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!