While I was growing up, my parents started their own funeral business. My dad was a sacristan and had several jobs to make it happen. In those times, we were stereotyped as crows who wore top hats and long, black frocks. My mom was the one with all the necessary licensing and qualifications, but she wasn’t allowed to perform funerals. The industry was accustomed to funeral directors being men, so initially my mother worked mostly behind the scenes. In this farmer’s region, change is not accepted quickly. Being the first female funeral director in the area, it was difficult for my mother to prove herself to others in the funeral business locally. We were viewed as the competition, rather than colleagues or friends. As an example, a group of pallbearers were shared between several undertakers; we were often last when it came to planning. As a result, we were often short on people when pallbearers were needed. It was a constant struggle and respect was not easily earned. Yet, my parents persevered and built a name for themselves in the region.

As a kid, I always helped out after school to earn extra allowance, so I already knew the ropes. When my parents expanded the business with a new hearse, my dad asked me to become the driver. At the time, I had no formal education and was working as a bartender; I took his offer. Despite my past involvement with the industry, I had to prove myself to the men who drove hearses for other directors, similar to what my mother had to do. As a young woman in the role normally assumed by men, I worked hard to earn that respect. They saw how well I could handle the car – I could turn, twist it in any corner or small road. The competition was still intense between funeral directors. No one would offer any guidance, and even though people are free to choose their funeral homes, if rival directors noticed you were encroaching on their territory they would go so far as to slander you to potential clients.

After over eighteen years of working as a licensed care and body restorator and manager of the company, when the time came my brother and I didn’t want to take over the business. We grew up in the field, but it was never the career either of us would have chosen. We stayed at our jobs until our mother retired in 2012. In preparation for her retirement, I started to seek a new career path and began an apprenticeship at a local tattoo shop in 2010. Tattoos and piercings always inspired me. Even though I had to hide my body art, I loved having it and always dreamt about owning my own shop. It might be weird to say considering my previous line of work, but I guess I have always had an interested in working with bodies.

So I started to seek and absorb every piece of information that I could find on piercing in an attempt to gain as much knowledge about it as possible. I quickly established that I couldn’t find much about it in Holland. Thankfully, the world seems a whole lot smaller thanks to things like the internet and Facebook. I started to read all kinds of educational forums and websites, as well as befriend other piercers via social media. The longer I dug around, the more amazed I became in regards to this industry. Colleagues have been very friendly, taking time to answer any questions I have. I’ve sent countless messages through Facebook and gotten many helpful answers from so many people. I was nervous to attend my first BMXnet Conference because I didn’t know anyone, but again, people were friendly and caring, right from the start. Piercers are genuinely interested in you and open for a conversation, which is so much different than what I was used to from the funeral industry.

After almost seven years of piercing, meeting many more people, and learning what they all do to help the industry, I’m still impressed by it. Colleagues work together, educate each other, and share information, no matter who you are. Whether you’re just getting started or you’ve been a piercer for years, there’s always someone that will cheer for you or push you harder to reach your goals. In our industry, people will make you feel at home while reminding you that if you stand still, you don’t get anywhere. If you really want to get somewhere you need to work hard and fight for it. However, most piercers understand that it’s a whole lot easier if you have help. I know there are many different industries out there and competition can be hard, but after comparing my experiences in these industries, I’m happy and proud to be a piercer!