Spent the last two years turning down simple tattoo work because “it isn’t your style”? Wondering why you’ve got no work at all now? Good. Fuck you. Get the fuck out.

Want to survive? Get versatile. The only people I know who are constantly busy in these post-trend times are the people who busted their arses in street shops in the sticks. You want kid’s names? No problem. You want an angel fighting a demon? Sure, how big?

Tattooing is a privilege, not a right. When times are tough, and people are struggling to pay the rent, their tattoo appointment is the last thing they’re thinking of. So when the working man or woman who has been saving for weeks or even months comes in and asks you for a tattoo, be good to him or her. Earn their respect, and be grateful that they are choosing to spend their money with you. They want a tribal half-sleeve? Do it. Make it black as fuck, and make sure the points are sharp.

If you can’t do that, get the fuck out.

-Brendan O’Connor