Posts tagged 2013 event

Point #64: Al D. Scholar – Jacob Spjut

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Jacob Spjut headshotBy Jacob Spjut

“You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world.”  ― Woodrow Wilson

It has been almost two weeks since Conference ended, and I think I am finally starting to come down from that amazing high.

As a first time attendee and as a recipient of the Al D. Scholarship, I was overwhelmed, underfed, and scared for my life: So many things made it the most fulfilling experience of my young life, and will drive me to attend every year it is held, and to volunteer every year they will have me!

While Conference is known for its wonderful classes, world-class teachers and instructors, and the jewelry expo to end all jewelry expos, the annual Association of Professional Piercers Conference will undoubtedly work towards changing your world view just by standing at the bar. The interactions that take place all week, in all places we congregate in Vegas, will push you towards positive change and help give you some of the tools needed to impact not only your career  but the industry as a whole. (In my opinion, the foundation of the whole experience are these positive interactions amongst peers.)

When I first arrived in Vegas, thankfully in the company of a fellow Al D, I did not even remember how to breathe; I was no longer on this planet, and certainly no longer in the world I was comfortable in. I was transported, scared, and alone, but this was an important ceremony to face: the fear that comes with attending for the first time. It reminds you of the magnitude of this opportunity. The sight of the hotel sent chills down my spine; I giggled and screamed like a school child. Upon entering the hotel my attempts to gather myself and regain my composition were laughable, especially when I saw—in person—piercers that I follow/stalk through various social media outlets just sitting at the bar!

Once checked in, my bags placed in room, I took the first of many walks past the holiest of bars in Las Vegas. Soon after  I was greeted by the magnificent Caitlin! As anyone who has had the pleasure of dealing with this powerhouse of a woman over the interwebs knows, she is tiny (in size) yet explodes with energy you can feel in your chest.

My experience meeting with the other volunteers was amazing as well. I have never met a group of people so open to new folks, so quick to hug and love and help. It was awe-inspiring to have these strangers welcome you into their fold and not for a second show contempt for their role in the machine that is Conference. That alone has made me more inclined to give myself completely to helping the industry any way I can. The sincere kindness that these people hold inside themselves is magical.

All the hugs and kisses aside, Conference requires a lot of hard work from everyone in order to run smoothly.  With almost 300 new attendees, I can see how important the cooperation of everyone involved—volunteers and conference attendees alike—is paramount to an educational and fun Conference. I have never seen so much sacrifice to ensure the level of professionalism that this industry strives to maintain, and I was truly humbled by that gift.

I must send out my thanks to everyone who even took even an hour to help on all fronts; you truly made my experience extraordinary! To the teachers, the love volunteers, the Supers, the registration, the raffle booth, the merch booth, the people who would just stop to talk to me, anyone who I met in passing, or had a few hours with: I want to express my undying and unconditional love. You have changed my life for the better, and made this adventure a hallmark in my journey. You have prompted something great in my life.

To my fellow Al D’s: I could not have asked for anyone better to share my time with, or to struggle alongside of.  You are all so special to me now. You are all beautiful people that I know will be lifelong friends. Not one of you was too good for anyone else, and you have all been so open and loving to me. Thank you for being you!

To the Supers and love volunteers: My deepest regret is I did not get to work with as many of you as much as I would have liked. This is something I hope to change next year. I hold so much respect for you, and if not for your leadership, I do not think I would have been able to push through. You are great people, not only in this industry, but in life. You have my deepest thanks for being amazing role models.

To Caitlin, the great protector and leader of the volunteer army: I stand by what I said before; I fucking love the shit out of you! I cannot stand that I have just met you; I should have had you in my life from the beginning. You are strong and motivating and honestly the reason I am who I am today. Your hard work changed my life. Thank you for the patience, the time away just to talk that I desperately needed, and the care and compassion that comes with running such a monumental task. You are a shining example of what we should all hope to one day become! I will happily run your errands forever!

My deepest thanks go out to anyone who gave me well wishes during Conference, and those who helped me get the scholarship. Thank you to my interviewers, Ryan and Tiana, who made it fun and more conversation than anything.

To anyone who has not attended: If any of you have ever told yourself that conference is not worth the money, time, hassle, headache, etc., I kindly assert that you are wrong. I would walk through fire to attend again, and I hope my experience helps push you into attending!

Point #64: Al D. Scholar – Dianna Brown

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Dianna BrownBy Dianna Brown

As usual, I’m waiting until the last minute to turn in the writing assignment asked of me by the APP. This is not because I’m lazy; it’s because I’ve been trying for over a month to put my Conference experience into words. I’m still not sure if I can.

I went to Conference not knowing a single soul outside the realm of the internet, and feeling much like I did when I was 15 and starting a brand-new high school. (I didn’t know what the other kids were wearing, what they had already studied, or if they’d like me.) Upon my arrival in Las Vegas, I was greeted as if I had known everyone for years; it was like starting a conversation with an old friend. In fact, I feel like I didn’t meet a single stranger, and I learned just as much from these “friends” and our late night talks at the bar as I did in the classes I attended.

As a volunteer, I spent the majority of my week surviving on coffee, snacks, and a purely stubborn will to 2013 APP Event (3)make it through the week without suffering the “midweek meltdown” I had heard so much about.  Don’t let anyone tell you differently: Conference is a long, stressful,and expensive week, but it is worth every single bit of time and effort. Not only do you leave Conference with a plethora of new information and new friendships, but you will leave with an overall new outlook on everything you thought you knew, and to be surrounded by so much talent, knowledge, and information is overwhelming, intimidating, and humbling.

As a recipient of the Al D. Scholarship, my experience was mainly financed by the kindness of others. I don’t think it would have been possible to attend without this opportunity, and I am grateful beyond words for it. It has been a goal of mine to attend Conference since I entered this industry six years ago, and it was the generosity of strangers that made it possible for this dream to come true.

  • To those that conducted the interview process and made the decision to give me this amazing opportunity: Thank you from the bottom of my heart. My life and career are changed for the better.
  • To everyone at home that gave me the support, awesome references, and constant love before, during, and after Conference, thank you.
  • And to my fellow volunteers: Thank you for being my family. I can’t wait to continue on the tradition of working with you all. I wish you all the best this year. May you all be happy, healthy, and may your crystals always shine bright.

 

Point #64: The 18th Annual APP Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada — June 9-14, 2013

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CourtneyJaneMaxwellBy Courtney Jane Maxwell

This year, the Association of Professional Piercers returned to Bally’s for their 18th Annual Conference and Exposition. For me, Conference has always been an interesting way to observe growth and change in our industry, so very much can happen in just one year. The past few have been pretty amazing thanks to rapidly expanding technology—mainly social media—which seemingly overflows into every aspect of the piercing community.

Point64-Conference 2013 6Social media is bringing us together now more than ever, and is helping to inspire a surge of new attendees. Our ability to promote safe piercing and the benefits of attending Conference, both individually and as an organization, has been directly impacted by the increasingly broad reach of online networking. As a result, we welcomed an impressive 285 first timers this year, bringing the grand total of registrants to 950. On top of that, the increased online discussion about the importance of booking in the APP room block enabled us to oversell our room block by an unprecedented fifty percent!

One look at this year’s curriculum, and you can see that studios have been experiencing growth as well.  The demand for business-oriented classes was high, and offerings such as “Corporate Branding,” “Photography Tips for Industry Pros,” “Going Paperless,” “Marketing and Social Media,” “Studio Aesthetics,” and “Gold & Diamonds: Knowledge, Sales, and Custom Design,” had attendees inspired and buzzing with new ideas.

The ever-popular workshops have had continued success as well, with four distinct classes (“Preventing Cross Contamination in the Sterilization and Piercing Room,” “Surface Piercing,” “Minimizing Tools: An Intro to Toolless Piercing,” and “Tools Are Not the Devil”) filling twenty-one time slots throughout the 2013 APP Event (10)week.

The wide variety of core classes, such as “Steel and Titanium” and “Aftercare,” continued in the circulation as well. Added that together with the roundtable discussions (not including “First Aid and CPR”) that brought us up to 110.5 hours of class time this year, presented to us by 52 instructors and facilitators.

This year, fifty fantastic volunteers teamed up with Caitlin and the Conference Committee to bring all of these classes and instructors together and make the magic happen. Return attendees likely noticed that the Sunday evening registration process was easier than ever, thanks to the hard work and fine tuning on the part of these folks. They also brought us a more efficient way of checking into classes: Paper tickets have been replaced with a barcode that a Point64-Conference 2013volunteer scans upon each student’s to the classrooms. As our attendance numbers continue to rise, the ability of the Conference staff and volunteers to grow and change to accommodate us has been appreciated greatly.

This year’s banquet was yet another sign of our industry’s growth. A fashion show, featuring cutting-edge body jewelry design, was a reflection of an industry rushing to keep up with our fashion-forward clientele. (You may have seen photos: if not, check out social media sites using the hashtag #app2013.)

When talking to Conference veterans and newcomers alike, I got the distinct impression that people were extremely happy with their experiences this year. The ability to welcome and accommodate so many new faces while still keeping “repeat offenders” on their toes with new ideas is something that, in my opinion, the APP has had great success with in 2013. It seems that things are looking pretty bright for the piercing industry, and I for one can’t wait to return to Bally’s next June 8 – 14 (2014) to see how much more we’ve all accomplished in just twelve months time.

Point #64: Al D. Scholar – Parker Webb

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parker webb headshotBy Parker Webb

I must admit that I’m not one for expressing myself through written words. My dedication to the industry is conveyed through my lifestyle, so these words may be all over the place, but I hope they convey my love for the work I did at the 18th Annual Conference and Exposition as much as the actions of my work did.

After a two month process of applying for this scholarship, collecting references,and going through the phone interviews, I really couldn’t have had a better learning venture. For the past eight years I have worked in the piercing/tattoo industry, but this experience—by far—reassured the fact that I am in fact in the right field.  All the knowledge I’ve collected has given me more confidence and made me more aware of my trade, and being in a place surrounded by like-minded people in such mass was pretty amazing.

Being that I am not a piercer there has always been a lot of uncertainty about where my place was in the body modification world, not necessarily by others but by myself. However, as soon as I became an Al D recipient my role became clearer; I am very passionate about body modification, and I don’t necessarily need to be piercing to find happiness in this community. The kind of love and welcome I felt at APP is something rare, and something I will always cherish.

The moments, the memories, those few seconds at the dinner when there was a roar of cheer at the announcement of my name, they are all thanks to the Al D scholarship, and for that I am forever grateful.

Point #64: President’s Award – Sarah Wooten

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Elayne Angel_high resBy Elayne Angel

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.

Sarah WootenMy 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!

Point #64: Josh A. Prentice Volunteer Award

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Caitlin McDiarmid headshotBy Caitlin McDiarmid

I love that I get to give out the Josh A. Prentice Volunteer Appreciation Award each and every year. Unfortunately, as the years go by, there are fewer and fewer people who knew Josh and worked with him at Conference. Josh (then and now) reminds me to reach out and really find out how people are doing in their lives: to be genuine, give with the whole of your heart, smile more, and say you’re sorry when you make a mistake—and move on. He was just one person, but he still made a difference.

This year’s Josh A. Prentice Volunteer Award recipient is Luis Garcia.

Last year, as I was walking through the banquet hall getting ready to give Gus Diamond his award, I wondered to myself who would be the next recipient. At that very moment Luis walked by me, and I immediately thought, “Jesus, why did you not think of this before?”

This is what I know about Luis Garcia:Point64-Volunteer Award

  • He’s always been super friendly toward me.

  • He has an infectious smile.

  • He’s an amazing instructor at Conference.

  • He served as a board member, and he served honestly—with no bullshit, during a difficult time.

  • He can be brutally blunt, but always gets the job done.

  • He’s got pretty jewelry.

  • As a volunteer, he’s stood close to me many, many, many times while we figured out how best to solve complex problems that arose at Conference.  He understands the reason why we are here—and how best to serve the industry, the APP, the Conference, it’s attendees and vendors.

  • He’s got the respect of most—if not everyone—in our community.

  • He’s been an APP member since 1999.

  • He’s able to teach pretty much anything, and has done so at the drop of a hat.

  • He has a very big voice, gives big hugs, and has a big personality.

  • He is blessed with an abundance of passion.

Recently he talked (on Facebook) about his favorite flower being the passion flower. He called them Maypops, which I had never heard of, but somehow made sense coming from him. I don’t take his classes, but he’s taught me just the same—about being a good manager, about facing difficult problems head on, about being direct when you speak, and showed me how passion gives you strength in all things.

I think everyone in the banquet hall felt that I made a good decision in honoring Luis Garcia with the Josh A. Prentice Volunteer Appreciation Award. He is just one person, but he continuously makes a difference in his studio, at Conference, and in his life.

Congratulations Luis.