This is going to be long-winded, but I feel obligated to explain my shift in business practices. Hopefully you take the time to read it, I’d greatly appreciate a common understanding and dialogue post-reading as needed.
I am coming into my 16th year of tattooing and finally feel like I am worth more. I have been watching the progression and growth of tattoo artists in Houston since 2009. While watching them come up and do decent, sometimes middle of the road artistry, clearly without soul, and sometimes charging double what I charge….I just laughed and said “They’re doing this wrong. They are doing a disservice to their clients. Even though their clients are blissfully ignorant to the lack of soul in their artwork, the are happy and don’t mind the hourly rate. Really, that’s all that matters in the end.
Through all the years, knowing I was giving my clients, from start to finish and beyond, a more meaningful experience, requiring incredible amounts of thought, research, intention and intuition on my part, I didn’t raise my hourly rate, but once; and it was a $20 pr hour raise that 8 out of 10 times I never to passed on to a client. Obviously, this was my choice all these years, so please understand that this isn’t coming from a place of regret or resentment. My reasoning for this? :
Man, my drawing process takes so long sometimes…these people have to wait and I feel bad.
Man, my tattoos take twice sometimes three times longer than other tattoo artists…these poor people have to suffer through extra expense and pain and I feel bad.
Man, I know that getting tattooed is a luxury in hard times, and I really just love tattooing, so I should definitely give people breaks…if I don’t I’ll feel bad I’m taking their hard-earned money away from things they SHOULD be doing with it instead…and I feel bad.
Man, I have some health issues that are really hampering or completely stopping my ability to work and all these people have to wait for me to get better? I should really just keep charging my old rate we had because it’s what was originally agreed upon…even though this whole thing has caused me incredible financial and mental hardship, and the cost of my supplies have tripled…..I should still make it easy on them to want to keep getting tattooed by me.
Again. This is not a guilt trip, I made these choices—I’m being completely transparent with you guys as opposed to making some vague statement about changing my business practice and to hell with ya if you don’t understand. I want you all to understand, AND be in the know, so you can make an informed decision for yourself.
With all of that said, here are the new business practices:
For transparency purposes, I feel, and by market comparison, my work is worth $300 per hour for the amount of heart and soul that goes into giving my clients my very best imagination and creativity and skill, as well as all the aftercare help and checking in and keeping folders with notes for you guys in case something happens to me and another artist needs to finish your work…yes—that deep. For comparison purposes, paintings that are black on black with a black dot in the bottom corner going for $15,000. Also for comparison, there is a 5 year tattoo artist, making $250 per hour for basically duplicating his own work over and over and it’s super simple, traditional tattoo style. 3 colors and black. No research. No thought. No intuition. No consideration for anyone’s storytelling. And most of his clients have the same dang tattoo. So, $200 is actually selling myself short, but I love to tattoo and regardless of my change of heart regarding business practices, I still want to cut you guys a break.
In light of that, the new hourly rate of $200/hour doesn’t begin until January 1, 2023. Hopefully this is a respectful enough grace period to allow some of you to finish your tattoos and then move on to another artist if you like. Please remember you can purchase blocks of time as well, even if you don’t have the time to get tattooed. Kind of like a tattoo savings account. Purchasing seven or more hours of time, will afford you a 15% discount per hour of time purchased. The time must be used within 6 months time or it will be downgraded to full price per hour purchased. Not trying to rob you, but working on pre-paid time a year later after it’s given, isn’t great. Pre-paid tattoo time is meant for an artist to receive a bulk of money AND finish a big chunk of tattoo they want to finish in a timely manner really badly. It’s mutually beneficial.
Until then you are all at your current hourly rate. I’m sure you understand the need for me to do this, but it goes beyond need because of our current economy, as most artists are telling their clients as an excuse to raise their rates like they’ve always wanted to but didn’t.
With regard to scheduling:
I realize it has been an absolute roller coaster with me and scheduling these last couple years. You all know my shoulder, back, neck and migraine issues all too well. I can’t control these things. However, I am doing everything I can now to make my body stronger and healthier so that I can avoid the disasters and detriment to my business of late.
Appointment Deposit Policy: $200
Cancellation within 48 hours or I will keep the deposit and another deposit will need to be placed for a new appointment. Appointment deposits are applied to that session. As you all know, I have NEVER kept a deposit. It’s been toothless. But a deposit is a deposit for a reason. It doesn’t cover the loss of wages for a full session, but it helps take the sting away and pays for some of the time I take before your appointment to prep.
Cancellation under 48 hours: Three strikes and you’re out. Why? Because by the third time you cancel last minute you’ve already cost me three days wages, which I cannot recoup and I need to set some boundaries from here on out. I have been lenient with everyone because I was out of work for so long. I had no control over that happening, and me taking constant financial hits because I feel bad people chose to wait for me, is no longer reasonable or justifiable. This is a business and I need to run it like a business. While I realize, everyone has had to deal with my rescheduling numerous times, and it’s frustrating and disappointing when it happens, but on my end, I have to deal with a lot more than frustration and disappointment. On top of feeling terrible about doing that to people which causes me stress and lost sleep every single time, I lose that days wages (and sometimes more because I’m giving an Apology Discount on the next session on top of that), and that causes a whole other set of issues more detrimental than frustration at being rescheduled. I hope everyone understands where I am coming from in this regard. I love you all, and appreciate the relationships we’ve had so far, and appreciate everyone’s patience while I was suffering numerous health troubles, but I can no longer be lenient. My apologies.
You may be asking yourself, well, what happens if YOU cancel, Kat”? Nothing. From my end. You may decide to take action and find another artist, which would really stink, or you can work with me and we secure another appointment graciously with a new deposit. I don’t reschedule for nonsense reasons or BS reasons. It’s usually my health, or my family, or I just plain don’t feel creative enough that day to give your tattoo project my all. Or I screwed up some scheduling—because creative people are terrible at some things (In the event of a scheduling screwup on my part, I will absolutely give an apology discount on your next session.
With that said, there will obviously be exceptions to cancelling short notice. I will not list those because it’s not a multiple choice answer opportunity to keep from forfeiting deposits. This is a joke, but you get what I’m saying.
And there is one more item. I have a specific care regimen in place for a reason. It’s not something I printed off the internet or took from another shop or the health department. It is experience speaking. To be blunt, my healing instructions aren’t a request, or open for discussion, or open for minor changes. They are an order. If you don’t follow my tattoo healing orders and come back to me with a botched healing process tattoo, I’m going to re-educate you; provide daily check-in and guidance to make sure the process goes smoothly, maybe make a couple modifications to what your skin might need to heal better and ensure you are fully aware of the healing process. Then we will tattoo again!
After that, If you come back to me with a damaged tattoo because you didn’t follow instructions, I’m going to RE-re-educate you, guide you through the healing process, make you send me daily photos, etc. Then we will tattoo a 3rd session. If you heal your tattoo well following instructions, great, we continue on. If you come back to me with damage to your tattoo, I will no longer tattoo you.
One caveat to this—if you pick your tattoo while it is healing and it causes damage, I will no longer tattoo you. One strike. This is a huge investment of time and energy for you and I, and an even bigger financial investment for you. If you can’t take care of our investment, I’m not interested in continuing. And trust me, I will know if a tattoo has been picked. I mean, can you imagine walking up to a $15,000 painting and scraping a chunk of paint off???? How do you think that artist would react? So, control yourself. If you think you can’t help yourself, you need to let me know and we will adapt your healing process to fit your needs.
You can find a refreshed care instructions here. These aren’t just instructions, they are an agreement. If you agree to do them, great! We march on!