Angel Horsley

Photos by April Thomas

I had the pleasure of attending the 5th annual Camp APP this past year in Oregon. Usually, this event is held in Georgia, however, Bethrah Szumski decided to go above and beyond and organize this event entirely on the other side of the country! I honestly can’t thank her enough for facilitating what was one of the best experiences of my life.

It was held at Mt. Hood Kiwanis Camp right outside of Portland, Oregon, so it was a very easy and scenic drive for me. The weather was exactly what I hoped to get camping in Oregon humid, cold, and rainy. These conditions may not sound super ideal for some, but it was MORE than perfect for me. Any walk or hike that I was a part of was just gorgeous. Moss was everywhere, there was a waterfall not far, and I was in my element.

Where do I even start with this amazing experience? The beginning of the first day was intense for me; mainly because there was an opportunity to introduce yourself in front of everyone at Camp. I’ve always opted out of things like this, so this made it nerve-racking for me. That said, I did it and this paved the way for an incredible week actually making new friends and memories. My personal goal was to not hide in my room the entire time like I do at Conference and actually start being able to integrate myself into our giant piercing family.

All of the classes were so fun and constantly kept my attention with intriguing information. I’ll start with my favorite class, Charging Windmills and Slaying Sacred Cows with Jef Saunders. This class was impressive in its goal and execution. Cale DiFrancesco is an aesthetic genius and had a million tips and tricks on achieving your goal results for multiple piercing placements.

The workshops were well planned out and very fun to be a part of because of how hands-on they were. Rob Hill helped me get over being a little spooked by polishing wheels. Pablo Perelmuter showed us things about Statim cassettes that I went home and immediately applied to our cassette at our studio. I love improving/modifying needles, so it should go without saying that Becky Dill’s Needle Improvement workshop was my favorite. John Johnson, Cale DiFrancesco, and April Thomas’s workshop for Web Design, Content Sharing, and Email Newsletters definitely opened my mind to ways to appeal and be seen by my local community. We also had a team-building exercise where each group got on a huge seesaw and you’re supposed to stay balanced at all times while other people get on. My group was the only group that crawled onto it to make it work. I truly don’t understand how the other groups stood up the whole time.

Monica Sabin is an absolute angel. They came up with the idea to put together the Piercing Ninja Warrior Relay Race. This race was so much fun and I’m not just saying that because I was on the winning team (Goldemorts 4 lyfe). It was very dead on with the tasks that we deal with on a day to day basis being piercers. I have awful social anxiety (bless everyone involved for their patience), anyone that knows me can tell you that. This race showed me that my peers are just people and I shouldn’t be so intimidated to make those connections with them and just be myself.

Each night ended with something very fun that involved everyone. The first night was bingo, the second night was a Campfire Talk APP session, and the third night was a raffle and closing ceremony. The Campfire session with John Johnson, Bethrah Szumski, and Paul King was such an eye-opening experience. I wish I could thank them more than I already have for sharing themselves with so many people. The closing ceremony was essentially a follow up on your introduction at the beginning of the week and if you got what you wanted out of Camp. A lot of people got way more out of camp than they intended and it was lovely hearing everyone’s experiences. There were so many feelings during the closing ceremony and I thank everyone that shared themselves.

The last thing I want to express my gratitude for: the food. Everything that was made was delicious and incredibly accommodating to anyone with dietary restrictions. Seriously, I ate better this week than I have all year. After going back and forth on attending Camp, I’m so happy I did. I will see y’all every year I can because Camp is not something I’m willing to skip anymore. Thank you again to everyone involved in facilitating such a life-changing event.