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.

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.