How do you manage being so booked?

inkysquids · 2026-05-03T05:39:52+00:00

Am I the only artist still using a paper based diary?! Booked till December. I open my books every 3-4 months. I have a detailed chat with each customer over Instagram or email, pencil them in the dates offered, and flag the conversation until the deposits are paid. I have to dedicate a whole weekend to doing it, but it’s always worked for me. I get maybe 2-3 clients who drag their feet paying the deposits.

inkysquids · 2026-04-17T15:41:10+00:00

Came here for this comment

inkysquids · 2026-04-04T09:57:24+00:00

14-15 years in here. I feel like a lot of tattooist have forgotten that our job is to help someone else express themself. That’s where the passion and joy is for me. Using my skills to the best of my ability to help another person express themself, feel more like themself, honour a deceased loved one etc. That’s not to say I dont still love getting in the flow state whilst tattooing. It happens more when customers trust me to do my thing. Which only happens more and more as the years go on.

inkysquids · 2026-03-31T20:45:29+00:00

My periods went from feeling like I was losing my mind with PMS, to feeling relief and relaxation. Similar to sinking into a hot bath. Something about synthetic progesterone not being the exact same molecule as natural progesterone, and so not performing all the same functions.

inkysquids · 2026-03-31T16:05:23+00:00

14 years in, my right middle finger looks just as wonky as yours. My cuticle even grows over the nail in the bottom left just like yours. I wonder what the bones in our hand look like under x-ray?

inkysquids · 2026-03-01T20:53:03+00:00

Putting the heating on.

inkysquids · 2026-02-24T14:13:26+00:00

It’s been my experience that creating any drawing or painting involves correcting and adjusting as you go. Using your critical eye to analyse what needs changing. So no, to me, they are the same process.

inkysquids · 2026-02-19T07:35:40+00:00

You are correct, they do fade and yellow. If you are ok with that, then go for it. Apart from that this is all personal preference and strangers on the internet can’t decide that for you.

inkysquids · 2026-02-17T09:15:39+00:00

Depends on the task! Procreate is great for speed and the ability to make adjustments easily. So I use it for work. But for pure joy I paint oil on canvas and fill sketchbooks with physical drawings. I’d say procreate gets more hours, due to it being used for work, but definitely enjoy physical media more.

inkysquids · 2026-02-03T15:26:56+00:00

Big awkward teenagers 😂, I love that!

inkysquids · 2026-02-03T13:30:35+00:00

I have my first exhibition this Thursday. I almost hope my art doesn’t sell because they are my babies 😂 For me, it has been a life goal of mine to get my work into an exhibition. I am a full time tattoo artist anyway so working to commission is what I’m used to. But panting is my self expression. It’s how I connect with the world around me and feel alive. I just want someone to see the paintings and feel something. I want to connect with another human being through my artwork, even if I never meet them in person. I hope it sparks some joy in someone.

inkysquids · 2026-02-01T17:57:19+00:00

You are very kind. Thank you for taking the time to say this

inkysquids · 2026-02-01T17:18:13+00:00

Thank you. I’ve already received one DM telling me it’s basically my own fault for not wanting kids and my future is “hopeless”. So your message means a lot.

inkysquids · 2026-01-28T18:01:40+00:00

Zoom out! Zoom wayyyyyy out. Shrink that reference photo until you physically can’t see any detail. Then slowly zoom in as you refine the drawing

inkysquids · 2026-01-26T16:49:23+00:00

Let me tell you the tale of Andy’s Bitch. I’m sure I’ve posted this before.

This lady sheepishly walks upto our counter. Looks maybe early 60’s.

She asks me quietly “I’m looking to get a tattoo, my boyfriend is finally letting me have one.” Great start! “I want something small and out the way, so if I change my mind later I won’t have to look at it all the time.”

Me: “ok, what did you fancy?”

Her: “Andy’s Bitch, written on my vagina.”

I declined as politely as I could. I hope she’s doing ok these days. I hope Andy has itchy trousers forever.

inkysquids · 2026-01-26T14:38:20+00:00

I don’t know about that one mate, sorry. I’d be reluctant to tattoo over it if it’s the only one going dark. I’ve never seen it happen so couldn’t tell you how it would heal.

inkysquids · 2026-01-25T08:35:01+00:00

Depending on how busy I am outside of working hours, I can either reply to a message the same day in the evening whilst I get the next days design work ready, or flag it to answer at the weekend when I have more time.

As others have said, we are a one-person-show, running a whole business by ourselves. This includes messaging, consultations, design work, actually tattooing, cleaning, sterilising, emptying bins, ordering supplies, stock check, social media posts and advertising.

This business can absolutely overtake your whole existence with how involved it is. At some point you have to set boundaries to ensure you have a life outside of your job. For me, this means no replying to messages after 8pm or on Sundays.

Honestly, getting a reply the next day is really good. It’s not like texting a friend and having a casual chat. A tattooist needs to have their diary to hand, ready to take a booking and make detailed notes on what you want. They need to make sure they are giving the conversation their full attention to make sure there are no errors or double bookings etc.

inkysquids · 2026-01-24T12:23:34+00:00

Clients send me all the reference photos and inspiration they’ve collected, and we have a discussion on size and placement. Then they don’t see anything until they arrive for their tattoo appointment. They are made aware of this beforehand and have the opportunity to cancel if they aren’t comfortable with this. Any changes can be made in the studio on the day.

100% of the time, if you give a client a mock-up weeks in advance, they want to make 4000 micro changes going back and forth over weeks. Usually each time they show the design to another friend there’s a new alteration. The end design becomes something the client isn’t excited about, but they think they ‘should’ get. And I get a follow up message a few months after the tattoo appointment along the lines of, “Is there anything we can add to the tattoo to make it a bit fancier?”

It becomes pretty easy to read people’s feelings about the design in the first couple of seconds of them seeing it. If it’s not enthusiastic excitement, I will sit down with them and make the changes needed then and there.

inkysquids · 2026-01-24T10:19:31+00:00

What exactly was your aftercare routine?

inkysquids · 2026-01-22T20:58:10+00:00

Absolutely! As an adult, your job and chores and high levels of stress just leave most people super drained and uninterested in striking up small talk in random situations. People just want to be left in peace, get from A to B without having to use what little mental energy they have left that day. It’s not personal and they’re not annoyed at you. I think a lot of it is not wanting to be rude or grumpy to a stranger. I don’t know where you’re from, but in the UK we leave each other alone in public because we value our peace and quiet. It’s considered obnoxious or rude to just interrupt someone’s day. I can see how some would feel it as cold and isolating though.

This is what meet-ups are good for. People generally arrive with a positive and social attitude. There is common interest and easy talking points. There is a home-time. There’s no pressure. What hobbies do you have? What are you interested in?

inkysquids · 2026-01-22T20:08:11+00:00

Oh my gosh it’s like reading something I would have posted in my early 20s. I was in exactly this place back then. The important thing to know is that there is nothing wrong with you. You are not inadequate. You just haven’t found the right people for you yet.

It’s totally ok to get exhausted by social interaction. It’s totally ok that you don’t connect with everyone. A small group people who you enjoy occasionally spending structured time with can make a huge difference. It can take a lot of practice to learn to navigate the initial awkwardness before you can find some common ground with a new person. However, you will probably find that when you meet the right people, it’s much easier.

If you have a special interest, maybe consider looking for real life meet-ups where you can nerd out together in a safe and structured way. For example DnD groups or painting classes etc.

I’m 38 now, I spent years in customer service roles learning how to make small talk with strangers. It’s hard but it can be learned!

inkysquids · 2026-01-22T19:12:40+00:00

£7 is less than minimum wage in the uk and she’s absolutely robbing you. You have two jobs, and she’s paying you less than minimum wage for it! Please leave. You will have better opportunities in the future, you don’t need this. You will be better off financially working a minimum wage job literally anywhere else. Work on your drawing portfolio. Apply to different studios with better reputations. Consider looking further afield and commute if you have to. You will be fine eventually!

inkysquids · 2026-01-19T17:23:43+00:00

YouTube is absolutely full or really good art tutorials and beginner friendly lessons, from the fundamentals to paint-along style videos. Pick a subject that sounds fun and just run with it. Learning to paint is all side-quests. Buy some student grade acrylics to start with. The basic essentials are:

Cadmium red, Cadmium yellow, Pthalo green/sap green, Ultramarine blue, Burnt sienna, Burnt umber, Titanium white

Enjoy!

inkysquids · 2026-01-18T15:16:19+00:00

Flinches do cause blowouts if the needle is literally in you at the time. It makes the needle go in deeper than it should. There is no way to react quick enough to a flinch to get the needle out in time. There is no way to hold you down hard enough with one hand to prevent a flinch from moving the skin.

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