Point 82: Christiane Løfblad

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By Alicia Cardenas, Sol Tribe Custom Tattoo & Body Piercing

When I was asked to write about the women in the industry, I always think of the same small group of badass women that I have seen at Conference time and time again. The sometimes quiet, but fierce warriors; small business owners who paved the path for all those who came after. When I think about the world of female practitioners, there are still only a handful. And, of course, I think of Christiane from Pinpoint Piercing. Christiane has been a powerhouse of inspiration from Oslo, Norway. I got a chance to ask her a few questions and get to know her a little better. And find out more about what she is up to.

Alicia: Can you please tell us a little bit about yourself. Who are you and how long have you been a professional body artist?

Christiane: I’m Christiane Løfblad, and I’m the owner of Pinpoint Piercing in Oslo. I’ve been piercing professionally since ‘94, and been doing scarification since around ‘03. I’m currently piercing about three days a week, and do administrative work the rest. I was co-running Wings of Desire Suspension Team for around ten years, but have more or less retired from body suspension due to burn-out. In my spare time I try to find a balance between physical training (mainly pilates and yoga) and socializing with friends, and I also make lamp shades from x-rays (SUKL lamps).

Alicia: How did you get your start in the industry? Did you have a formal apprenticeship?

Christiane: I spent my late teens traveling around Europe in squatted houses, and was already piercing myself with various instruments. My first visit to a real piercing shop was at the Reeperbahn in Hamburg around ’92 or ’93. My friend and I wanted to get our navels pierced and I actually remember asking the staff member who served us “why is it so expensive?” Ha ha! So when I have these eye-roll encounters with young people today I try to be a bit more understanding and remember where I came from myself.

I moved back to Oslo in ’94, and the first piercing-only shop had opened there, in the basement of  an  established  tattoo  shop.  I quickly became a very regular customer, and after some months I was offered a position at this shop. My training was very simple; I would not call it an apprenticeship. Definitely not an ideal situation, but at the time I think this was a fairly common way to learn our trade. Around ’96 a colleague and I went to London for a week to guest spot at Cold Steel, it was quite the eye opener for me to see how a “real” shop was doing things. And in ’99 I moved to Copenhagen and worked for a while at Gorlubb, which was a bit of a turning point. It was the first “good” shop I worked at on a regular basis, and I improved a lot with my time there (thanks, Jack Rubini!).

Alicia: What was the industry like when you first started? How has it changed? Good or bad.

Christiane: When I’m asked how I think the industry has changed over the twenty-some years I’ve been in it, I can’t help but think more of how I’ve changed myself. So I’ll try to put aside my subjective perception.

Piercing in Oslo has always been a commercial thing, from the nineties when we were doing navels and tongues all day, up until today when it’s ear piercings with cute gold pieces. Back in the day, neither our customers nor ourselves were as focused on quality jewelry as we are today, but I feel in general the customer base in my area is and has been conscious about getting the good stuff. So in a way I’m not sure there’s been so much actual change, rather just a shift in trends. Vanity will never go out of fashion; it’s a fundamental characteristic in humans to decorate our bodies to express who we are. As for the industry itself, for me I see a lot more pressure from our peers to excel. Elitism is not necessarily a bad thing I’ve always believed in striving to improve and get more knowledge but I don’t remember this being such an omnipresent thing before the internet became so influential for all of us. Sometimes I feel it’s getting a bit out of hand, and can be a bit excluding.

Alicia: What is your experience about being a women in the industry? Has it been easier or harder? What are some of the challenges you have faced?

Christiane: Every now and then I get asked how it is and has been to be a woman in the industry, and can’t say I have much to say in that matter. I don’t feel I’ve been discriminated or in other ways had a hard time because of my gender. Maybe I’m just fortunate to live in a country and continent where there are a lot of females in the industry, or I’m totally oblivious to any gender negativity taking place. Either way, I don’t give it much focus.

Alicia: How long have you owned your studio? How did it begin?

Christiane: Towards the end of my twenties I was again living abroad, and when    I moved back in ’02 I started working at Pinpoint (the shop was originally opened in ’98 by two former colleagues of mine; Runar Jensen and Knut Kvernvold). After a few years I was offered the chance to buy the shop. Although at first I was a bit reluctant to face the responsibility, my boyfriend at the time quickly convinced me that I would be foolish to decline the offer (thank you, Håvve!) At first I was the only person working the shop, but slowly there was need for more help. We now have two full time piercers, one regular guest piercer, one apprentice, two counter staff, and one packing help.

Christiane Løfblad

Alicia: What would be your advice to someone starting off as a new business owner?

Christiane: To new shop owners these days I have just my subjective  advise to start small and  work you way up, because I don’t think I could have done it any other way. Think thoroughly through what is absolutely essential to invest in, and separate it from what would be nice to have, but can also be upgraded later. Always work to the best of your ability, but also strive to improve. I think that’s the essence of it, really.

Alicia: Who are your professional and personal influences?

Christiane: I’m a great admirer of experience and do look up to those in our industry who have been in it for decades and still have the same passion for the work and the drive to share the knowledge (hi, Alicia and Elayne! And all you others!) That said, I think I might get the most influence from those in my closer proximity. Our head piercer Sala who’s been with us for six years now is a great motivator to me to keep on improving, as are the rest of the staff who all see the shop as their own. It’s very inspiring to work with a crew who’s so passionately into their trade, and I’m very proud of all of them.

Alicia: What is your favorite part about this job?

Christiane: There are many favourite parts of my job because it depends so much on my mood. Somedays I love doing paperwork and orders and don’t have energy to deal with customers at all. And other days I can’t think of papers and just want to do the craft part. But one part of the job I get a lot from is witnessing the appreciation of some of the customers when they see their new piercing(s). I know how good I can feel sometimes when getting new work done myself, and it gives me a good feeling to be the one helping them to achieve that feeling. In moments when I feel my job is superficial in relevance to people who work with helping those in need, I remind myself that I also manage to evoke good feeling in a lot of people.

Alicia: If there was one thing you could change about our industry what would it be?

Christiane: I’m not sure I have much desire to change the industry. Of course I’d wish for a general higher level of standards, but I think in Oslo and Norway this level is fairly ok compared to a lot of other countries where price wars play a huge influence on what direction a lot of the shops take. In any line of work there will always be contributors who are more concerned with making a quick buck than having good work ethics; this in inevitable. I’d rather put the effort into educating our customers so they make the right choices for their body adornments, than letting the lack of work ethics of some of these contributors get to me.

Alicia: What are your plans for the next 5 yrs? 10 yrs? How do you create balance in your work and personal life?

Christiane: I’ve never been one for having long term plans; I tend to lay the rails while the train is running, so to speak. These last years I have been cutting back on serving customers so I have more time for all the admin work, and it’s likely that the admin duties will take an even bigger part in the future. But I have noticed that I need to pierce on a regular basis, so I need to reserve a few days a week for this. Luckily I have an amazing staff that helps also with some of the admin work, so the responsibility is not solely on me. Learning to delegate has been important for me to achieve a balance, and I’m still learning! I was recently very close to burning out, so I’ve become very conscious about not over stretching myself. Running the shop entirely on my own in the beginning was definitely a useful experience, but I also taught myself that it’s expected to work long hours and always be on duty. It’s hard to unlearn this, but I feel I’m on the right path.

Alicia: Thank you, Christiane. We appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions. You are a continued inspiration.

Point 82: The Golden Age of Piercing in Australia

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AN INTROSPECTIVE NARRATIVE OF FEMALE PIERCERS DOWN UNDER

By Eloise Ridgewell & Kyla Scrivener

Australia; a land stretching over 7.6 million square kilometres, famous for its blistering summers, beautiful beaches and wildlife that will kill you in every awful way conceivable. Born from this unique environment comes a well-known character, the true blue Aussie larrikin; a cultural icon who is tough, defiant, loud and enjoys poking fun at people. Although affectionately embraced by the international community and Australians alike, this stereotype has its pitfalls when trying to establish one’s identity on an international, professional scale. The need to be loud, tough, boisterous and outrageous is often expected of those from Down Under and can unfortunately take precedence over the individual identity. While this persona definitely has its place in the Australian piercing community, there is a hive of quiet activity migrating from this previously dominating attitude and branching into a more delicate, refined, sophisticated and feminine creation. To understand how this evolution started to come about, we must first reflect on our origins of how Australian piercing began.

We speak with Bella van Nes of Piercing HQ, the continent’s original female piercer, whose piercing career started over 28 years ago in Australia’s first piercing studio, then located above a small adult bookstore in Melbourne:

“[In the beginning] we saw a range of colourful characters. Folks didn’t care that the jewellery was plain; all they cared about was how it was going to make their sex life better. Fast forward to the navel piercing boom in the mid ‘90s and the need for prettier decorative jewellery styles. This was the beginning of having a piercing done for “the look” instead of “the feel” and when my need for more female staff became apparent; who were happy to spend time putting jewellery combinations together for clients and pouring over wonderful jewellery catalogues with them.”

This motivation for aesthetics over sensation sparked a ferocious growth for the Australian piercing community, jewellery manufacturers and women’s place in the industry.

The Australian piercing industry has evolved and expanded greatly in those 28 years to become what we see today. As of 2018, there are only 10 studios nation-wide operating at a standard internationally recognised as high end or reputable. Outside of that minority, there are over 400 piercing-related franchise businesses and innumerable tattoo studios and beauty salons offering piercing services. Considering there are a minimum of three to five piercers in each franchise, the ratio of franchise to studio piercers becomes greatly skewed. Due to this imbalance, a severe congestion is being seen, with a saturation of lower quality jewellery and more laxed standards becoming regarded as the norm. Another more intriguing outcome of the rise of franchise piercing has been the influx of female piercers being offered full time work in these ‘retail’ positions in precedence over male piercers for similar job opportunities.

In Australia, the retail and franchise industry is the third largest employer of women, after healthcare and education; this merging of retail franchises and piercing has opened the door for more women to be offered piercing positions than ever before. Prior to this pairing, the Australian piercing scene was almost entirely male dominated and with little to no job security, while franchises played a role in legitimising this career path by paying piercers a retail wage and steady employment. Although perhaps not an ideal introduction to the industry, joining a franchised brand soon became a way to get your foot in the door as an apprentice or employee at a reputable studio. From these humble beginnings, female piercers were now in a position to step forward and put their foot on the career ladder within these retail chains and begin to network with high end studios and manufacturers like never before. Synonymous with this saturation of female piercers nationally came the increased desire for ornate, couture, and more exclusive lines of jewellery, directly influenced by the world’s creative stylists; gone were the plain steel captive  bead ring haydays of the ‘90s! On the runways of high end fashion influencers like House of Malakai, Alexander McQueen, Dior, and most noticeably Givenchy, we were seeing luxuriously stylised adornments and  faux-piercings that soon proved to be ground-breaking in establishing the market for high end body jewellery in a modern Australian setting. Social and visual media greatly contributed in globalising these international piercing and jewellery trends, also allowing clients on our shores to make reference to the work of international industry members. It also increased a demand for unique pieces sculpted from precious metals and stones that had never before been seen here on such a scale or with such diversity.

This mainstreaming of elegance in piercing began to widen the original Australian piercee demographic; the demand for opulent, more feminine jewellery options lead to a shift in what clients expected to experience within a piercing studio, and their attitude towards the practitioners providing their services. Piercers collectively started hearing fewer statements about “putting a hole in” or “just being a piercer,” and were now being trusted to provide more of an artistic and immersive approach to the client’s overall aesthetic and desires. This newfound expectation of a piercer’s artistic integrity to craft an ensemble designed to accentuate and flatter became more desirable than the previously normalised pierce-and-go experience, which gave rise to an opportunity for a deeper, more personal collaboration and interaction between piercer and piercee. This noticeable atmospheric softening and an openness to more emotive experiences is moving further away from the masculine stoic stereotype. Allowing for a synergy that can be a wholly rewarding, cathartic contact for both client and piercer by creating a positive, safe space to process the potentially serious emotions and events that brings patrons into our work spaces.

Introspectively, from our own personal experiences as younger women growing up in more rural Australia, the options presented for adult life are largely centered around hairdressing, beauty therapy, or child-rearing. To be a woman not actively pursuing those ambitions is to be an outlier from the norm of femininity, and as such, implies harshness, bullishness, and almost a certain masculinity. In addition, an interest or participation in an already taboo lifestyle, such as body art, modification, or the kink scene, and this misconception about who you are and your attitude as a woman is reinforced greatly in the eyes of others.

Eloise Ridgewell

ELOISE RIDGEWELL of The Piercing Urge, Melbourne, VIC:

My interest in the industry as  a spectator was peaked in early adolescence by an urge for rebellion and a desire to be abrasive and obtuse. I grew up in a very conservative household by most standards,  and  saw body piercing as an outlet, so expressed my aggression by getting—wait for it—an awfully, AWFULLY executed 16ga septum piercing—somebody call Korn; their freak got off the leash. Retrospectively, that traumatic first piercing experience in the typical rough, dingy, bikeresque tattoo studio as a naive girl served as the catalyst that opened my eyes to the prospect of stepping into the industry as a practitioner, rather than purely an enthusiast. I entered the industry young, angry, and always on the defensive, but soon realised that I didn’t want to give my clientele the same experience that I had received, which was largely regarded as the norm for the area I lived and worked in at the time.

Soon enough, the scary outfits turned into soft colours and floral skirts, and the “fuck you” attitude softened into something much more truthful and authentic to who I am. Around this time, I was lucky enough to connect with some incredibly strong female piercers on the Australasian scene, Cherry Sutherland and Kylie Garth, and was offered a position with one of the most established high end studios in the country, The Piercing Urge, which has been in operation in Melbourne since 1991. I am eternally grateful to my employer and owner of The Piercing Urge, Peter Sheringham, for providing me with the platform, support and opportunity to be able to step forward in this industry, as well as his acceptance of a more feminine touch in such a well-established kink-originated studio, in order to become inclusive and welcoming to a broader demographic.

Attending the Trauma Informed Modification and Grounding class, as well as taking part in the Women of Piercing roundtable discussion during the 2017 APP Conference really ignited a spark in terms of what kind of impact I wanted to have on my clients during my short amount of time with them. Being trusted by our clients, whether it be their faith in our professionalism, technical abilities, eye for design, or allowing us to assist in the reclamation of their body is an incredibly powerful thing, that I truly feel grateful for every single day. Becoming more in touch with my own femininity and softness has helped my work and client interactions infinitely; I’m noticing an overwhelmingly positive and fulfilling encounter for both parties in comparison to the more typical Aussie piercing attitude of “have a teaspoon of cement and harden up”. We as piercers are often therapists, healers, personal life coaches, cheerleaders, and caregivers, and I sought to create an inclusive, welcoming space, where people could feel free from the quick judgements and abrupt bedside manner they may have been used to; where they could not only receive a traditional in and-out piercing service, but also something more holistic and cathartic should they require that.

This newfound placidity has also opened many doors professionally,  allowing  me to connect with a much wider spectrum of piercing community members. Being able to attend my first APP Conference and meet the community’s strong female figures and industry’s foremothers, including Alicia Cardenas, Bethrah Szumski, and Kendra Jane (who is also the reason I am sitting here writing this article) was a profoundly humbling and inspiring experience. Brainstorming with Kylie Garth and Suzanne Hallett and birthing the concept for a now hugely successful industry group for women, gender non-conforming people, and trans folk, then forging meaningful connections with the beautiful people that are part of it has been one of the single most rewarding encounters of my life. There’s a real feeling of sisterhood, inclusivity and empowerment brewing both in our industry and societally at the moment, and I am so thankful to be a part of it.

Kyla Scrivener

Kyla Scrivener of Sacred Art, Newcastle, NSW and APP Member:

I experienced one of the most powerful eureka moments of my life during the 2017 APP Conference. The incredibly well spoken John Johnson spoke of the “Life Piercer”. To paraphrase, he explained that we take the lessons our craft teaches which have an impact on our life forever. We see the world through a piercer’s eyes no matter where we are, inspiring the people who continue to be a piercer long after they have retired the needle. I have learnt some of my most important life lessons from this incredible art form, but none more than the ability to embrace my femininity and embrace my womanhood. The irony that I needed to learn this from men still makes me laugh quietly at the weird twists this universe throws our way.

  I naturally fell into piercing at a time where to me it was still a way to ruffle society’s feathers. If it was large, impressive, shocking, or garish then I wanted it pierced and I wanted it as offensive as possible because to me that was tough and that’s all I knew. Fast forward to 2015 when I was offered a position at Sacred Art in Newcastle, New South Wales where APP Member Mick Swan ran things a little differently to what  I was used to. Mick had created an atmosphere that was calm, gentle, inviting, and boutique. His prime focus was to establish an environment where his mother and sister could visit and feel safe and comfortable. The confronting mohawk, black metal band shirts, and obnoxious choice in piercing jewellery that once comforted me made no sense in my new found environment. The demographic I was now piercing were women between the ages of 18—45, from a middle to high socio-economic demographic, who wanted delicate gold ends with precious stones.

The confronting attitude and attire had to go, because selling diamonds and presenting myself this way was an uphill battle. This small change pushed me to soften my look and find a more female friendly identity. With mostly female clients, I was finding that I was constantly surrounded by these women, who all had stories to tell and that room would become a safe confession of catharsis, adornment, and human connection that I had never experienced before. Then the emotional bomb of the incredible “Modify Your Story” by Jaymes Lombardi hit me; his words of you being a guide to these people and that “everything you do, revolves around the stories we tell” resonate with me to this day. This is the third male in this story to make me realise that I was put on this earth to create, heal, celebrate, and mentor. These people wanted to create a moment, to heal or celebrate that memory or chapter in their life and to be guided through it in the nicest and safest way possible. To be able to be this person, I had to tap into that innate feminine side of myself because my masculine side just could not connect. These tiny changes planted seeds that now allowed me to really honour the clients I was so lucky to be surrounded by and finally allowed me the space to embrace that side of myself which never felt comfortable before.

While the metaphorical cauldron of a feminine energy is bubbling over internally, Australia is starting to see an awakening in a more soft-handed and delicate approach to piercing as a result. This newly allowed artistic freedom presents an opportunity to cultivate an immersive atmosphere of safety and beauty by utilising scent, sound, and design both personally and in the aesthetics of your studio to appeal to your client base. By doing this, two high end studios can create an entirely unique experience for their clientele, even though they may well provide the exact same services with the exact same jewellery. Clients are also becoming much more involved in the process of seeking out artists who compliment their jewellery and design choices, like they would if they were researching a particular style of tattooing. You no longer go to a piercer just to get a piercing, but rather for an overall experience, and our attitudes must reflect this.

Although the industry at large is becoming more multi-faceted, progressive, and gender-diverse than ever, the final shifts of societal norms still need to occur to be completely inclusive nationwide. The distribution of piercing positions in terms of binary gender is relatively even in Australia, however the societal norm of what is acceptable and expected from each role is not. Gloria Steinem quotes, “women are always saying, ‘we can do anything that men can do’ but men should be saying, ‘we can do anything that women can do.’” The final frontiers of Australian piercing need to see the barriers of stereotypical masculinity receding so that more male piercers are able to connect on a deep and interpersonal level also without the fear of not being a ‘bloke’. As Australian writer and comedian Patrick Marlborough quotes,“our national image of manliness is obsolete, and it’s killing us”. With this feminine piercing renaissance at its peak, hopefully we will see more men allowed to be able to shed the weight of toxic masculinity and embrace their feminine side within the industry, and encourage more women to be present in the dialogue without feeling the need to be loud or aggressive to be heard.

“Be soft for the sake of every hard heart; show them with every move of your body that gentle does not mean weak.”—Emma Bleker

Point 82: Women in Piercing – A perspective on Role Models

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By Charlie LeBeau, Board Member of UKAPP

Charlie LeBeau

The terms “women,” “woman,” and “female” in this article are used to represent all binary and non-binary women, regardless of size, shape, race, and religion.

Personally, I can count on one hand the female role models I had growing up. I don’t just mean in relation to my career, I mean in general. I had my mother, Debbie Harry of Blondie, and Princess Leia as my sole inspirations; although each are wonderful in their own right, my mother was really the only one who could provide me any reasonable advice. So when it came to choosing a career path, I knew I didn’t want to be a mother. I also couldn’t be the General of the Resistance (I’m still holding out hope for that one). So instead I chose to become a rock star. Clearly, that worked out exactly as planned.

It was during this era of my life, that I discovered more and more about body piercing. As I immersed myself into the music scene, I came to realize an abundance of crossover with the piercing industry. At this point, I already had begun to get pierced and had shown an interest in modification, but it was only by throwing myself into another interest that it became a passion. I hunted out my local studio and hassled them for months, until they agreed to take me on as an apprentice.

I bring this all up not for my own trip down memory lane, but because I became aware as I started my apprenticeship, how few female role models there were in my life. My mentor was male, my college lecturers were mostly male, I was one of three women on my music course, and almost none of the music I listened to was sung or played by women. This, I realised, was a problem.

The piercing industry owes its debts to many incredible piercers, male and female, and it would be brash to suggest that it was ever actively anti-women, but the building blocks of piercing as a business and industry were male dominated. This is not necessarily a negative observation, merely that this is still a young world for my generation and it helped me come to terms with the fact that we are still finding our feet within the industry.  We are still waiting to become role models for the next generation of Debbie Harry and Elayne Angel wannabes.

I’ve been lucky in many of my personal experiences. I’ve not had many issues with harassment, negative work environments, or workplace bullying due to my gender. I know this is far from the case for the vast majority of women who continually worry between going to work or not being able to pay the bills. Or alternatively being threatened with career ending slander shouldthey dare tell anyone about what is really going on. If you think it’s unnecessary for women to want their own personal space, then you haven’t been paying attention.

Recent movement within western society has lead to many industries “outing” their former heroes—something a lot of women would all agree is a long time coming—and the piercing industry isn’t an exception. With this newfound recognition of the female voice comes a responsibility from all genders, to leave that space to be filled by someone who is needed there. We can actively give women freedom to have discussions in forums without feeling the need to censor and rephrase their question. We can allow women the opportunity to lead more seminars without the fear of someone threatening to end our careers because we didn’t want to speak alongside them. We can allow more women to become Generals.

The women now leading the forefront of our industry have years of knowledge and experience, not only fighting for a hard earned spot in an incredibly selective occupation, but also doing so with little inspiration from our own to spur them on. I am fortunate to have an amazing support network now, filled with women who I look up to for their business acumen, their strength, their style, and their hard work to promote a new generation looking for role models of their own.

Mateo Way with Marian Muller doing the heavy lifting.
Photo by Shanna Hitchens

Point 82: Female Guest Artists – Taryn Dahlgren

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Taryn Dahlgren

When I made the decision to quit my studio, pack up my life into a friend’s closet, and hit the road to travel and pierce, I was terrified. Probably more terrified than I’ve ever been in my life about anything. But I was coming up on my eighth year of piercing and I figured now was the time to do what I always wanted to do, and that was to see the world. Two adventure-filled years later, here I am, a little more wise about life, piercing in general, and a whole hell of a lot happier. I’ve also found a niche with other traveling piercers who feel the same way I do about the whole thing. It’s a rad life. I was asked a good question recently though and that was “why do you think there are so few female traveling piercers?” I won’t lie. At first, my mind went blank. I felt like there were so many of us. But then I realized that really, we are few and far between and that got me to thinking. Why?

Well, I racked my brain trying to figure it out. I came up with some negatives of course. Women shouldn’t travel alone because it’s scary (heads up, it’s not). Women are matriarchs of their households and can’t be gone for long, etc. And then it hit me out of nowhere.

Female piercers are  too  busy  holding  it down in this industry to be traveling piercers. Now, more than ever, there are so many amazing, talented ladies who are running the show! There are some incredible studios popping up all over the place that are owned and/or run by badass women. Women who are holding their noses to the grindstone with a vengeance, sometimes juggling a family in there too, and unfortunately, that doesn’t leave much time for traveling to do guest spots.

But is that really a bad thing? Absolutely not. Watching my female friends and peers rock this industry down to its core is inspiring on a whole other level. So, while we have a bunch of different angles to consider (ha, angles. See what I did there?), we should focus on the fact that we’ve got some fierce women piercers who are changing the face of who we are and what we do; they’re simply too busy to travel. For now.

Point 82: Female Guest Artists – Paige E. Toth

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Paige E. Toth

Guest spotting is a great way to enhance your career. Traveling within your own state, out of state, and sometimes even out of country can really put some things in perspective. You are given the ability to see how other studios work, how clients from different areas respond, and to network with your colleagues and peers. It’s not  uncommon to scroll through your social media and see multiple people announce their upcoming dates and numerous studios. However, whether you’ve noticed it or not, it’s somewhat rare to see a woman, or a non-male, piercer pop up on the circuit.

The first thing that most often pops into someone’s head when it comes to the topic of traveling piercers is a numbers game. Is there really such a large gap in the number of male and non-male piercers in our industry that it in turn effects the ratio of guest piercers? It’s no secret that this industry is still extremely male dominated, regardless of the amount of male versus non-male piercers. With the help of social media groups focused on booking guest spots it’s very clear to see that there are more men putting themselves out there to travel to other studios. It’s also very clear to see that a large amount of people on the guest spot circuit are individuals with a lot of notoriety and experience guest spotting. That leaves the question of are women and non-male piercers just not as interested in guest spotting, is it a question of experience, friendships, or is it something deeper?

Over the last couple of years the industry has seen a vast amount of information come forward about predatory behaviour or other types of harassment. The small amount of what has made it to the public eye of the industry is nothing when compared to the shared experiences between colleagues and peers behind the safety of closed doors. With all of this comes a real fear for many of us. We’ve all heard stories of women and other individuals instinctually placing their car keys between their knuckles while walking down the road, maybe paired with the finger on the trigger of the pepper spray in the pocket of their jacket. When it comes to guest spotting, it can be scary. Often times you’re traveling alone, not really knowing the people you’re working with, not really knowing the people who’s couch you’re sleeping on. If you flew to your guest spot you can be without a car or an escape route if things go south and you start to feel uncomfortable or in danger. For some this just isn’t a risk they are willing to take.

There’s no direct answer as to why the ratio of male and non-male guest piercers is so skewed in one direction. The only thing we can do is realize and understand the potential reasons and continue to work to make this industry as inclusive and safe as possible. There are an immeasurable amount of amazing individuals in this industry that far outweigh the bad apples. With awareness, support, and the sharing of information we can create the industry we want, and the industry we deserve.

Point 82: Female Guest Artists – Hika K.

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Hika K.

Author’s Note: I will be writing in binary terms and use the formulation “man”/“- woman”, “female”/“male” instead of “read/ perceived as male/female” for a smoother read and due to a limitation of writing space. Therefore I hope that non-binary people will not feel excluded, especially since the inten- tion is to implicate perceived genders instead of exact gender prescriptions.

Where are the travelling female piercers?

I saw this question a few weeks back in a Facebook group for piercers and started to ponder. Indeed, where are they? If I were to name those that I am aware of, only a handful of names would come to mind – but reconsidering, thinking again I know there are more. I know them personally. I just forgot that they are travelling because I don’t see constant posts about their upcoming or latest travels. But even if I take those into consideration there are still not many, which is curious. If you asked me about travelling male piercers, my reply would be “Why, dear, nearly half of the males in our industry!” or at least that’s how it feels.

In all honesty I have rarely thought about travelling female artists. But once I started thinking about the question I couldn’t stop. Why are there so few, especially in the piercing industry, while I see quite a few female tattooers and performers travelling as much and as far as their male counterparts. Is our industry really so different? Between 2014 and 2017, I travelled what the people around me considered a lot – I didn’t see it as so much, compared to other artists. During this time, I travelled for guest spots to the point where I spent three months at a time constantly sleeping on a different couch every week. For me this didn’t seem to be outside of the norm. Apart from the fact that I didn’t promote it, there were really no hardships in finding new guest spots and work to do at all. Tattooers in the places I travelled were often surprised because they didn’t know about travelling piercers. Customers and friends were often surprised that piercers would be booked to go to other places and didn’t  stay  at  the  same  studio constantly. None of this had anything to do with my gender though. So how does it come that so few of my female peers are doing the same thing?

To be honest, although the mentality of our industry is far more open than more mainstream occupations, I have always considered it seemingly harder to be a female piercer. As in every workplace, we have to show far more competence than our male counterparts to be taken seriously; not always because our employers may see women as less professional, but more when it comes to clients. Outer appearance, physical height, and even the depth of our voice factors into the perception of competency, even if only on a subconscious level. Men can get away with more seemingly unprofessional or often what appears to be “cheaper” online representation with lesser quality photos than those posted by a woman. Strictness, being direct, blunt, or simple honest statements can be interpreted as rude, condescending or“bitchy” when it  comes  from a women, since we are expected to always be sweet and charming. On the contrary, it takes more effort to seem especially caring as a man. And even though it takes more work for a woman to be seen in the piercing industry as much as it does in any other profession, this should actually not stop us. In fact it should make us more prepared to do everything perfect at our guest spots – or as I call it, our homes for a limited time. It prepares us to not leave any room for mistakes but even to show beforehand in conversation why we are the best possible choice to fill in when help is needed.

So where are the travelling women?

As somebody who spends a lot of time researching stereotypical gender roles and their representation in media, as well as the result of this in the upbringing of persons of said genders, I have my own theories on all of this.

First of all an example that up to now I constantly shrugged off over the years: People tend to utter a certain surprise towards me when they learn I often travel unaccompanied. I love to be independent and make my plans alone instead of dragging people along. So even if I don’t work I often travel without company. For short travels and with a certain lack of money I don’t even mind hitchhiking, at least within Europe; for everyplace else I have watched too many horror movies. When I work I often get picked up by car from the train station or airport, especially at night—but this isn’t always the case. I don’t mind riding the train at night in unknown places. Most people don’t understand that. Most people can’t understand how I feel safe doing this. How I can feel comfortable even travelling alone in daylight.

Although I actually know these things, they didn’t come to mind until a friend reminded me. As a little girl you are told that it is unsafe for you to travel alone. As a woman this is confirmed. As a woman walking home alone at night you learn to change the side of the streets when a stranger approaches. You are trained early on to listen for footsteps behind you. Your kind is depicted in movies and books to be violated if no knight in shining armor appears early enough to save you. How safe can you feel alone on streets unknown to you then?

Where boys are brought up to be explorers, girls are brought up to need protection. Even if your parents don’t raise you in this direction, toys, advertisement, and children’s tv shows do. How many of the films that you watched as a child star a female hero leaving the safety of home going on a mission, or to just explore the world? I can’t think of any that were popular for my generation. The only stories where the woman or girl leaves home by her own decision are those where they do it for love.

For example, how many female characters are in The Fellowship of the Ring? On a side note: men are also trained from early on that it is adventurous to travel uncomfortably, whereas people seem to expect women to need it cozy. The shock on people’s faces when I tell them I slept for months on couches with only enough clothes to wash them once a week to be fresh again! If I hear the sentence “where is the rest of your luggage?” one more time! But it makes sense, given how much effort is put in by women to be considered “presentable” by society, as opposed to the effort men have to put into this. So it also might be more stressful for a woman to travel and still look “professional”.

This leads me to my next point. We are taught that love, the home, and a lot of emotional labor is what we are made for. In every mainstream movie or story from my childhood, regardless of how adventurous the heroine was, her adventures ended in the arms of a man. Even Mulan who subverted everything the man in her story thought a woman should be declines the option for a splendid career with the words “I have been away from home long enough.” The fact that she could have had her career and seen her family, well, that is another point and wouldn’t fit the princess themed message.

There is a certain idea in society, that a woman’s duties are to the family and are far more important than the idea of a career. As much as we are educated and can break away from traditional rules in our looks, behaviours, and career choices, it still feels uncomfortable to “neglect” the people in our life. Although I would argue that most of us are brought up to communicate a lot – which are the positive aspects of classic gender roles in this case – and be able to be present and supporting even via phone and text, it seems like it is not enough to only take care from far away. It feels often like the lack of physical presence is a cold shoulder towards our loved ones, especially our partners; I can see how this possibly stops women from leaving home and conquering the world.

Hell, even though I did regular guest spots gaining loads of experience in being away, and had different relationships (as well as friends) that all were supportive of my travels, I still feel a bit guilty when I make new plans. I feel like a bad friend for not being at birthdays. I feel like a bad girlfriend because it requires planning when to hang out and what events to go to together. I feel bad towards the customers in my hometown because they have to wait for appointments and I often can only do troubleshooting via text and refer them to other studios when    I am away. But all of this has to do with an idea ingrained in our brains by society that our role is to be nurturing and to always be “there”. Whereas we are trained through social constructs that it is fully acceptable, even a sign of great success, when a man doesn’t have time to make it to private events or to come home in time after work because of a busy schedule. A father working constantly and travelling for work? That is the way it is. But beware if a mother would consider a career that limits the time with her offspring that much, if she would put this responsibility on her partners shoulders! For a long while I thought it may be weird when I sometimes got asked “isn’t your boyfriend feeling bad?” or hear “well, you don’t show your boyfriend enough love when you are always travelling.” I wonder if men hear those things—but I highly doubt it.

The idea of having to be there, building and keeping up a comfortable and warm home, putting the  responsibility of the world on our shoulders—that is something we put on ourselves, because we may think we have to. But in the end: we are the ones pressuring ourselves. There is no higher power deciding that we should. We do so because we believe we have to take care of the happiness of other people, but we should take care of ourselves first of all. Staying calm and in a fixed workspace is fine, nothing I would argue against. But if the feet are giddy and there are too many “buts” in our head, one should think about how important those are and where they come from.

Even if you know that you should be able to pursue your career as much as your male counterparts, it is hard to let go of the pressure and responsibility and I hope that a lot more of my  sisters realize that it is worth  it to let go. This is exactly what makes you special and amazing piercers: your ability to care. Fighting the obstacles. Taking the hard road of standing your ground in a (longtime) male-dominated field. Second guessing yourself and overcoming it. Making double the effort to show that you are doing a good job. Not having the option of letting your ego be bigger than your skills.

The women in our industry rock and should get ready to conquer the world.

Point 82: Piercing-Courtney Jane Maxwell

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Interview by Sean Dowdell

Reprinted with permission from InkSpired Magazine Issue 36

Shop: Saint Sabrina’s

City/State: Minneapolis, MN

Number of years piercing: 10

Sean Dowdell: Why did you want to learn to do body piercing?

Courtney Jane Maxwell: My first professional piercing when  I  was 14 left a strong impression on me. The piercer’s  bedside manner and ability to create the feeling of a safe, controlled space was quite inspiring. I left the studio knowing that I wanted to be that for other people. My long standing interest in body manipulation only added to that.

SD: When did you start body piercing, who taught you and where?

CJM: I started piercing right after my 20th birthday, just outside of St. Louis (where I am from originally). I am one of those oddballs that was self-taught, aside from a little guidance from a few local piercers – not the most glamorous answer, but the honest one. I have to emphasize that I do not believe this is an appropriate way to start piercing. It was unusual circumstances that allowed for it in my life, but nonetheless, I don’t ever encourage someone to follow my exam­ ple, especially at this point in history.

Luckily, for the future of my career, I started going to the annual A.P.P. conference from the very beginning. Relentless pursuit of my continued education is the reason I made it through.

SD: What piercers did you look up to while learning and why? Who do you currently admire in the industry?

CJM: Early on, 1 always remember looking up to the instructors/volunteers at the A.P.P. conference, as well the piercers on staff with BME. The people who were stepping up and getting involved. I always really admired that as a young piercer.

As I got to meet and learn more from other piercers, I was so impressed by Luis Garcia. He is one of those people who is such an exceptional piercer and teacher that I simply can’t imagine the industry without him. I admire what he has been able to do for the profession, and the amount he gives back on top of being a full-time piercer.

I also have to name Brian Skellie. He has changed the game for us by constantly raising the bar for industry standards, and bringing in a totally different level of scientific understanding to the field.

SD: What do you feel is your biggest contribution to the industry as a whole?

CJM: Truthfully, I feel as though I’m just getting started. My first thought was, “ask me again in another 10 years!”

SD: What would you say you are most known for in the industry and in your place of business?

CJM: I had to think long and hard about this, but perhaps my patience? I deal incredibly well with people that are challenging to communicate with, be it clients or other piercers. It’s something that is a great defining factor in my work as a piercer, but has been quite helpful over the years in regards to outreach work as well.

In addition, a lot of piercers and piercees contact me regarding my knowledge of genital piercings for transgender clients (pre and post op) so I gather that I’m known for that as well. I’ve always been pretty passionate about advocating for the interest of genital piercing clients in general.

SD: Being a female piercer, what advice do you think that most female piercers should be aware of as they climb into this industry?

CJM: I think being female is a different experience for many different people, so I hate to generalize. That said, I encourage people to be prepared.Think hard about what it means to you to be a woman, and what that could mean for you in the workplace. Be prepared to handle the many ways people may behave towards you because of this. Don’t be left wishing you would have said or done something differently. You need to be confident in order to handle the many situations you will find yourself in, so arm yourself mentally.

SD: Is there anything you wish to learn or get better at in the piercing industry?

CJM: Everything. Always. I’m never going to be done! If I ever say that I am finished, do me a favor and kick my butt.

www.SaintSabrinas.com www.Facebook.com/SaintSabrinas

Point 82: Piercing-Christina Shull

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Interview by Sean Dowdell

Reprinted with permission from InkSpired Magazine Issue 52

Studio Name: Integrity Piercing

Number of Years Piercing: 16

Sean Dowdell: Why did you want to learn to do body piercing?

Christina Shull: Oddly enough, I had no interest in being a piercer. I found a studio that was willing to take me as a tattoo apprentice but only on the condition that I learned how to pierce as well. That was the only opportunity I could find for a tattoo apprenticeship, so I took it. I quickly realized that I did not have the creative ability to draw custom tattoo designs and I would have been a mediocre flash artist at best. Luckily, at that time I also realized that I had an unexpected passion for piercing and decided to give up on tattooing to pursue professional piercing. While I have developed strong feelings about not using piercing as a stepping stone for tattooing, I am fortunate that in my particular situation, it worked out well for me.

Sean Dowdell: When did you start body piercing, who taught you, and where?

Christina Shull: I started piercing in October 2000 in Wenatchee, Washington. My original apprenticeship was very minimal and left me seeking appropriate training and education. That search brought me to the 2001 APP Conference, where I made connections who led me to the two Seattle piercers, J.J. Moiso and Troy Amundson, who took me under their wings and mentored me for two years. During that time, I was actively seeking a better studio than where I was at but lacked the resources that the piercing industry now has. Through obtaining the APP’s Al D. Scholarship in 2003, I was able to relocate to Evolution in Albuquerque, where I received much-needed guidance from their talented team – Crystal Sims, Shawn Taylor, and Noah Babcock.

Sean Dowdell: What piercers do you look up to and why?

Christina Shull: I could fill the whole magazine with a list of who I look up to and why! I look up to everybody who has played a role in the inception and development of the APP, as it is an organization whose mission I wholeheartedly support. I look up to everybody who has been involved  in legislation and regulations, as their volunteered time has shaped the evolution of the piercing industry. I look up to the piercers who have innovated piercing procedures and the implements used, jewelry styles, and various concepts of business and customer service. I look up to every piercer who is representing the piercing industry on a professional level, as  the  collective effort of so many has lead to increasingly positive public perception and legitimizing the industry as a whole. In all, I have admiration and respect for the countless individuals who have contributed to the increasingly positive direction the piercing industry is taking. Since I feel that answer is very generalized, I will add that I really admire Brian Skellie. I hope  to someday possess as much  information, the willingness, and patience to share that information, as well as the amazing level of contributions to the industry that he possesses.

Sean Dowdell: I know you are an owner/ operator of your business. What made you decide to go out on your own and open your business?

Christina Shull: After 10 years of living outside of my home state, I wanted to move home to settle down close to my family and friends. My hometown has never had a high-end piercing studio, which gave me the opportunity to come home and open a business that my community was in need of. After years of working for and guesting in some of the best studios across the country, I had a lot of ideas about what my ideal studio would look like, the experiences clients would receive, and how I wanted my business to be perceived by my community.

Sean Dowdell: What challenges have you had being a female piercer, and with being a female business owner?

Christina Shull: Honestly, I have never felt that I have had challenges as a female piercer and business owner. If anything, I  feel that as a female, I have an advantage with my clients and when seeking past employment in the piercing industry. In many places where I have lived, found that there were many clients who preferred a female piercer for certain situations. In my current area, over 90% of my clients are female and  I find it advantageous that they feel I might relate to them better as a female.

Sean Dowdell: What do you think are (if any) problems within the piercing industry?

Christina Shull: One of the biggest problems that I see in the piercing industry is a lack of consistent professional standards. I feel that it is hard to be thought of as a professional industry when the majority of the industry does not meet acceptable industry standards. In most states, no training or education is required to obtain a piercing license, if the state requires a license at all, and that, unfortunately, leads to a large variance between studios in terms of quality, experience, and service. I believe that as more of the industry chooses to meet current industry standards (appropriate sterilization standards, jewelry materials and quality, studio setup, training, and education, etc.), the piercing industry will continue to be seen overall as more credible than in the past.

Sean Dowdell: Where would you like to be in 5 years (pertaining to life and business)?

Christina Shull: I have a lot of plans in the next five years! I chose to grow my business in a very slow but steady pace, but after three years of being the only piercer, I am ready to expand my staff and studio hours. I plan to add a second full-time piercer and complete a full apprenticeship for my receptionist, who has been working counter for eight years and has earned herself   a quality apprenticeship. Once I have a full staff and my business is able to run without me piercing full time, I would like to pursue an education as a CPA and offer industry-specific business consulting and accounting. I feel that the piercing industry lacks industry specific help when it comes to planning and running a business, and   I would love to fill that void. As far as personal goals go, I am working on finding a good work-life balance. I have struggled over the years to find a more healthy balance between the two aspects of my life, and moving back to my hometown was a big step in working towards having more balance between business and personal life. My five-year plan involves working towards having a personal life that brings me as much satisfaction and happiness as my professional life does.

Sean Dowdell: I had the pleasure of getting to hear you teach at APP conference this year. I really liked your personal approach to the community that you serve. Can you tell me a little about your perspective on that?

Christina Shull: Thank you, Sean! While I feel that stereotypes about body art businesses and professionals have been improving over time, I feel that we still have a way to go before we are seen as a professional industry. When I opened my studio, it was important to me to break the local stereotypes for body art businesses and be perceived as other local businesses are. I also have firm beliefs about being an active part of my local community and be able to give back to the community. My approach has been to be as involved as possible. My business is very active with the local Chamber of Commerce, we are Better Business Bureau members, we donate lavishly to any local fundraiser or event, we sponsor local events and programs that we support, we hold fundraisers for local causes that we feel strongly about. The Integrity Piercing brand has become a household name that is synonymous with local community, even with people who have never stepped foot in our establishment.

Sean Dowdell: What do you love about teaching other piercers both inside and outside of conference?

Christina Shull: I love being a part of the positive evolution of the piercing industry! The better we become individually, the better we are as an industry. I am very honored that the APP has had me as an instructor for over ten years, and has given me the opportunity to be a part of the profession of the piercing industry. Also, going back to my rough start in the industry, I will always be thankful for the piercers who had a monumental part in shaping my career and I am   truly grateful for the opportunity to help other piercers who are now where I once was. I love being able to give back to the industry that I adore so much.

Sean Dowdell: What changes would you like to see in the piercing industry?

Christina Shull: I would like to see more forward momentum towards the adoption and implementation  of currently accepted industry standards. While we now have more studios offering higher standards, the majority of the industry is still not offering clients the best. I hope that the future brings more studios wanting to offer clients the best possible experience, education, and jewelry.

I also hope to see more piercers seeking out the best possible training and education, as well as more studios treating their technicians as skilled workers deserving   of better pay and benefits. I hope the future will allow for professional piercing as a long term career that can provide a comfortable living and retirement.

Sean Dowdell: Tell me something positive that you feel comes from the piercing industry?

Christina Shull: I love that the piercing industry helps our clients live a better life. Whether we are helping someone feel more comfortable with their body, to celebrate a particular moment or achievement, or overcome a fear, we are providing an outlet for personal growth and self-improvement. Having an impact on my client’s life, regardless of the extent of that impact, is something that I consider to be very sacred and wonderful.

Sean Dowdell: What would you like other piercers to know that they might not know about you?

Christina Shull: I don’t think there is anything that I haven’t publicly shared about myself. I try to be as honest and forthcoming with the industry as possible.

Sean Dowdell: Being a veteran piercer, what advice do you think that most new piercers should be aware of as they climb into this industry?

Christina Shull: I hope that any piercer will never get too comfortable with what they think they know. Even with 16 years of piercing, I am always open to new techniques, ideas, and ways  of doing things. By always  being open to new things, I have kept my job interesting, I am always improving, and I have never had to worry about experiencing burnout. Staying open minded and not becoming stagnant has enabled me to continue bettering myself as a piercer  and business owner.

Sean Dowdell: Is there anything you wish to learn or get better at in the piercing industry or in business in general?

Christina Shull: I am constantly looking to improve my piercing techniques, my customer service skills, and my knowledge of business. I do not want to ever get to a point where I feel that I don’t need to keep learning and growing. As a somewhat new business owner, I feel there is so much that I can learn about accounting and running a business.

I am looking forward to what the future holds as far as learning more about what I can do to run a business that puts first both the needs of my clients and my staff.

Point 82: Misty Forsberg

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By Efix Roy, Empire Body Arts

The first time I heard the name Misty Forsberg, it was attached to a photo of a beautiful and very well done scarification, and labeled as her very first piece ever. I immediately thought she was either a liar, or an extremely talented person. I was very happy to quickly find out she was indeed very skilled and knew exactly what she was doing. As a scarification artist myself, I followed her progression through this male dominated niche with great interest. Everything I would see from her on BME kept getting better and better, and I felt a wind of change coming as one of the rare women doing scarification professionally was making a name for herself.

Rapidly, her name was everywhere. I was reading her articles on Suspension.org, documenting the various activities and advancements in the body suspension community. I would see her running around the Dallas Suscons, quietly helping Allen Falkner make these events happen flawlessly. With his very special way of mentoring, she would soon discover a passion for education, teaching and training at suspension events all over the world. Her time and involvement within the body suspension world was rewarded in 2012 with the first A. “Spliff” Rosa Award for Advancement in Body Suspension. She went on to then co-found the International Suspension Alliance and sat as a Board Member on its first term.

All this being said, her biggest and most impressive achievement is probably her involvement in rewriting the body art legislation for the state of Arkansas. Teaming up with Steve Joyner and the Arkansas Body Modification Association, she embarked on a giant legal journey, fighting in the House and Senate against a state senator who used misinformation to try to ban certain body art practices such a scarification. From 2011 to 2013, they worked on stopping the ban on scarification while also passing safer legislation for the tattoo and piercing industry. From there, they worked on updating the body art rules and regulations for the state health department. The battle between their group and the senator was highly publicized, and as far as I’m aware, it was the first time the APP took a stance on a matter outside of the body piercing realm.

Although not actively piercing at this time, her interest in education and advancement of the piercing industry continues. Misty now focuses on laser tattoo removal  and is sought after for her extensive knowledge and amazing results. She still travels all around the world doing scarification, teaching, and facilitating body suspensions. Whenever she gets a bit of time off, you can find her on top of a mountain swearing at a bunch of rocks.

Not all heroes wear capes. Some of them wear old grandma sweaters, have a very quiet voice, and still kick more ass than Superman. Misty Forsberg is definitely one of the latter.

Point 82: Sarah Wooten

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By Elayne Angel, Rings of Desire, Reprinted from The Point Issue 64

President’s Award

One of my favorite things about serving as APP President is that I have the “job” of bestowing an annual award. There aren’t any formal or established criteria for me to follow, and in some ways that makes it even harder to reach a decision on the winner. That said, when I came up with the idea of naming this individual, I knew it was absolutely the right choice.

I wanted to make it clear during my brief speech at the banquet that it shouldn’t only be the super-sparkly, outgoing, attention-getting folks (such as myself) who are noticed. I wanted to recognize someone who is hardworking and highly participatory, but in a quieter, more behind-the-scenes way than some of us.

This person studied photography at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1992-93. They have been a professional piercer since 1998 and an APP member since 1999. This piercer worked in a studio as an employee for eight years, until 2006 when that business closed. They opened their own studio in 2007. This person is incredibly devoted, dedicated, consistent, and cares deeply about doing quality work.

This recipient has served admirably on the Conference Committee since it formed in 2008; she also volunteered at our annual events before that. She handles a task that is surely one of the most daunting and difficult with grace and compassion: She wrangles all of us speakers and our handouts and PowerPoint presentations so they are ready for Conference. Her patience and diligence are beyond measure. I’m a little embarrassed to admit she’s even had to goad me at times to extract my presentation materials.

Not only is this woman a wonderful piercer, a respected colleague, and a fantastic employer, she is also an amazing mother.

She has aptly been described as “The APP’s best kept secret.” This woman has earned my deepest respect and is so deserving of recognition for her efforts on behalf of the industry and this organization.

My selection for the 2013 recipient of the President’s Award is Sarah Wooten.

Thank you so much Sarah for all that you do. You earned this award so quietly and gently, yet thoroughly. Congratulations!

Preferring to make receiving the award a positive and pleasant experience, I did not require her to address the audience at the banquet. I am aware that this woman of many talents does not have public speaking high on her list of favorite things to do. So instead I suggested that she write something for The Point and here it is:

“I am feeling honored, humbled, and a little overwhelmed with having been chosen to receive the 2013 APP President’s Award. I like to joke around that I have some sort of obsession with volunteering, but the truth of the matter is that it’s one of the most rewarding aspects of having a career in this industry. I strongly believe that the APP has done an immeasurable amount of good for piercers, both for our industry and for our community. To me, the ability to give back by donating my time and energy in such a direct way is really gratifying. Being a part of the Conference Committee allows me to work closely with people I respect and admire, and to help create this wonderful educational event that benefits fellow piercers. I had no idea in advance just how much hard work goes into each year’s Conference, but the result makes the effort more than worth it.

“I’m incredibly thankful for the recognition. It makes me want to work harder and to do more. I’d also like to take this opportunity to encourage others to consider volunteering in some capacity. There are so many different ways to reach out and give something back, and I promise you’ll be glad that you did.”

Well said, Sarah!