I’ve been talking about this for a while, and the truth is simple: if I can spend 2k trying to make a profit by going to someone else’s show, I can use that same money to put on my own show and actually see a profit—without flying, without grinding for another promoter, and without handing my earnings to someone else. Use logic when it’s clear you’re spinning your wheels trying to make a living. Travel is expensive, lodging is expensive, so remove those elements and you’re already ahead. That’s part of doing business: figure out the process, adjust toward profitability, or lose. The list of upcoming shows is long—there are multiple events every weekend, anywhere in the world. Tattooing is a mainstream industry now, and it’s not slowing down. You just have to find the flow and tap into that source. When you find that vein of gold hidden from the rest of the world, you protect it. Every venue has its own process for advertising and promotion, so figure out the best way to tap into the media outlets available to you—TV, radio, newsstands, whatever you can access. My friends reading this will have part of the plan for future use, and of course I don’t share everything I think of… trust that there’s a lot more. I also think people who use nonprofit status to dodge costs only hurt themselves because of the restrictions that come with that structure. Too many rules, too many limitations. We’re here to make real money, not stay broke or live life struggling.

I say math because it’s all numbers angles and pitches. I share this because I say it all the time “being a tattoo artist is like being a general contractor you have to know how to do all aspects of building to get opened up or pay big and trade anywhere you can for tattoos and labor or materials to achieve those goals.”

I added a lettering course for $10 which will be reasonably cheap considering how much we make off a single tattoo which lettering is the most used type of tattooing out there. There’s 3 links to some of the best lettering artists known by myself. One gone, the other is needing a liver so not sure how long Big Sleeps will be with us but he’s a talent to be reckoned with in the lettering world. I’ve had my time doing lettering and was the original guy to teach how to do rockers and back pieces to the homies on Crenshaw and Pacoima back in the day. It’s pretty amazing how many things I brought to the industry and don’t get the credit for such things as pasting down the ink caps with Vaseline or cream. Just one of my contributions. Lol

This form of expression was removed from traditional public schools a while ago, so there’s a large generation of people in the US that can’t read cursive or write it. So today’s poll is about this issue and your opportunity to learn it if you haven’t got it licked.

I’m waiting to add more content to the classroom as I haven’t seen much for interaction with my students. I’m drawing daily adding to my books I’m going to print and put on Amazon for extra income.