“I’m not going to lie … a tattoo will sting,” said Mark Walters, owner of Living Canvas Tattoos.
Walters spoke to a crowd Wednesday at Tempe City Council Chambers as part of the lecture about the local tattoo community in Tempe.
The lecture is part of the “Who’s Your Neighbor” series, which features lectures on cultural awareness and fringe topics presented by the City of Tempe’s Diversity Office.
“We’re just here to open up the eyes of the community,” said Ginny Belousek, senior diversity specialist with the city of Tempe.
Walters and tattoo artists Chris Perrish and Jane Adler, all from Living Canvas Tattoos, discussed different issues concerning tattoos and body piercings, including the changing demographics of people who get tattoos, and the types of trends that drive the industry.
“Tattooing is as old as man, it’s been around forever in every culture, and it’s around to stay,” said Adler, who focuses primarily on cosmetic tattoos, such as eyebrow tattoos and permanent makeup.
When selecting topics, Belousek said she tries to choose those that focus on marginalized segments of the population.
Past topics have included various religions and social issues including mental illness, homelessness and growing up gay.
“We all live in Tempe and these are our neighbors,” Belousek said.
When the diversity office came up with the topic of tattoos and piercings, they contacted the city of Tempe’s development services department looking for a reputable local tattoo business, and they recommended Living Canvas Tattoos, which has been operating in Tempe for 19 years, “without blinking an eye,” Belousek said.
Many attendees asked about the rising popularity of tattoos, and how that has changed in recent years.
The influx of TV shows focusing on tattoo shops, including “L.A. Ink,” results in both more people wanting tattoos as well as more people wanting to become tattoo artists, she said.
This can also lead to unqualified people giving tattoos, Adler said, adding that Arizona’s laws regulating tattoo artists are behind when compared with other states.
“Myself and another tattoo shop actually worked … with the city to pass regulations on people having to be Blood Born Pathogen certified, because there was not certification in Arizona at all,” Walters said.
The lack of regulations can result in sub-par work and unclean working environments, he said.
“It’s sad to say in Arizona, that you need to have a license to cut hair but you don’t need to have a license to do a tattoo,” Walters said.
Tattoos have become more acceptable with a larger part of the population, Walters said, noting he has many clients who are doctors, lawyers and professional athletes.
As the demographics change, so do the trends in the types of tattoos people want, he said.
“The black arm bands were really popular for a long time … now everybody wants fancy script lettering,” he said.
“I used to go into a restaurant, and would always get the seat by the kitchen,” he said, but as the popularity of tattoos increases, so does the acceptance of those who get tattoos.
The top question Walters gets is still, “How bad does it hurt?”
“It absolutely feels like a cat scratch,” Walters said.
Walters, who is covered in tattoos, including two full sleeves, said he will pass out when giving blood because he is fearful of needles, but can get a tattoo without a problem.
“If it hurt at all in a way that was really, really uncomfortable, people wouldn’t be going back for a second,” he said.
Belousek said she was impressed with the speakers and attendance of the lecture and plans for the next lecture to focus on the process of becoming a U.S. citizen.
“It’s all about educating,” Belousek said of the lectures. “We’re not advocating, this program is not pushing a belief, it’s about educating, bottom line.”
Reach the reporter at anatwood@asu.edu
