Category News

Point 83: Jonathan Arias, 1983-2017

THE BODY PIERCING ARCHIVE

by Paul King

This year’s APP Conference in Las Vegas provides a unique opportunity to view materials from Jon John’s performances. After the exhibition, his archive relocates to the Queen Mary University in London as part of their permanent collection.

It is with sadness that we share the news of Jon John’s passing. Publicly, he was known for his performance art as well as his gallery-tattoo shops, AKA Berlin and AKA London. AKA Berlin was opened in November of 2009, with a partner Valentin Plessy. Jon’s driving concept behind AKA was to create a supportive nexus for artistic talent. Resident artists became co-creators and family. Riding the success of AKA Berlin, Jon John opened AKA London in January of 2013. Unfortunately, it was one year later that he received his cancer diagnosis and began scaling back. Eventually, AKA London had to be closed. Today, the vision of AKA Berlin carries on under the very capable and talented hands of tattooist Philippe Fernandez, with Gabriel Meister as the lead piercer.

Although Jon John was an adept tattooist, body piercer, and jeweler, it was his performance art that gave him the greatest pleasure and purpose. Perhaps Jon John’s own words, best describe the significance of his art (please read his Artist’s Manifesto on page 57). In addition to his solo work, he collaborated with artists such as Ron Athey, Joey Arias, Marilyn Manson, Nick Knight, Paul King, Rancinan, Kiril Bikov, Juano Diaz, David Harrow, and others.

Against the strong warnings of his doctors, Jon John insisted on a farewell performance. He had been working on a performance piece for over a year that was delving into emotional and physical complexities of illness, medical treatment, love, life, and death. This performance, Love On Me: The Finest Hour, offered closure for family and friends:

My heart bursts with gratitude from our shared ritual. My family, friends, artists, and lovers, free from the artificial constraints of this body, this place, and this time, you have healed my spirit – we are together, always.

Less than one month after this final performance, at the age of 33, Jon John passed away with family and friends by his side. He had no regrets, no resentments, and nothing left unsaid. He remained an inspiration of love, his guiding principle, throughout his death as he had throughout his life.

—Paul King, friend and co-creator

  • For more information about Jon John:
    • www.akaberlin.com
    • www.jonjohn.net
  • To view performances:
    • https://vimeo.com/jonjohn

Point 82: Raelyn Gallina

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 81: UKAPP – An Attendee’s Perspective

Jess Farrar

On a Sunday in late September 2015, I attended the first official UKAPP seminar then titled UK Piercer Meet Up. We met in a social club’s basement that smelled like stale beer and had vaguely sticky floors. The ceilings were low, the lighting was dim and the space was cramped, but it didn’t dampen any of our spirits as we were too happy to be part of something bigger than ourselvesto start forging a community like the APP overseas we all aspire to.

The first year, I felt was a success, with Ryan Ouellette coming to not only teach, but also show support for our infant organisation and help us along the way. I met Ryan for the first time there and spoke with him about my goal of attending the APP Conference the following year, if I felt ready and confident enough to apply for the scholarship. His advice was impartial and well thought despite him being on the committee of people that awarded the scholarships; I already felt my anxiety about the prospect abate. He offered invaluable advice and support to many of us and helped educate us as a collective with his informative and relaxed teaching style. Simply having him there made the whole day seem more legitimate and established.

This first year was casual and took place over a single afternoon with just over thirty of us, but we left feeling refreshed and invigorated, ready to continue self-improvement as piercers and to strengthen the bonds we’d formed as a fledgling community. The majority of us had only met that day, some coming from other countries, previously with only professional contact online, if that.

The year that followed was full of education and interaction on a daily basis as more folks joined the UK Facebook group and started contributing with advice, techniques, and individual expertise. By the time September rolled around again we were all ready to gain some knowledge.

Yet more folks from APP came this time including Brian Skellie, Luis Garcia, and Paul King, who gave great classes. The new setting was a business suite at a swanky hotel which was a far cry from the first year’s venue. I think the room was full to overflowing that year with yet more people ready to learn; about sixty of us were there in 2016 for the two day event and the feeling of excitement continued to grow as our community and bonds strengthened.

I didn’t feel ready the previous year to apply for the Al D. Scholarship, but shortly after this round of classes and socialising I began to feel comfortable with the idea of doing the same thing in another country, on a grander scale, surrounded by familiar faces that I hadn’t met yet in real life. As daunting a prospect as it was, I applied for the scholarship in December 2016 and when I found I had been successful and chosen such a mixture of feelings flooded me elation, pride, and a gripping fear of feeling in over my head. Despite having wanted this moment to come for the past three years, I still didn’t feel truly ready or even deserving of the opportunity I’d been granted and I was determined to put my best foot forward, shedding the fear with each step. The UKAPP group was a fantastic tool to help me, as the previous connections I’d made with UK piercers made it easier for me to reach out to some individuals who had been in my position and ask about their first APP Conference experience, readying me for my own.

June 2017 finally came and I flew alone for the first time a huge deal in itself across the Atlantic to meet all the wonderful people that make Conference magic, to throw myself into the world of APP and I enjoyed every minute. Working as a volunteer while being a first time attendee (who took far too many classes) was exhausting, but it also helped to keep me grounded as I was instantly welcomed into a family of volunteers and organisers that lived, breathed, and slept (a bit) the Conference experience. I felt like I quickly became an integral cog in the well-oiled machine that is APP Conference. We all had a job that needed doing, a place we belonged, and a want to help one another, to make the best possible impression all round.

I had such a wonderful experience at my first APP Conference. It changed my life, certainly my outlook on friendships and the community we’re all a part of. I feel without first stepping out of my comfort zone by travelling to meet strangers in my own country, I never would have thought I’d be capable of attending Conference solo. I’d thought about it for such a long time and with such fervour that I almost made it seem unattainable to myself simply because I wanted it so much. Yet here I am, writing about my conference experiences with such a feeling of tranquillity as I do so, knowing I belong there, the feeling of being an outsider started to fade at that first UK meet up in 2015, but it truly left me when I became a part of the volunteer family at APP in June.

Three months passed since I returned from Vegas and the weekend of the third UKAPP drew closer. I felt no nerves this time, not even a pang of anxiety, simply excitement to be able to reconnect with fellow piercers, some I’d seen in Vegas a few months before, but most I’d not seen in a year. The venue was the same classy hotel, yet this time we had the entire floor available. More rooms had been opened up as an increase of vendors came this year, bringing their stunning wares. In addition to the larger variety of jewellery available, the raffle prizes were more prestigious. A scholarship program had been launched and there was a marked increase in the calibre and quantity of classes some were lectures, others became hands-on  workshops in a smaller setting and a few were open forums for discussion each uniquely taught and presented. This year too we had even more international speakers. We also had a really nice show of camaraderie from the UK folks as people with information to share with the collective and our industry took a stand and taught a class or two.

UKAPP has continually grown each and every year. Having already outgrown the venue we’ve recently been situated in, I think we’re even moving cities to allow for a larger area in a better connected city for next year. The first meet up I attended was something I was already proud to be a part of, but seeing how much it’s grown in the past two years is unbelievable. So much love and passion has been committed to this movement of furthering the UK industry as a whole. Instead of just being a group of individuals trying to accomplish our dreams, we are all starting to pull in the same, worthwhile direction, sharing information we know to be worth learning, regardless of whether the person benefiting from it is our “competitor” or not quite at a level of skill we’d like to see. This is how we get there, together.

The lesson APP taught me is that we are all simply cogs, we can get along just fine on our own, but when we group together to become part of something bigger than ourselves, that’s when the magic happens. UKAPP 2018 is already something I know anyone attending will be proud of, and while it’s nowhere near as polished or developed as APP it is a foundling organisation ready to grow, take shape and gather momentum. For anyone in the UK reading this, you should absolutely attend next year; you will not regret it. Same goes for people within Europe, we’re all pretty well connected so let’s not let borders get in the way of our collective education! Even folks further afield will find this event worthwhile, especially if you can use it as an opportunity to see the beautiful English countryside and some of our studios, just make sure you bring waterproof clothing; the reputation of our weather is there for a reason, so don’t say I didn’t warn you.

I sincerely look forward to seeing what the UKAPP has to offer us all in years to come and it’s been a pleasure to be a part of, if only as an observer and an attendee. I hope my involvement will only deepen and my self-confidence increases as time goes by. Regardless, one thing I am sure of is that the UKAPP is already an invaluable resource to new and seasoned piercers all over the United Kingdom, and our nearby colleagues. With further involvement from anyone in a position to help, it will not only benefit the people already part of the organisation, but for future generations of piercers to come.

I already know that if the UKAPP was established when I started piercing I would have grown faster as a piercer, but at the same time I’m glad I had the shaky, self-taught introduction that I did into this industry.  I treasure so much because through my own pitfalls and shortcomings, I have been able to work harder to change everything with my own hands and now I get to taste the fruits of my hard earned labour. I’m under no impression that this is a rite of passage that every person wanting to become a piercer must undergo, and I hold no bitterness or resentment toward the newest generation of piercers that have all this pertinent information readily available to them, but it is up to them to utilise it to the best of their ability. I only hope I will be able to help in one way or another with someone’s quest for knowledge, the very same way people like Ryan helped me. Be kind and considerate and never knock someone for truly wanting to learn and better themselves.

No matter where you feel you are in your piercing career a seasoned veteran around since BME days or someone fairly new, perhaps at apprentice level these organisations are here for you to make yourself a part of and improve yourself in any way you can. If you have something worth teaching, you know where to find people eager to listen. If you feel that you are a small fish in a big pond with deep seated feelings of inadequacy (kind of talking to myself here) that  is precisely what the UKAPP and APP are here for self betterment and in turn the betterment of our industry as a whole. It is not an unachievable dream, especially not if you take a deep breath and jump into this world of readily available, invaluable information feet first. We’ve all been in questionable situations at one time or another. Half the piercers I know, myself included, wouldn’t even say we had a proper apprenticeship. I can only speak for myself here, but without the APP’s outreach program and public education I would not have picked up as many pertinent bits of information that my “apprenticeship” neglected to recognise as important. Instead, it’s being a part of all of these forums and groups, these pockets of subculture that willingly impart lessons on anyone paying attention and asking the right questions that taught me how much I truly still had to learn. Get involved and visit the next conference for your sake as well  as that of your clients, peers, and even the general public. It is lack of understanding that breeds ill will and resentment, so the more we know, the more we can help with the betterment of one another and the industry; we all help continue the legacy in our own ways. Now that so many valuable tools are available to us, utilise them to educate yourself, for knowledge is power and we are forever learning!

Point 81: UKAPP Photo Spread

Basics of tongue piercing with Ryan Ouellette
Photo by Sebastian Wolfe Pickersgill
Classroom photo of Mike Hill’s class Going Disposable
Photo courtesy of UKAPP
2016 UKAPP Board Members
Photo by UKAPP
Group photo at Whistle Punks
Photo by Sebastian Wolfe Pickersgill

Point 81: UKAPP Third Annual Seminar

UKAPP Liaison
Photos by Nicole Holmes

One weekend a year in England, piercers from across the UK and Europe gath er together to share knowledge, discuss business, talk social media and get their hands on some of the world’s best jewellery. This year, we also got to throw axes at Danny DeVito.

The third annual United Kingdom Association of Professional Piercers Conference began on Sunday, 17th of September, with around 110 attendees; quite the growth from our first year, where 35 of us (including speakers and vendors) crammed into the basement of a Birmingham nightclub for one day of  talks and socialising. From this small, but fun event, we grew into our second year, where we moved to a hotel and extended our event to two days of talks, due to the fact that we doubled our attendee numbers. Year three proved even better, not only with us needing to add yet another day of talks, but needing to add   a second classroom as well; our numbers tripling from our first year!

In years past, we’ve been lucky to receive an incredible amount of support from the Association of Professional Piercers and this year was no different. They once again provided us with some of their fantastic speakers; UKAPP regular Ryan Ouellette kicked off day one. He presented his “Tongue Piercings” class, which had already proved a big success at this year’s APP Conference in Las Vegas. The room filled up quickly with people eager to improve their core knowledge, something that we at the UKAPP strive to implement as much as possible at our own conferences.

But he didn’t stop there. Ryan gave another talk later that day, which had the classroom once again packed to capacity: “Septum Piercings, Where Skill Meets Luck.” It’s a common subject within the UK forums, with many piercers getting “The Fear” when a client comes in asking for this particular piercing, so this talk was highly anticipated. We took  a survey from our attendees after the conference and had one attendee stating, “The septums class was a game changer!”

Not to be outdone, we had our second classroom this year acting as a roundtable room, with some of the UK’s best and brightest leading discussions. Speakers included Aiden Johnson (whom some of you may have seen at APP giving his talk on Metals), our fabulous President Nicole Holmes, and a special guest speaker, Sue Hutchinson talking about self care. Sue is the mum of our lovely secretary Kim and a wonderful addition to our speaker team!

For those unfamiliar with a Roundtable, though the talk is lead by selected speakers, it’s a place to openly discuss our ideas, opinions, and offer help to each other through conversation and troubleshooting. Personally, these are some of my favourite types of classes, as they often prove less intimidating to those who may not want to ask a question in an 80 person classroom, but don’t mind so much chatting with 20 or so others in a more casual environment.

As day one came to an end, whilst some were headed to the bar  or  dinner,  around 40 of us were gearing up for a very different event… Axe Throwing! The unofficial after party of UKAPP 2017 was organised by one of our Scottish piercers, Nikki Lloyd-Proctor. She arranged for the venue, Whistle Punks, to open its doors to us on the one day a week they were closed, so we could try our hand at some hatchet throwing. This was also a teetotal event, as we knew there were a good number of non-drinkers who may want to have entertainment other than hanging round a  bar or sitting watching reruns from their hotel room.

“I’ve learned so much, and I felt so welcomed, a part of the UK piercing family! THANK YOU IMMENSELY FOR EVERYTHING!” UKAPP attendee

After a few practise demonstrations and a quick request for some more event appropriate music (pop music and piercers don’t oft go hand in hand) we got to business. This is where poor Danny DeVito comes into play! Brought along for a giggle by lovable Liverpudlian Mick Stocko, the lifesize cardboard cutout didn’t fare too well or for too long after he got hung up for target practise!

Day two was set into full swing with talks from Sala from Pinpoint discussing Surface Anchors. Paul King gave a full update on the FGM laws that are currently affecting the UK piercing scene, a subject with which he has been consulting with many of us on. There was also a welcome return of Dr. Matt Lodder of Colchester University and his new class “Myth of the Modern Primitive.” Matt has been teaching and working around the UK, specialising in tattoo art history and UK body piercing history and has an enthusiastic audience at UKAPP!

Meantime, some of our first time UK speakers took over the roundtable room, including an in depth (and invaluable) class on Social Media from Maree Fowler, Andrew Davenport, and Sebastian Wolfe Pickersgill, and a chat with Dr. Emma Spoor, a regular piercing fan who works closely with President Nicole Holmes.

However our star speaker from day two was so popular, we had to turn people away due to the room filling to capacity before it had even begun! Mike Hill originally thought that his idea would interest a handful of people, but after a gentle nudge and a couple of chats, he agreed to take on the roundtable room with his discussion “A brief introduction to disposable piercing.”

As of yet, working with disposable tools and equipment hasn’t garnered too much attention in the UK, but with the unexpected popularity of this discussion, it could soon be in the cards for a lot of piercers looking to improve their practises. Mike gave a concise and highly informative chat as well as providing goody bags to those who came along (although we all underestimated just how many people wanted to see his talk and getting a goody bag almost became a status symbol.)

Day three came around all too soon, but boy did we go out with a bang. Not only did we have one President, oh no, we had TWO. Former APP President Brian Skellie and current President Jef Saunders both made an enormous effort to join us this year, with Jef travelling directly from the Fakir Intensives in the US to Birmingham UK and teaching within 12 hours of landing. We didn’t let him off with an easy day either, Jef gave a fantastic talk on Nipple Fundamentals in our main classroom. He also co-presenting two more talks in our roundtable room, along with Ryan Ouellette and rising star of the UK scene, Lola Slider from Glasgow, Scotland.

Brian Skellie, as anyone who has ever met him will verify, is more like a vast calm sea of knowledge than a fountain of knowledge. He once again provided us with a fascinating talk on Bevel Theory, in which there’s always something new to be gained from his engrossing explanations. He also provided us with more of his brain power by co-presenting an anodizing class with Lola. It is evident from the influx of anodizing posts on UK forums that this class was a big success.

Lola Slider, as aforementioned, is one to watch in the piercing world, not only for her precision and dedication to quality piercings and jewellery, but the way in which she presented her classes this year. Her natural ability to hold the attention of 30 odd piercers packed into a small room, swarming around her to see her needle bending techniques was something to behold. She held her own amongst industry heavyweights and we cannot wait to see where the future takes her next (and we hope that will be with us again next year at UKAPP 2018!)

“In the short time the UKAPP has been going, it’s taking on a life of its own, we love you all, great job”–UKAPP attendee

We were happy to see even more vendors this year, both homegrown and international! From independent jewellers such as Alice Ruby, Stonewolf, and Danila Tarcinale, to Naga Jewellery, Sacred Symbols and the team from Lovely Lobes and Maya. Special thanks goes out to the amazing gang from Industrial Strength UK, headed by fearless leader Patrick Kielty, who even spent his birthday with us at conference! Paddy has constantly shown support for the UKAPP and has made ISUK a gateway brand for many of  the UK piercers who had not previously had the opportunity to see the jewellery up close and personal. Without the loyalty and love shown to us all from this bunch, UKAPP wouldn’t be the same!

Now, it may be known to some of you that piercers occasionally like a party; well, the UK crowd is certainly no exception! This year we held a Rocky Horror Themed party at the bar of our venue hotel, The Radisson Blu, with fancy dress encouraged! We were not disappointed by the outcome either (you’ve reallynot lived until you’ve seen how great Paul King’s legs are in fishnet stockings.) Although there was no ‘Best Dressed’ award, incredible outfits were worn by Becky Crossan of Inkhaus Tattoo, Peter Monckton (our Vice President!) and the gorgeous bunch from Adorn Art Gallery!

This year was a year of firsts for a number of reasons. Our members grew into double digits! We’ve been accepting Members into the UKAPP for the past year   and have grown from the 6 Board Members, to over   20 current Members (with all but two in attendance     at conference this year!) We’ve already got a few applicants ready for when the Board reopens the application process and we look forward to welcoming more members from the UK and from overseas as well. You can see more details about membership via the ukapp website www.ukapp.org.uk. We  also introduced the Mentor  Program this year, where people could ask to be buddied up with another attendee. As an industry, a large number of us suffer from anxieties in one form or another, often social anxiety, and whilst we do what we can to help ease these anxieties, we thought that attendees may benefit from one-on-one mentoring. We had a separate registration section on our conference floor, a half hour introduction and mingle with our assigned mentors and mentees and a bit of quiet away from the crowds towards the entrance of the floor. It went well and we hope that this is something we can keep going for next year.

It’s been a crazy year. Myself and the other Board Members were thrilled with how it all came together. We want to express our deepest gratitude to the APP for their unwavering support, the volunteer team who helped keep the conference running as smoothly as possible, and to the friends and family of the Board Members who helped keep us cool as cucumbers in the run up to an event which holds a deep and special meaning to us all.

Point 81: The GEP Conference – first Brazillian Conference!

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: The GEP Conference

Luis Garcia
International Liaison

This past July, I had the honor of attending and teaching at the very first major educational conference in Brazil, the three-day GEP 2017 Conference (Grupos de Estudios de Piercing). The GEP was started in São Paolo by body piercer Andre Fernandes, initially involving small seminars held on Sundays with one or two invited instructors. This year, Andre decided to try for something larger, not just to educate more people, but to bring Brazilian piercers together for the betterment of the Brazilian piercing industry.

The conference was held in conjunction with São Paolo’s largest tattoo convention, Tattoo Week, with the classroom overlooking the convention floor. This made it easier for attendance, since many had planned to be in São Paolo for the convention already, with many travelling 20 plus hours by bus from the opposite end of Brazil to be able to attend. It also made for an interesting time, as many of us had not seen a convention  as large as this. Some booths were even two stories tall, others with water features and marble floors! They even had a decent sized play area for children, with soft Nerf like material jungle gyms and trampolines. All of the above led to 127 piercers from all over Brazil (and a few surrounding South American countries) attending, an impressive number for a first time conference.

The conference’s speakers represented many different countries, with Jef Saunders, Ryan Oullette and I from the USA, former APP and LBP Board Member Danny Yerna from Mexico, Matias Tafel from Argentina, Gladix Porca Miseria from Spain, Jesus “Sala” Salaverria from Norway, and Javier Guerra from Colombia. Topics covered almost  every aspect of body piercing, from the Brazilian history of body piercing all the way to sterilization, and everything in between. Live translation was provided by the wonderful Emilia Aratanha from English to Portuguese, and by either Andre or Matias Tafel from Spanish to Portuguese. The Conference also had a small expo area, with vendors such as Industrial Strength, Dinamica, Namaste, Sacred Symbols, Kiwi Jewelry, Biometal, Kraken, and Painful Pleasures Brazil. The event came to a close with a lovely banquet dinner at a small private restaurant, and with a beautiful and immersive performance put on by La Negra, an Argentinian performance and suspension artist, and Thiago Soares, her Brazilian counterpart. Everyone attending left happy with the overall experience, and extremely appreciative to have access to so much knowledge from so many different piercers from around the world. With Portuguese being so different from Spanish, many Brazilian speaking piercers have a tough time absorbing and understanding classes in English at APP, and classes in Spanish at LBP. I can attest to this difficulty in language, as I attempted to learn as much Portuguese as I could in the months leading up to GEP, and I still found myself having a very hard time understanding Portuguese, and Spanish is my first language. This makes an event like this very important to piercers in Brazil. I can say that I personally felt a massively warm reception from everyone I interacted with during my time at GEP.

Andre and his small team (Tatiana Rodrigues, Emilia, and Thiago) did an amazing job organizing this conference. What they achieved in such a small amount of time left me flabbergasted. Muito obrigado a Andre e sua equipe de pessoas maravilhosas!

Point 81: Laments for Rick Frueh

Rick Frueh teaching at Camp APP

It is with a heavy heart we acknowledge the passing of Rick Frueh. Our organization and industry have lost a long-term and dedicated volunteer and safe piercing advocate.

In his time with the organization Rick taught dozens of classes over numerous conferences. He was part of the Curriculum Sub committee. As part of the Procedure Manual Update Committee/2013 (completed work) he saw the organizations’ Procedure Manual get a much needed update. His work with the Blood-borne Pathogens Committee helped to create the current online courses many of us have taken. Rick  also served on the Board  of Directors from 2011–2014 as the Medical Liaison. His hard work and dedication will be missed and our condolences go out to all of those who grieve his passing.

Gene Gowen

Like so many others, my family and I were grief stricken when we heard about the passing of Rick Frueh. For Cameron and me, the loss was more personal than professional. Though we both worked with Rick extensively, it was our friendship with Rick that brought Cameron and I together. So in no small way, Cameron and I credit Rick so much, with the beautiful family that we share today.

When I received the call that Rick had passed away, my heart sank. I felt what I can only describe as shame. Shame that I had taken time for granted. That I allowed myself to believe that everything would be ok until the Christmas holiday, when Cameron and I could visit with him. Shame that I didn’t take advantage of the little time that I had with my friend. Shame that I didn’t get a chance to tell him how much I appreciated his friendship and how grateful I was to count him as a friend.

There are definitely people who knew Rick longer than I. There are certainly people who can list Rick’s professional piercing achievements better than I ever could. What I can tell you is that Rick Frueh truly did embody the principle of Forever Learning. Though I worked with Rick every time I did a guest spot at 23rd Street Body Piercing, it was my time living with Rick during those trips, that I learned from him the most. Most nights after work or even on days off, I would return to the apartment to find him on the couch reading Mill Certs, pouring through MSDS manuals, or studying metallurgical reports. Always in the context of trying to learn as much as he could about what mattered most to him.

The days following Rick’s death, I thought about nothing other than what I could do to honor my friend and all that I learned from him. It took me days to get myself together enough to ask if I could contribute something to The Point, in his memory. I spent days crying over blank pages and blank screens, unable to get passed my own personal grief long enough to write anything down. The best I can do to honor Rick’s memory is to share what I learned from him, in the hopes that it helps the next person, as it did me. First, that it’s fine if you’re a stubborn student, as long as you can always remain a student. This is probably where Rick and I shared the most in common, though we might’ve both been too stubborn to admit it.

Second, if you’re lucky enough you may make actual friends  in  this industry. If you do, and you have the chance to, stand tall for your friends. Rick stood tall for me personally and professionally more than a few times. In this industry or in life, that can be a rare thing to come across, even rarer to count on. I could always count on Rick.

Third, it is easy to doubt yourself. Especially when so many make themselves feel bigger these days by causing doubt in others. But when  faced  with  the  trust of peers, coworkers, and clients, trust yourself. Trust your instincts. Trust your dedication. For so long I didn’t know how to do this and  it kept me from ever being able to breath as a piercer. Then one day at 23rd Street, as I was running from piercing to piercing, Rick grabbed me and simply said “I trust you, we trust you. We wouldn’t have asked you here if we didn’t. Trust yourself and you’ll be fine.”

These lessons have stayed with me. I hear them and see them everywhere I go. My life has forever been changed for the better because of Rick. Not because he taught me about piercing, but because he taught me how to be a piercer. Not simply because of his friendship, but because he showed me how I could be a better friend. Rick could see and believed in a version of me that I didn’t know I was capable of. If you’re reading this, I hope you have someone in your life who does the same for you. If not, I hope you have the chance to be that for someone else.

Rick presenting at the APP Conference 2013
Photo by April Thomas
Bethrah Szumski
Waiting for the Expo to open, APP Conference 2016
Photo by Autumn Swisher

It’s hard to write about someone’s passing when you’re having a hard time believing it’s real. Rick was a friend, a really good one. He had a big personality and wasn’t afraid to express his opinion, but he was soft spoken too. He loved feet, the color orange, and cats A LOT. What a weirdo; I loved him so much! All my thoughts about him go back to the personal stuff. The text or phone call I could 100% count on when things were rough. I’m not sure I ever fully understood him, but I really respected him.

People loved to hate Rick for being a dick online, but he was a realist. He wasn’t afraid to put it out there and be unpopular. I often watched that with a combination of admiration and envy. Despite what the critics had to say, he did a ton for the industry. He continually sought to further his education for the benefit of body piercing. He founded the most active social media group for us and that brought the use of good jewelry and the drive to become an APP Member forward light years. I know I’m doing this no justice, but it can’t wait for me to get my head around it enough to be articulate. I’m wrecked over this loss. So wrecked that I’m trying to pretend it’s not real for just a bit longer. Maybe it will be real at that next Banquet dinner where I think about how he would say, “It’s a formal dinner, not a costume party. I’m wearing a suit.”

Rick, Conference 2015
Photo by Autumn Swisher

The Point – Issue 81