Piercing Wizard Podcast

Enjoy this (very rushed) episode from the first few days of the Association of Professional Piercers' conference 2019. I'll be capturing plenty of full interviews for you this week, but for now enjoy some of the little moments I experienced so far.

For the third year in a row I flew to England for the Dream Tag Team Invitational, and for the third year in a row Alex Wilkins met up with me for it. In between wrestling we sat down to record this episode about growing pains, communicating with clients so we stand out in a positive way, and our shared experience of making progress in our careers.

The Association of Professional Piercers' annual conference is almost here! I talk with William Barron about what we are doing to get ready for the week, and some tips on how to make the most of it. Pro-tip: drink lots of water.

This week I condense a few of the questions I've gotten lately into one subject, newer piercers feeling intimidated by the industry. I share my struggles and what I had to do to improve. Expanding jewelry, upgrading equipment, learning from my mistakes. It is a challenge, but you don't have to let it intimidate you. Plus I also recap working at the Boston Tattoo Convention 2019. And here is a pict...

Part 3 of a 3 part series on impairments / disabilities in the studio. This week I talk with Pittsburgh area piercer Eleanor Boyd. Eleanor had spinal fusion surgery and talks about how it affects her day as a body piercer. Working from a seated position, ergonomics, fatigue, and other issues are discussed before we start talking about jewelry combos we are liking lately.

Part 2 of a 3 part series on impairments / disabilities in the studio. Scottish piercer Maree Fowler of Reb3l Studios in Aberdeen comes on the show to talk about working as a partially deaf piercer. We also discuss working with a hearing device, and how it affects work when your battery runs out. Then we chat a bit on other industry issues because Maree is a lovely person and fun to talk to.

This week starts a three part series on disabilities / impairments in the studio. Brandon Downs comes on the show to discuss his visual impairment, the injury that lead to it, and the steps he took to overcome it and get back to piercing. Stay tuned for part 2 (hearing impairment) and part 3 (physical / mobility impairment) in the coming weeks.

Aaron Solomon of Velvet Elvis in Oregon comes on the show to talk about piercer meet up groups. How to nurture a community and keep the conversations focused and interesting in a group setting. We also talk about why some piercers are choosing to disable their personal facebook pages, and these pesky bumps we encounter on children's earlobe piercings.

Episode 100(!) with Brian Moeller from the Boston Tattoo Company. Like, share, subscribe, validate, consume, obey. Does social media make our lives better? Are we focusing so much on creating content that we forget to create a life? Am I overthinking this? Listen to us via the internet while we talk about how sad the internet makes us.

I spent a few days in Glasgow with APP president Jef Saunders drinking whiskey, being tourists, and talking about piercing. After our seminar we sat down and talked about Jef's opinions on single use supplies for piercing, some misconceptions about what people think "disposable piercing" means, and our thoughts on what goes into good bedside manner.

This week I answer questions on different jewelry topics submitted by listeners. First I talk about artisan accountability in a time when several piercers have decided to start their own jewelry companies. Next I answer the question "how much is too much jewelry to have on display?". After that is a related question about how you brand your jewelry, is it promoting the manufacturer or the studio?...

Michelle Katzelnick comes on the show to talk about how important communication is to the customer experience. Bedside manner, professional presentation, and other parts of communication that some piercers might take for granted. An EXTREME(!) talk about staying comfortable.

This episode isn't exactly about body piercing. For sensitive listeners this may not be an episode for you, especially if you don't like the phrase "dick cage". This week I travel back to fall 2017 and share a conversation I had over brunch with Chris Myers of Steelwerks Extreme. The world's premier artisan for bespoke chastity devices. Enjoy, and please keep an open mind.

I went down to Tampa to see my favorite band play a show, and my Florida piercing buddy John Robberson came with me! Before the show (and before the pickle backs) we sat down for an interview about community, peer review, and other piercer stuff. I also do a little q&a about online body jewelry retailers.

Piercer (and now studio owner) Matt Buonantuono returns to the show to talk about making the jump from piercing in someone else's tattoo shop to opening a new piercing-only studio. We talk about the behind the scenes work that went into opening Freyja piercing & fine jewelry in Gambrills, Maryland.

Body piercer, arm wrestler, and shop owner Kelly Carvara comes on the show this week. We talk about starting her career with an apprenticeship at Rockstar in Rhode Island and the journey that lead to her owning Monarch Body Piercing in Tennessee.

Every rose has its thorn, unless you're talking about my guest this week. Body piercer Vishal Rose is newer to our industry than some, but has made quite the impact. Always easy to talk to, we chat about how to get over your nervousness and start making some friends and connections in the industry.

Body piercer Tanner Bennett comes on the show to discuss an all-too-familiar negative aspect of our industry, cyber bullying. It is really frustrating when a piercer tries to build themself up by tearing others down. Tanner discusses some of the frustrations that lead to him starting a thoughtful discussion on the body modification learning forum recently.

2018 was quite the year for the body piercing industry. I say some thank yous, recap some highlights from the year, and answers questions submitted by you, the listeners.

John Balk from On Point body piercing in Gillette, Wyoming comes on the show to talk about making connections in the industry. Facebook groups are a huge asset to piercers looking for more information, but don't forget real world connections. Shadowing, mentoring, making friends and building connections with colleagues is a huge part of growth as well.

Tanai Devine comes on the show to discuss how a piercer can make connections, gain access to information, and use it to grow. Tanai came out to shadow at my studio a few weeks ago and this is a continuation of the conversation we had then. Also stick around after the interview to hear a recap of my Portland area seminar as well as some APP election news that has a big impact on my future.

Victoria Rothman comes on the show to discuss an important topic. Racial and gender equality (and inequality) in the body piercing industry. We speak candidly about a difficult subject that we should all put more thought into. We talk about Victoria's experience at the APP conference, and also some future projects Victoria is working on for the APP.

Piercer Potpourri for you this week. I've got a few shorter interviews I captured at the APP conference this past summer. Jared Karnes from OneTribe jewelry, Joeltron and Coyote Black talking about industry logistics, and conference regular Logan Wright discussing his 2018 volunteer duties.

Daniel Thomas is an Australian piercer working in Canada. Interesting journey and an interesting piercer. After my Ontario seminar was over I met up with Daniel to record a chat. We talked about Daniel's career path and a communication class they are on working on for the APP conference 2019.

While I was in Amsterdam (and before I went to the coffee shops) I sat down with Dutch piercer Sharon Looy at her studio Dare 2 Wear. Sharon owns three gorgeous studios and has a great perspective on the past, present, and future of piercing in The Netherlands and Europe as a whole. After the interview stick around to learn the inner workings of the Association of Professional Piercers. Ever wonde...