Scratchers.....

I just wanted to rant about something that annoys me. I'm talking about going on craigslist and finding adds for not only tattoo machines and kits, but for people advertising tattooing out of their house. As a professional tattoo artist, this really pisses me off. Our industry has fought really hard and long to be respected as legitimate art. We have also fought long and hard to educate the public about tattooing and the safe way to do it. Home scratchers give our industry a bad name, not only by creating substandard work, but creating it in an unsafe environment. Many of these people don't know anything about sterility, or cross-contamination. These home scratchers are harming the business that they are trying to get into. They need to realize that learning from a professional is the only way to learn. You learn the correct way of doing things and don't scar people up. The public is also to blame for the abundance of these home "artists". For every person tht gets a fucked up tattoo out of a house, it sheds an unwanted and unflattering light on professionals that take their art seriously. You wouldn't go to a doctor out of a house, or a plastic surgeon out of a house, so why would people go to a house to get a tattoo? This is something that's going to be on your body forever and requires puncturing the skin, therefore you have the potential for a serious infection or blood-borne pathogens such as hepatitis. The public at large needs to get their head out of their ass and do some research before they choose someone to do their tattoo. Take a look at the artists portfolio to see what they are capable of. Ask to see their sterilization procedures(especially if they work out of their house, and make sure that everything is clean and they know what they are doing.