raelyn was blazing a trail among women, offering piercing, branding, and scarification in the lesbian BDSM community. While Doug, Jim, and Fakir get the lion’s share of the credit for what modern piercing has become since it emerged in the late 70s, Raelyn’s name has often been little more than a footnote—and that’s a shame. (It is called “his-story,” after all.)

While she made her home in California’s Bay Area (the center of the modern body modification resurgence in the U.S. through the late 70s and 80s), Raelyn also had a tremendous impact on early body modification on the East Coast thanks to her travels. In the early 90s, she would see clients and do workshops in and around the Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and Baltimore areas, offering not only piercing, but also branding and scarification. At a time when feminists were leading the movement to politicize the body, she was creating a safe space for lesbians, leatherwomen, butches, femmes, the queer-identified, and even the occasional man. She presided over a women’s space, but welcomed everyone from the local queer communities.

Raelyn battled inflammatory breast cancer over ten years ago, and last May she found herself dealing with a recurrence that affected parts of her brain, bones, mediastinum, and lungs. She finished a course of 25 radiation sessions in June of 2013, and spent the fall and winter recovering. Although that radiation did a good job on many sites, Raelyn was still undergoing radiation treatments. Sadly, she lost that long, final battle. Raelyn was a pioneer in piercing, branding, and scarification, and even one of the early organizers of the APP, and without her influence our industry would not be where it is today. The world is poorer for her passing.

Point 82: Michaela Grey

Comments Off on Point 82: Michaela Grey read Awards & Recognition, Features, Industry History, Issue 82

By Marina Pecorino, Point Editor

Michaela Grey in 1995. The photo was taken for PFIQ Issue 45 commemorating Gauntlet’s 20th Anniversary

Obviously, Jim Ward is widely regarded as the “father” of the modern, American piercing movement, but who is considered the mother? In my personal opinion, that  honorary title should go to Michaela Grey. At a piercing clinic in New York, Michaela met Jim Ward; she was a student at Sarah Lawrence at the time. Prior to this meeting, Michaela and her then girlfriend were performing piercings out of their dorm room, but Jim made such an impression on Michaela that she decided to move to San Francisco and seek an apprenticeship. In May 1991, Michaela was hired as a summer counter person at Gauntlet, and soon advanced into an apprenticeship position under Scott Shatsky and Karen Hurt.

An excerpt from Running the Gauntlet:

“By 1993 the mass proliferation of body piercing studios staffed with inadequately trained piercers was causing grave concern with health departments and legislators. In some places there was talk of outlawing body piercing altogether. We at Gauntlet had tried repeatedly to get others in the industry to police and regulate themselves, but with minimal success. It became apparent that unless we banded together and became proactive, we could very well find ourselves out of business. We knew that if body piercing were made illegal, the only piercers continuing to operate would be doing so clandestinely, and piercing clients would be no better off than they already were.

Any Gauntlet Senior Piercer who wanted to get their Master Piercer certification was required to undertake a special project. Michaela was ready to make this advancement, and her special project, the magnitude of which we didn’t realize at the time, was to attempt to create a network of responsible studios willing to work together with healthcare professionals and legislators to set reasonable standards for the industry and regulate rather than outlaw it. This became so time consuming that friction developed between Michaela and her coworkers. The store manager wanted to fire her. […]

Despite her rough edges, it was apparent to me that Michaela had too many things going for her to simply turn her out in the street. So rather than abandon her I made the decision to mentor her and take her on at corporate as my assistant. This gave her the time and freedom to work on a number of projects, including what eventually became the Association of Professional Piercers (APP). […]

In 1994 the State of California was poised to pass legislation (Assembly Bill 3787) that would regulate body piercing, tattooing, and permanent cosmetics. A handful of piercers from several studios began to network and strategize how best to assure that these forms of body modification were not outlawed. Those who met at the Gauntlet corporate office for those early meetings included Raelyn Gallina, several representatives from Body Manipulations, Nomad, and Primeval Body in L.A. Along with some of his students, including Idexa, Fakir also attended. The office was full. As the pending legislation grew closer to passing, a group got together and drove to Sacramento. Michaela spoke on behalf of the industry during one of the hearings for the bill. She also did a number of television interviews. The bill ultimately failed thanks to lobbying by the ear-piercing gun manufacturers. However, this did not end the threats to the industry, and the need for a professional organization to deal with them.

The APP founding members, left to right, Irwin Kane (Gauntlet), Raelyn Gallina, Vaughn (Body Manipulations), Michaela Grey (Gauntlet), Melisa Kaye (Body Manipulations), Richard Carter (Primeval Body), JoAnn Wyman (Body Manipulations), Elizabeth Brassil (Body Manipulations), Drew Ward (Gauntlet); kneeling, Blake Perlingieri (Nomad), Kristian White (Nomad)

Future meetings were held after hoursat the Market Street store. From these the APP came into being. Not surprisingly, there was much wrangling, many heated discussions, and some friction. Some of those who attended left in a huff never to return or to come back many years later. Blake Perlingieri helped Michaela with registering the organization for nonprofit status, opening a joint bank account for the funds, and starting its newsletter The Point. With the assistance of Ghadi Elias from Mastodon in San Diego, APP moved forward and organized its first board.”

Michaela served as the original Chair (later retitled “President”) of the Association of Professional Piercers, starting from its inception in 1994 until she transitioned to the International Liaison in June 1997. During this transition of the Board, in The Point: Issue 10, Kent Fazekas, incoming Chair, wrote the following about her:

“Michaela Grey. Words cannot express the amount of gratitude the APP has for you. The amount of work you have put forth toward the APP is remarkable. As chairperson of the APP your workload is enormous, and I can only imagine the amount of time per day you donate to the APP (I may be finding out real soon). You have a very pure heart Michaela and your actions show that you truly believe in the APP’s mission. We love you Michaela.”

During the fledgling years of the organization, in addition to her APP Chair responsibilities, she worked diligently to produce early issues of The Point. She also served as the co-editor for PFIQ, helping to redirect its focus from male/leather, to a more female friendly perspective. In PFIQ #45, Michaela wrote the following:

I do not discern between the experience of being pierced, the healing process, and the completed, integrated adornment; they are wholistic and inter-relative. Being pierced is a natural extension of my need to create an intentional environment for myself–a world of spiritual completeness, practicality, and uniqueness. I fiercely intend not to live an unexamined, blind life.

I started at the San Francisco Gauntlet in 1991. Prior to that, I spent two years as one of those uneducated hack piercers against whom I now crusade. My current responsibilities as an educator and media disseminator put me in the position of being able to make a real difference in the piercing experiences of others, for whom I am grateful. Piercing and other body-affirming practices are becoming ever more popular in defiance of an increasingly depersonalizing world. I am proud to be one of those spreading this message.

Michaela worked closely with Jim Ward to develop a piercer training curriculum for Gauntlet and co-author  a  written  manual called Responsible Body Piercing in 1993; she later became the director and primary instructor for these seminars, with other Gauntlet piercers co-teaching.

In 1998, prior to the existence of the President’s Award, the Board dedicated the “Jack Yount Memorial Certificate of Recognition” to Michaela, for her efforts in promoting excellence in professional piercing.

The Jack Yount Award, 1998

Due to friction with others in the industry because of her so called “conservative” views, Michaela stepped away from body modification to pursue a career in graphic design and production art. Later she went back to school for costume design and graduated from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) in Los Angeles.

In 2005, the APP presented Michaela with a Lifetime Achievement award, stating that “her work to secure the stability of the [APP] in the early days were critical to its survival. Piercers have had the opportunity to speak to the regulations which govern them worldwide as a result of her efforts.” You can read more about this special award in  The Point: Issue 48.

This was originally intended to be an interview with Michaela Grey, but unfortunately, she declined the opportunity. She made it clear that she “left the industry due to gross persistent misogyny and disrespect for piercing’s history and elders” and as a result would prefer to keep her distance. Michaela is not alone in these feelings, and this underlying tone illustrates precisely why this issue of The Point is themed around the women in our industry, past and present.

From Brian Skellie:

Michaela knows that some of us commiserate with her for the rough times she had with APP, and how much I and many other people still hold her in high esteem. We should ensure our archive reflects Michaela with honor and respect as a person not just an integral past political figure. She worked tirelessly as an ally to our mission, no matter how uncomfortable or stressful it was. She took on so much in her role at 23 years old, put up with hard work and difficult debates along with the good, and much of it was thankless. Without Michaela, the APP could have just been a tiny, short lived CA endeavor. Thankfully she helped clear away some of the nonsense that gets in the way of the good work. There is much more to her personality and her work than the awards we gave her and back issues of The Point can illuminate.

We have kept in touch since her APP years. Michaela’s ever present wit shines in our interaction when I brought up the Archive and asked for her to reflect upon her involvement and share her ideas:

“Aside from the looming threat of ill-conceived legislation, I was forming the APP at the time I was running two Gauntlet piercer seminars a month. I observed a wide cross section of the piercers currently working, from folks I admired and respected to a lot of people I wouldn’t want piercing an apple juice carton with a straw. If I seemed excessively cautious it’s largely due to the truly scary folks I encountered in the seminars, and knowing that they represented a likely majority of the industry at the time (and sadly, probably still today).”

I believe her caution was sensible. She is skillfully self critical, and never needed my opinion or assistance. Some others at the time seemed to play the devil’s advocate and enjoy getting strong responses. This treatment of her efforts was lamentable. She should be remembered as a great gift to the trade. She saw video of the 20th Anniversary panel discussion and noted:

“I’m usually never thinking about that part of my life. It was very moving to see so many old cohorts gathered at that table to talk about the early days of the organization. All water under the bridge. I’m mostly pleasantly surprised. Allen’s mention of me was unexpected and got me a little misty. As he said, we butted heads often. It’s good to see that we both did it from love of the craft. It’s also interesting to see that some quandaries like “do we let crap jewelry manufacturers on the Expo floor” persist to the present day.”

Some companies have learned what it takes to make standard quality jewelry, and done well. Others still are dodging any light we shine on them, but we hope they will come around.

“I’m awed and humbled to see how the APP has grown. I’m also loving the international outreach! I have a number of the new Members from Mexico and Italy on my FB feed and it’s awesome to see it grow.”

Michaela with Jim Ward at the APP Banquet 2005 when she received the Lifetime Achievement Award

Point 81: The GEP Conference – first Brazillian Conference!

Comments Off on Point 81: The GEP Conference – first Brazillian Conference! read Industry History, International, Issue 81, Other Conferences, Sister Organization
Conference Educators
Conference Educator, Danny Yerna
Conference Educator, Gladix Porca Miseria
Conference Educator, Javier Guerra
Jesus “Sala” Salaverria
Tatiana Rodrigues and Andre Fernandes
(Organizers of the GEP Conference)

Point 81: Profile of a Responsible Piercer

Comments Off on Point 81: Profile of a Responsible Piercer read Features, Industry History, Issue 81

The following excerpt is from Responsible Body Piercing, the Gauntlet seminar training manual written by Michaela Grey and Jim Ward and first published in 1995. Reissued in 2016, copies of this historic document are available from runningthegauntlet-book.com

AN INTRODUCTION

When Gauntlet first came into being in 1975, who would have imagined the phenomenal popularity body piercing would be enjoying less than 20 years later? In response to the huge demand, people calling themselves “piercers” have been springing up all over. From tattoo shops to beauty salons, almost every city and town now has at least one so-called piercer in residence. A few of them are good; some do poor piercings but are at least clean, and some are just plain dangerous.

Presumably you are reading this because you want to become a piercer yourself, and it is hoped that you wish to become a responsible piercer. We have chosen to call this manual Responsible Body Piercing, NOT Professional Body Piercing. It is very important for you to understand that NO ONE can make you into a professional after a short course of study, and, in fact, we make no such claims. Experience has proven it takes between a year and a half and two years of supervised training for someone with aptitude to become a fully-qualified piercer. Anyone who leads you to believe that you are ready to start a piercing business after taking a weekend seminar and doing a few piercings is dishonest, irresponsible, and unethical. Professional piercers, like good health care workers, good hair stylists, or any other professionals, are not created overnight. They must all train and practice under  the  supervision of someone with more knowledge and experience. In  time they will gain the skills and confidence  necessary  to   win the trust of their clients  and make the piercing experience as untraumatic and painless as possible.

So what if you won’t be a professional by the time you finish this book. What is far more important is for you to start right now to be a responsible piercer. We encourage you to learn and practice your craft in an ethical, responsible, and, yes, professional way. Form in your mind an image of the professional you wish to be, and in time you will become that image.

This training manual is intended to provide a broad overview of the world of piercing, to teach the fundamentals of sterilization and hygiene, and to help you begin developing a safe and solid technique. It is beyond the scope of this text to make you a good piercer. That can only come with aptitude, practice, time, and patience.

The information herein is based upon the combined experience of nearly 20 piercers over a period spanning almost 20 years. And while these techniques are used daily in Gauntlet’s establishments, our piercers constantly seek ways to refine and improve them.

We all know there is a vast difference between just being able to do something and being able to do it professionally and well. Becoming a professional, “master” piercer—a title rapidly becoming meaningless because it is so abused these days—requires more than learning some basic information and techniques. A true “master” piercer always acts responsibly, i.e. safely, knowledgeably, and professionally. These are the traits and qualities you should cultivate and strive to assimilate. Unless and until they have all become an integral part of your being, you cannot consider yourself a professional, much less a “master,” piercer.

THE KNOWLEDGEABLE PIERCER

No matter what profession you pursue you will have to gain whatever knowledge is unique to it. Piercing is no different. Here are some of the things you will be required to know:

  • The names and locations of the various traditional piercings.
  • The best jewelry designs and materials for each.
  • How to prepare and mark them.
  • The appropriate piercing tools and techniques for each.
  • Their healing times and appropriate aftercare.
  • When a particular piercing isn’t a good choice for a particular individual.
  • Sterilization from A to Z.
  • How to deal with people, gain their trust, put them at ease.

THE SAFE PIERCER

Without question safety is the single most important requirement of any piercer. You simply must not put your clients or yourself at risk in any way.

  • Sterilization and hygiene must be strictly observed.
  • Never do a piercing that could endanger the piercee or install a piece of jewelry that is not appropriate even though the client might want it.
  • Never use an ear piercing gun to pierce anything. Period!
  • Absolutely never do piercing under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Likewise never pierce anyone who is intoxicated.

THE PROFESSIONAL PIERCER

With a solid knowledge of one’s craft and safe techniques and procedures, it is possible to be an acceptable piercer. To be a truly professional, “master” piercer requires the highest standards of character and conduct, qualities that go beyond the basics.

  • A professional piercer is ethical and honest. It is very important not to pretend to be something you’re not. Your clientele deserves the truth. They have a right to know the extent of your training and experience. Studying this manual does not entitle anyone to claim that they are “Gauntlet-trained.”
  • Arrogance and a know-it-all attitude are incompatible with professionalism.
  • The quality of a piercer’s work has a definite correlation to their motivation to pierce. Just as a physician who becomes a doctor for the prestige and money will make a poor caregiver, the piercer who is in it for a quick buck, or because it’s “cool” will probably not be very good at it.
  • Piercing requires patience and a willingness to listen to the fears of a client and respond to those fears in a way that will allow that person to relax and enjoy the experience. Although a good piercer will not always be able to connect with a client, they should make every effort to try and make the experience as positive as possible, or, if that isn’t possible, refer the client to another piercer. Whenever you are going to pierce someone, you should ask yourself, “Is this how I would want to be treated? Would I be comfortable in this situation”? Nothing will drive away business faster than a bad experience with you. And word of mouth can be your best or worst advertising.

These then are some of the most basic requirements of a responsible, professional piercer. Let’s now begin to look at these in greater detail.

Point 81: LEARNING STYLES

Comments Off on Point 81: LEARNING STYLES read Features, Issue 81
Kendra Jane B., Point Editor

Most of us have spent the greater portion of our life up to this point on the planet learning. It may have been in the structured classroom setting of a university, or it may have been the wide open fields that come with being home schooled. No matter how we have come to where we are in our life, all of our previous experiences have been learning experiences. Learning is the process which combines action and reflection. There are many things that we can do in order to make ourselves  better learners.

The first thing to do is to have a good understanding of how you learn so that you can maximize your strengths, adapt existing strategies, and develop new techniques for yourself. One of the best ways to maximize this learning is by becoming aware of your learning style(s). Some individuals will have one dominant learning style, whereas others will have more than one area of strength. You may also find that you utilize one learning style in a particular setting while using a different one under other circumstances.

Becoming a piercer may not have the same types of learning curves that other careers have, however it is still learning-centric and most piercers take the full responsibility of learning their craft and trade on them- selves. In this article we are going to discuss one classification of learning styles, the VARK, that focuses on four specific styles in which students take in information; visual, auditory, reading/writing, and kinesthetic. Some students are visual learners, while others are auditory or kinesthetic learners. While students use all of their senses to take in information, they seem to have preferences in how they learn best. (Gilakjani, 2012) There are a great many resources available to read, videos to watch, podcasts to listen to, or even other piercers to shadow and learn hands-on from. Many of us will often gravitate to one of these learning styles over another, finding that it works better for us.

The VARK Questionnaire Scoring Chart

Use the following scoring chart to find the VARK category that each of your answers correspond to. Circle the letters that correspond to your answers e.g. If you answered b and c for question 3, circle V and R in the question 3 row.

It is important to remember that the results indicate a ‘rule of thumb’ and need not be rigidly applied. Remember that the questionnaire is not intended to ‘box’ respondents into a mindset that they have been ‘diagnosed’. Rather, it is designed to initiate discussion about, and reflection upon, learning preferences.

As students, we learn best by seeing the value and importance of the information we have been present- ed with. If we are not interested in the material presented, we will not want to learn it. Students learn in many different ways. Visual learners learn by viewing charts, graphs, and pictures. Auditory learners learn by listening to lectures and verbal explanations. Kinesthetic learners learn by doing and tactile practice. Students can prefer one, two, or three learning styles. (Gilakjani, 2012)

Learning styles may be defined in multiple ways, depending upon one’s perspective. Here are a few definitions of learning styles: Brown (2000) defines learning styles as the manner in which individuals perceive and process information in learning situations. He argues that learning style preference is one aspect of learning style, and refers to the choice of one learning situation or condition over another. Celcia-Murcia (2001) defines learning styles as the general approaches—for example, global or analyt- ic, auditory or visual—that students use in acquiring a new language or in learning any other subject. Learning style is sometimes defined as the characteristic cognitive, affective, social, and physiological behaviors that serve as relatively stable indicators of how learners perceive, interact  with,  and  respond to the learning environment (MacKeracher, 2004). The remainder of this article will discuss the three main learning styles: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic.

For our purposes, we will be consolidating the visual/ reading and kinesthetic/writing portions of VARK.

Visual

Visual learners think in pictures and learn best with visual images. They depend on the instructor’s or facilitator’s non-verbal cues such as body language to help them with understanding and comprehension. Sometimes, visual learners favor sitting in the front of the classroom. They may also take descriptive notes about the material being presented.

Someone with a Visual learning style has a preference for seen or observed things, including pictures, diagrams, demonstrations, displays, handouts, films, flip-chart, etc. These people will use phrases such as ‘show me,’ ‘let’s have a look at that,’ and will be best able to perform a new task after reading the instructions or watching someone else do it first. These are the people who will work from lists and written directions and instructions.

Visual learners will:

  • Take detailed notes rather than get involved in discussions
  • Tend to sit in the front so they can see clearly
  • Benefit from illustrations and presentations, and especially those in color
  • Make comments like:
    • “How do you see the situation?”
    • “What do you see stopping  you?”
    •  “Do you see what I am showing you?”

Auditory

These individuals discover information through lis- tening and interpreting information by the means of pitch, emphasis, and speed. Auditory learners gain knowledge from reading out loud in the classroom and may not have a full understanding of information that is written (Ldpride,n.d.).

Someone with an Auditory learning style has a preference for the transfer of information through listening; whether to the spoken word, of self or others, of sounds and noises. These people will use phrases such as ‘tell me,’ ‘let’s talk it over,’ and will be best able to perform a new task after listening to instructions from an expert. These are the people who are happy being given spoken instructions over the telephone, and can remember all the words to songs that they hear!

Auditory learners will:

  • Enjoy discussions and talking things through and listening to others
  • Acquire knowledge by reading aloud
  • Hum and/or talk to themselves
  • Make comments like:
    • “I hear you clearly.”
    • “I’m wanting you to listen.”
    • “This sounds good.”

Kinesthetic

Individuals that are kinesthetic learn best with an active “hands-on” approach. These learners favor interaction with the physical world. Most of the time kinesthetic learners have a difficult time staying on target and can become unfocused effortlessly.

Someone with a Kinesthetic learning style has a preference for physical experience – touching, feeling, holding, doing, and other practical hands-on experiences. These people will use phrases such as ‘let me try,’ ‘how do you feel,’ and will be best able to perform a new task by going ahead and trying it out, learning as they go. These are the people who like to experiment and never look at the instructions first!

Kinesthetic learners will:

  • Need lots of breaks and will want to move around
  • Speak with their hands and gestures
  • Remember what was done, but have difficulty with what was said or seen
  • Learn through doing activities
  • Make comments like:
    • “How do you feel about this?”
    • “Let’s move forward together.”
    • “Are you in touch with what I am saying?”

Previous studies concerning visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning styles according to Dunn and

Dunn (1978) conclude that only 20-30% of school age children appear to be auditory learners, 40% are visual learners, and 30-40% are tactile/kinesthetic or visual/ tactile learners. Barbe and Milone (1981) stated that for grade school children the most frequent modality strengths are visual (30%) or mixed (30%), followed by auditory (25%), and then by kinesthetic (15%). Price, Dunn, and Sanders (1980) found that very young chil- dren are the most tactile/kinesthetic. They concluded that there is a gradual development of visual strengths through the elementary grades, and that only in fifth or sixth grade can most youngsters learn and retain information through the auditory sense. Carbo (1983), investigating the perceptual styles of readers, found that good readers prefer to learn through their visual and auditory senses, while poor readers have a stronger preference for tactile and kinesthetic learning.

One of the most significant issues in learning to learn is an individual taking the responsibility for their own acquisition of knowledge. The individuals should know what their own learning styles are and what characteristics this style has, and that they should thereby behave according to this style. In this way, the individual can acquire the constantly changing and increasing amount of information without need for the assistance of others. When the learner takes the responsibility of their own learning, they attribute meaning to the process of learning. They develop an understanding of their own form of learning style and become much more satisfied with the environment they interact with. Every opportunity for learning is a chance for them. It is in the learner’s hand to use different methods and develop learning styles to some extent (Coffield, 2004).

There are three particularly vital reasons that understanding and utilizing learning styles are import- ant. First of all, people’s learning styles will vary because everyone is naturally different from one another. Secondly, it offers the opportunity to teach by using a wide range of methods in an effective way. Sticking to just one model will create a monotonous learning environment, so not everyone will enjoy the lesson. In other words, learning and teaching will be just words and not rooted in reality. Thirdly, we can manage many things in education and communication if we really recognize the groups we are called (Felder, Silverman, 1988; Coffield et al., 2004).

Learning style has an important place in the lives of individuals. When the individual knows their learning style, they will integrate it in the process of learning so they will learn more easily, more quickly, and be more successful. Another advantage of the identification of learning style by the student is that it will help the student to become an effective problem solver. The more successful the individual is at solving the problems they face, the more control they will take over their own life (Biggs, 2001). It is important for individuals to receive education in areas suitable for their learning styles. A person educated in an area having no relationship to their learning style may lack confidence and they may be less successful; as a result, they may become frustrated.

Knowledge of learning style also provides information to the student as to why they have learned in a different way than others. It helps to control the process of learning. As a student gains an understanding of their learning style and becomes autonomous, they will take responsibility for their own education. This has to be part of the learning process to enable the individual to obtain knowledge, which constantly shifts and changes, without any help from others. Confidence in learning will consistently rise when learners know how to learn. Learning to learn and grasping knowledge in a suitable manner will lessen the need for an overbearing control by teachers. At this point, teachers guide the students. The students take responsibility for their learning, they are at the center of the process, and everything is under their control. They search answers to the problems and benefit from their unique performances and preferences in their learning styles. Those people will identify their aims, unlike those whose learning style preferences are not identified. They know what they want to learn and “how.” This awareness will change their perspectives on learning new things (Fidan, 1986).

It is very important to understand and explore each individual’s learning style. Analyzing one’s own particular learning style can be very helpful and beneficial to the student by aiding them in becoming more focused as an attentive learner, which ultimately will increase educational success. Discovering this learning style will allow the student to determine their own personal strengths and weaknesses and learn from them.

As piercers, we should be focused on perpetually improving our knowledge and craft. Understanding the most effective learning methods for us personally will help in this pursuit. As practitioners, understanding the different learning modalities will aid in our client interactions. Catering our aftercare speeches, placement explanations, and informational discussions to the learning styles of our clients will improve their grasp and understanding. Even though we don’t work in traditional classrooms, the dissemination of knowledge is a major component of our industry.

References

Barbe, W. B., & Milone, M. N. (1981). What we know about modality strengths. Educational Leadership, 38 (5), 378-380.

Biggs, J. (2001). Enhancing Learning: A Matter of Style or Approach? Perspectives on Thinking, Learning and Cognitive Styles, R. J. Sternberg, L. F. Zhang (Eds.). Mahwah, Lawrance Erlbaum Associates, N. J.

Carbo, M. (1983). Research in reading and learning style: Implications for exceptional children. Exceptional Children, 49, 486-494. Celce-Marcia, M. (2001). Teaching English as a second or foreign language, (3rd ed.). Dewey Publishing Services: NY.

Coffield, F. (2004). Learning Styles and Pedagogy in Post-16 Learning. A Systematic and Critical Review. Learning and Skills Research Centre, London.

Dunn, R., & Dunn, K. (1978). Teaching Students through their Individual Learning Styles. A Practical Approach. Prentice Hall, Reston, VA.

Hyland, K. (1993). Culture and learning: a study of the learning style preferences of Japanese students. RELC Journal. Felder, R. M., & Silverman, L. K. (1988). Learning and teaching styles in engineering education. Eng.Educ.,78674-681. Fidan, N. (1986). Learning and Teaching at School, Concepts, Principles, Methods. Ankara: Publication.

Fleming, N.D. & Mills, C. (1992). Not Another Inventory, Rather a Catalyst for Reflection. To Improve the Academy, 11.

Giliakjani, Abbas Pourhossein. (2012) Visual, Auditory, kinesthetic Learning Styles and Their Impacts on English Language Teaching. Lahijan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Lahijan, Iran English Language Department, Islamic Azad University, Lahijan, Iran.

MacKeracher, D. (2004). Making sense of adult learning. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

Price, G. E., Dunn, R., & Sanders, W. (1980) Reading achievement and learning style characteristics. The Clearing House, 5.

Peyman, Hadi et al. (2014)“Using VARK Approach for Assessing Preferred Learning Styles of First Year Medical Sciences Students: A Survey from Iran.” Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research.

https://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/aacc/sites/utsc.utoronto.ca.aacc/files/tipsheets/

http://education.seattlepi.com/teaching-strategies-different-learning-styles-4007.html

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learning_styles https://wss.apan.org/jko/mls/Learning%20Content/ILS_Validation(IJEE).pdf https://web.wlu.ca/learning_resources/pdfs/Learning_Styles.pdf

http://vark-learn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/The-VARK-Questionnaire.pdf

Point 81: Learning Outside of Conference

Comments Off on Point 81: Learning Outside of Conference read Features, Issue 81
PROGRESSIVE MENTORSHIP BY RYAN OUELLETTE

While Jesse Villemaire and Efix Roy focus primarily on health and safety courses (in both English and French) in Canada, my primary focus is on techniques and their application. I offer shadowing sessions for profession- al piercers in my New Hampshire studio, Precision Body Arts. Shadowing allows a piercer to witness techniques and client interactions first hand to help expand their knowledge base. I offer short seminars annually at the Boston Tattoo Convention, but I hope to expand my USA seminar offerings to full day classes at my studio and at host studios in the USA in 2018. I also volunteer teaching time at several conferences worldwide including APP, UKAPP, BMXnet, LBP, and GEP in Brazil. I look forward to continuing volunteer instruction to bring safe practices to as many piercers as possible. I can be contacted through my website www.precisionbodyarts.com/ as well as www.progressivementorship.com.


Ryan Ouellette teaching at APP Conference 2017. Photo by Autumn Swisher
Private Classes—Jef Saunders

I provide a variety of different educational experiences. In addition to teaching for the Fakir Intensives and the Association of Professional Piercers, I have been an instructor in Mexico at LBP, in Brazil at GEP, and in Great Britain at UKAPP. I provide my own line of classes, called the Advanced Fundamentals series, and have provided these classes at several shops all over North America. Topics discussed include disposable piercing studios as well as techniques classes on specific piercings like the nostril, nipple, navel, daith, tragus, and rook. I also provide in-shop consultations. You can book me for an Advanced Fundamentals class catered to your needs or a shop consultation by contacting me at Jef@JefSaunders.com

Private Classes—Aiden Johnson

I teach classes about the various metals used for body jewellery, their pros and cons, their history and source, how they are created, and their uses within pierc- ing. I have taught at UKAPP (2015, 2017), APP (2017), and BMXnet (2017). My life before piercing was as a Mechanical Engineer for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) where I specialised in materials testing and quality control. Now I’m a professional guest artist and jewellery manufacturer. I have also taught private seminars based around increasing sales and efficiency within a studio, and I am planning a new sales seminar for UKAPP next year. I’m based in the UK, but travel for work, so the best way to contact me is through Instagram (@aidenmustdie) or Facebook (Aiden Johnson).


In-Person BBP classes (California Industry Specific)—Lee A. Ballesteros

This class is geared to anyone who is associated with the body art industry in California. The Safe Body Art Act in CA requires that all persons who are at risk of exposure to BBP undergo yearly industry specific training. This course has been crafted to expressly address all aspects of body piercing and tattoo studio regulations and precautions that will be necessary to conform to these needs. Covered topics are fully inclusive of the BBP Standard, best practices within our industry, and what the Safe Body Art Act means to us. I have built my course to seamlessly transition between the BBP Standard, which is Federal Law, and the CA Safe Body Art Act, which is for us in California studios. I cover the common sense stuff, the  hard stuff, and then delve deeper to help you discover what can be done to protect yourself and your clients. Knowledge is power and you must be familiar with all the ins and outs of the law to wield this power. If you have chosen to be in this profession, you must also make the conscious choice to be a professional about it. No other course will do this for you, and no other instructor is as committed to the personal experience as I am. Although we all have our regular BBP certification that is usually completed online, nothing can replace an in-person course with respects to understanding just how much we need to do to keep ourselves and our customers safe. Questions and discussion are immediately available. Since we do this all day, every day, we tend to become lax after a time. How much attention is paid when you do the online course? Do you find yourself tuning out? Make it a more engaging event; one that can save your life.

Lee A. Ballesteros has been a body piercer and studio owner for 25 years, and has taught her own industry specific BBP course, B.A.P., since 2011. Courses offered in the past through Coun- ty Environmental Health Departments include Sacramento County & San Joaquin County. The B.A.P. course is a recognized and approved BBP course in most California counties. This course is offered in a group setting either at your studio or through the local Health Departments.

If you would like to organize a group or host me in your studio please contact me at contactleeb@gmail.com. If you would like to ask your Health Department to offer an in person course, you can have them contact me also. Cost is $25.00 per person and includes a course booklet and certificate, good for one year. Travel time is included within an hour and a half ra- dius, while further distances are charged by the mile – so the more attendees, the less expensive it can be! The course takes approximately two and a half to three hours.

Private Educational Body Piercing Seminars—Luis Garcia

I started teaching my own educational seminars in 2014. I have enjoyed teaching for the APP and other organizations, but wanted to try a different format, more like a workshop, but with live piercing demos (which we cannot offer at APP and many other conferences). I wanted to concentrate on technique theory and technique application, which I feel can be more difficult to process in a conference environment. These ideas led to me teaching my first seminar at The Crypt in Arlington,Texas, a two-day ear project and surface piercing seminar.

The reception for the seminar was way better than I had hoped, but I knew I wanted to adjust the way I did things. I reworked a few things, and relaunched my seminars in 2016.

I prefer to concentrate on technique theory and technique application. I can do a set topic or two, as I have done for most of my seminars. With enough notice from a host shop, we can get the word out to your clients and book appointments for the piercing models. Many times, the students want to volunteer to be piercing models as well. The first half of the day is theory and lecture, then after lunch we cover the technique application and live piercing.

I can also offer a more “freeform” approach, as I did for a seminar at Amory Body Arts in San- ta Cruz, CA. They were concerned that the main topic I was teaching at the time (genital piercing) wouldn’t garner interest from potential client/piercing models, so I built a class around what piercings clients were willing to let me perform in front of my students (ironically half of the appointments were for genital piercings). The client would come in for the appointment, do their paperwork and select jewelry, then while the Statim sterilized, the client could sit in with the students on the theory presentation for the piercing they were about to get. This went well on several levels, breaking up the day a little more, and the clients absolutely loved learning about the piercing they were getting.

If anyone is interested in being a host shop for my seminars, please feel free to contact me at bodmodkub@gmail.com, or via Facebook message.

Point 81: The President’s Corner

Comments Off on Point 81: The President’s Corner read Editorial, Industry History, Issue 81, Other Conferences, President's Corner
Jef Saunders
APP President

“The Association of Professional Piercers (APP) is an international health and safety organization. It is a nonprofit voluntary alliance dedicated to the dissemination of information about body piercing. Governed by a voluntary elected Board of Directors, the APP is a united group of piercing professionals that freely shares information to help fellow members, piercers, health care professionals, legislators, health inspectors, and the general public get the best and most up-to-date information about body piercing.”

You’ve probably seen the preceding text so many times that you may  already  know it verbatim.  As a piercer interested or involved with the APP, you aren’t surprised by what our mission statement is. But have you really considered the importance of that mission? I can tell you, as a Board member, that the Mission Statement is a compass that always points to the kinds  of  decisions we should be making. The Association of Professional Piercers is a health and safety education organization. Our job is to openly share with anyone who might care to learn. This is a powerful mission, and one that touches me deeply.

Fakir Musafar speaks about body art, and body piercing specifically, in a way that few others do. To him, modification of the body isn’t just a fun thing we get to do to ourselves, it is an innate human right. That is something far deeper and far more important that can get lost in the day to day routine of a piercing shop. But I like to think about this art of ours the way Fakir taught me to think of it: a human right.

That puts our mission as an educational organization in a very unique light to me. By providing education in so many forms, we are trying to assist the entire planet to safely express themselves. What a responsibility! Yet, so many from our community rise to the occasion again and again. Some of us provide education at the Association’s annual conference, of course, but there is so much out there for piercers and the public alike. From sister organizations, to independent schools, and even online forums; our community has embraced the mission of the APP and run with it.

Imagine where we might be if the earliest members of the piercing community had attempted to keep  their  techniques  entirely secret? If they had refrained from writing magazines, publishing books, producing tutorial videos, and making piercing schools? The piercing community wouldn’t be anything like what it is today.

In this issue of The Point you will read about body piercing education not only through the APP Conference, but outside of our organization as well. To those who have given so much of their hard work to help improve the art of body piercing, we say thank you.

Post Script: I am writing this just a few days after the passing of a career-long educator, Rick Frueh. Rick was an APP Board Member, an instructor for our conference, an instructor for Health Educators, Inc., an enormous part of the 2013 APP Procedure Manual, creator of the Body Modification Learning Forum, and a friend. He’s left a legacy of body piercing education that we have all benefited from in one way or another. He will be missed.

Point 81: From the Editors: Kendra Jane B.

Comments Off on Point 81: From the Editors: Kendra Jane B. read Editorial, From the Editor, Issue 81, Lifestyle
Kendra Jane B.
The Point Editor

“Let the improvement of yourself keep you so busy that you have no time to criticize others.”

—Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

Many piercers will tell you that once you are an apprentice you are always an apprentice; that there is always something to be learned or improved upon. Yet our career choice has an odd dichotomy that sees many of us not only as the student, but as the teacher as well, sometimes in the same day.

From our earliest school days, most of us can recall specific teachers or mentors that had a profound effect on not only our learning, but on what is the core of who we are and what we believe. Some people were simply meant to teach others, to give the knowledge that they have to the masses. The need to share what they know is in the core of who they are and how they go about their day to day business. It is their archetype.

The psychologist, Carl Gustav Jung, used the concept of archetype in his theory of the human psyche. He believed that universal, mythic characters—archetypes—are contained within the collective unconscious. Jung defined twelve primary types that symbolize basic human motivations. Each type has its own set of values, meanings, and personality traits. The ones I am most interested in currently are those that further our learning; The Mentor, The Teacher, and The Student. What I hope is that I can get each of you reading this to find the parts of yourself that identify with each of those three archetypes; embrace them. If you identify the most with the mentor, nurture that – use those traits to enhance your life and career and those around you. If you identify as the student, open your mind to all that is around you and think outside of the box to become the best that you can be.

The Mentor

The mentor archetype not only invests in the student learning certain material, but takes interest in the route the student goes with the knowledge. By definition, the mentor imparts advice.

The mentor is the person you go to for help in making a decision. An empowered mentor artfully guides the student to an authentic resolution without getting in the way. The student not only attains their answer, but understands how to get there on their own the next time.

Intimately tied with wisdom, the mentor archetype uses their experience as a teacher, showing rather than telling. They consistently encourage their mentees to try things for themselves. The enlightened mentor is able to stand aside and watch mistakes happen, because they know that their role is not to control every move made by their student. A mentor feels that their job is to help the mentee learn how to think for themselves.

The relationship between mentor and student is one-on-one. The mentor dedicates a great amount of time to taking one student under their wing, accepting responsibility for them. Thus fostering that student through the entire process of learning a craft or skill. The goal is to see students fully fledged in the world, a master in their own right and no longer in need of advice.

The Teacher

On the other hand, the teacher archetype has to do with a classroom full of students. Thus, the teaching style is more generalized than customized. This is a common point of struggle for the teacher – wanting to reach every student, but not being able to given the constraints of working with so many personalities at once.

Teachers commonly  take  students  through  a specific phase of a learning process (such as a school year), unlike the mentor who covers the beginning, middle, and end of a topic. With the teacher archetype, the focus is shifted from mastery of a subject to measurable progress in ability. Like the mentor, the teacher also prefers to teach through experience, but understands that no two students learn alike. Some students need hands on activities, others need time to read information, and others still need to talk through things.

However it is very important to remember that the teacher is a constant student in their own way. They are always learning how to read their students needs and how to better meet them. For example: learning how to manage the classroom and teach life skills alongside algebra. The balanced teacher understands that lessons of conscience are as important as grammar lectures.

The Student

The student archetype is primarily interested in learning, period. Sure, if someone wants to hear what has been learned, they will be glad to share, but they often lack the patience needed to wait for someone else to get it. The student relishes acquiring new knowledge.

For the student, good grades and being the top of the class can be everything, leaning towards being a perfectionist. The enlightened student accepts oneself as a work in progress and knows when they have enough knowledge to stand on their own two feet. A true student sees everyone as an equal regardless of who may know more or less than them. It is important for the student to understand that there are many kinds of intelligence – including emotional intelligence, common sense, and intuition – and to be open  to learning on all levels. The student must walk in the world with equal doses of confidence and humility, understanding the difference between knowledge and knowing; the difference between wisdom and information.

So whether you identify more with the student, teacher, or mentor, we are positive that this issue will hold something to grab your attention and make you want to learn something new.

The Point – Issue 80

Comments Off on The Point – Issue 80 read Awards & Recognition, Body Piercing Archives, Conference, Events, Issue 80, Statistics

Point 80: Piercing: Erik Dakota

Comments Off on Point 80: Piercing: Erik Dakota read Features, Industry History, Issue 80

Interview by Sean Dowdell, City/State: Santa Cruz, CA

THE PIERCER THAT EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT, BUT DOESN’T

Sean Dowdell: Erik, let me start by saying that it is a huge honor to do this interview with you. You have given me and the piercing industry a lot of insightful and innovative years. It has bothered me  for several years at this point in my career when I speak to young piercers and most don’t know your name or the incredible contributions and impact you made on our industry.

I have looked up to your work for my entire career and you are honestly one of the most inspirational figures in my piercing world. I feel that this interview is an important part of our industry’s history that   I would like my colleagues and peers to read and know.

Can you give us a little background as to how you came to be interested in piercing?

Erik Dakota: I lived and grew up in Santa Cruz, CA. I was going to school for mechanical engineering when piercing started to creep into my life. Early 1980s, Gauntlet was the only real studio on the   West Coast. I was using Silver Anchor, non-annealed jewelry and it was loads of fun, haha! I got excited about piercing and seeing what the mind and body was able to overcome. I was very experimental in different communities such as the punk and gothic scenes, and the “nerd” and “BDSM” culture seemed to come together very naturally in my world of friends. I am straight. However, a lot of my friends and their friends were in the LGBT communities and I was immersed at least on the fringes of that lifestyle. I enjoyed the “Body Play” and seeing what the body was capable of accomplishing and enduring.

There were really no piercing studios at this time other than Gauntlet and everything was really expensive. At the time, us college students couldn’t really afford to play in the piercing world as often as we had wished, so I started getting into manufacturing jewelry myself. I wasn’t around any other actual piercers yet, so I started experimenting on myself and friends by piercing everyone. I wanted  to learn more about the technical aspects.

Gregorio Gus had arranged for me and him to watch Elayne Angel pierce down in LA at Gauntlet for the day. This was really my first block of actual piercing knowledge. She was very kind and insightful as to how to perform certain techniques and was extremely helpful. Elayne was really impressed    and thrown back because I had actually had my rook pierced and she had never seen one before. Apparently, I invented it which was a shock to me as well. I always assumed someone else had done this, but apparently not!

Sean Dowdell: I think you were a disrupter in the piercing industry and you have pushed the boundaries further than most people know. How do you think that came about?

Erik Dakota: Alan Falkner and I were hanging out and he was a great supporter of mine in pushing me into the field more and more (this was before Alan actually got involved  in piercing). This was a really exciting time for me and all of us! Alan eventually went on to be one of the top suspension artists in the world as well. With friends like Alan supporting me and several others, I started to feel more confident about my abilities not only with piercing but with the design and manufacturing of jewelry.

Sean Dowdell: How did you work around the issues of not having standardized jewelry at the time of your learning in the 1980’s?

Erik Dakota: By working with Silver Anchor, I realized that there were so many areas that it could improve the design. I wanted to pierce full time and design jewelry.

Needles at the time were horrible, we were better off using a 16 penny nail. Gauntlet had their own needles on the market and I didn’t like the style of needle that they offered. It was simply not sharp and really difficult to use. So… I started developing my own needle designs and introducing them to the industry. Back in this time, it was so hard to find a simple good needle and today it’s almost hard to find a bad one.

Sean Dowdell: Weren’t you involved in creating some of the jewelry standards?

Erik Dakota: Yes, when I started making barbells, I noticed that there were gaps between the barbell shaft and ball, so I designed  a countersunk ball. It got rid of issues with fluids and debris getting caught in the gap.

I was the first to introduce the ASTM standards to the industry in my catalog and created lot numbers for full traceability with stainless steel and titanium. I was also the first to “passivate” my stainless steel lots (this means that any deposits left on the steel from the tooling, and improved the overall metal surface; while manufacturing it would be removed). I knew within the medical implants field, the need for this when using ASTM stainless yet sometimes the SS would get rust deposits on it.

Sean Dowdell: Did you ever own a studio and where?

Erik Dakota: I opened the first piercing shop called Anubis Warpus in Santa Cruz and (I didn’t own it, however I helped open it around 1982). This was the same year the Body Manipulations opened in San Francisco as well. I never owned a studio myself; I was much more into the jewelry company Dakota Steel. I had to make  a decision by going all in with piercing or all in with jewelry. I chose the jewelry company and decided to pierce on the side.

Dakota Steel did well for quite a few years until I decided that things weren’t going the way I had hoped in my life and the company’s direction was far from what I wanted. I tenured my resignation to Dakota Steel (a company that I founded and poured my life and  soul into) in 2000 and founded (Noble Industries) DBA: Lotus Body Jewelry on my own. Around 2008, I decided I had my fill of the jewelry industry. I love piercing, I love making jewelry but at the time I was just over it.

Sean Dowdell: Who was most influential to you in the early years and why?

Erik Dakota: Jim Ward was an enormous inspiration. I was actually able to purchase my first set of Pennington forceps from Jim personally and I thought he was a god.

Sean Dowdell: What type of things did you invent in the 90s that most piercers wouldn’t know?

Erik Dakota: The big 3 were: the Rook piercing, the Daith piercing, and the development of a lot of tools such as small jaw Penningtons, fine tooth serrations on Foerster forceps, ring expanders, and slotted septum clamps.

Sean Dowdell: The Industrial piercing. Yes, for all of you youngsters out there this man invented all of these!

What do you remember about coming up with the Daith piercing and are you surprised by the popularity of something you created?

Erik Dakota: I think that it is all about the jewelry choices that are available now. That has made these specific piercings as popular as they are right now.

Sean Dowdell: What are your current interests and hobbies?

Erik Dakota: I still love to pierce, and cutting and suspension, as much as I can.

Sean Dowdell: What do you think your greatest contribution to the industry has been and why?

Erik Dakota: ASTM Certification for jewelry in our field.

Sean Dowdell: Do you have any regrets?

Erik Dakota: Yes, every day. I think about the industry all time. I felt like I was pushed out and if I had the funding I would get back into it in a heartbeat.

Sean Dowdell: What are you doing now?

Erik Dakota: I went into medical manufacturing. I used everything that I was doing in the jewelry industry and easily moved into the manufacturing departments for a couple of companies. I’m glad to have been a part of the industry for so long and hope it continues to grow.