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“Your Definitive Guide to Finding the Right Tattoo Studio in Tucson: A Comprehensive Roadmap”

by David Meek 1-3-2024

Are you on the hunt for the perfect tattoo studio in Tucson but feeling overwhelmed by the multitude of options available? Choosing the right tattoo artist and studio is a crucial step towards ensuring a positive and memorable tattooing experience. With numerous factors to consider, navigating the search process can be daunting. Fear not! This comprehensive guide will equip you with essential tips and considerations to find the ideal tattoo studio in Tucson that aligns with your vision.

Inside Art and Sol Tattoo Gallery in Tucson Arizona
  1. Thorough Research: Kickstart your quest by conducting in-depth research. Take advantage of search engines and social media platforms to compile a list of tattoo studios in Tucson. Explore their websites, peruse their portfolios, read customer reviews, and note their areas of specialization.
  2. Portfolio Evaluation: A tattoo artist’s portfolio serves as a window to their skills and style. Look for diverse portfolios showcasing a range of tattoo designs and styles. Ensure the artist’s style resonates with the type of tattoo you envision.
  3. Cleanliness and Hygiene: Prioritize cleanliness and hygiene standards. Reputable tattoo studios maintain strict hygiene practices, utilizing disposable needles, sterilized equipment, and maintaining a clean working environment. Consider visiting the studio in person to assess its cleanliness.
  4. Credentials and Licensing: Verify the studio’s credentials and the artists’ licenses. Certified studios and artists adhere to health regulations, ensuring professionalism and safety.
  5. Word-of-Mouth Recommendations: Seek recommendations from friends, family, or acquaintances who have had positive experiences at tattoo studios in Tucson. Personal referrals often offer valuable insights and firsthand experiences.
  6. Consultation and Communication: Schedule a consultation with the tattoo artist before finalizing your decision. Use this opportunity to discuss your ideas, concerns, and expectations. Effective communication is key to ensuring alignment between your vision and the artist’s capabilities.
  7. Pricing Structure: While cost shouldn’t be the sole deciding factor, understanding the pricing structure is essential. Quality work often comes at a reasonable price. Avoid compromising on quality for a cheaper option.
  8. Studio Visit: A physical visit to the studio enables you to gauge its ambiance, professionalism, and overall atmosphere. Trust your instincts and choose a studio where you feel comfortable and welcome.
  9. Online Presence: A strong online presence often reflects a studio’s commitment to engaging with its audience. Active social media accounts typically feature recent works, client testimonials, and updates about the studio’s activities.
  10. Aftercare Services: Inquire about aftercare instructions and services provided by the studio. Proper aftercare significantly impacts the healing process of your tattoo.

By following these steps, you can navigate the abundance of tattoo studios in Tucson and find the perfect match for your tattoo needs. Remember, a tattoo is a lifelong commitment, so investing time and effort into finding the right studio is invaluable.

Tucson boasts a diverse array of talented tattoo artists and studios catering to various styles and preferences, whether you seek vibrant colors, intricate designs, or minimalist art. Embrace this exciting journey of self-expression and creativity while ensuring a safe and satisfying tattoo experience in Tucson!

I own Art and Sol Tattoo in Tucson Az.

You can book a consultation to meet with our artists by clicking here!

You can also view or Instagram page as well as our current reviews on google

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How tattoo artists can have work life balance.

I’ve been seeing a ton of tattoo artists complain about work life balance. Its so wierd to see it all over social media.

In fact I think thats exactly why tattoo artists are feeling overwhelmed. Social Media… dun dun dun…

Gone are the days of sitting in a tattoo shop waiting for walkins 6 days a week and letting word of mouth do all the work.

Nowadays artists are required to be posting on tik tok, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, Reddit, etc etc and on and on… Lets not forget you have to draw your tattoos, then tattoo them.

Oh wait, do you have a family and hobbies? Well, crap when are you gonna have time for them if you’re busy posting and scheduling and doing consultations in the DMs… its so much… wait, did you make your needle order? Did you want to paint today?

Theres just too much going on.

I don’t think there is a one size fits all solution but I’ll tell you what I did and how I got back to doing more of the things I love to do, more of the tattoos I love to do and the clients I like to work with… and yeah, it was scary at first but wow what a difference in quality of life.

Me and the girls before a Phoenix Suns game

The first thing I did was decide what was important to me… for some it might be easy to fall into an overworking trap, especially if you like the work you’re doing. But for me, it was all about my family. My wife and my daughter. I read something a while back that said something to the effect of -you will spend 80% of your time as a parent with  your child between birth and 14 years.. as my daughter enters the teen years that hit really close to home… my major time as a dad is almost over. Not cool. So for me, my family is important to me. I need to prioritize my family.

Identifying what was important to me allowed me to set…. wait for it….. wait for it…. BOUNDARIES!

I remember so many times that I would stay late to accommodate a client, or come in on my wifes birthday ( yes I actually did that) or schedule appointments from the dinner table. Even when I was home I wasn’t home.

So step one. Establish whats important and set that boundary for yourself.

“But what if I’m a people pleaser and say yes way too often because I don’t want to let anyone down?”

Well then, my friend, you are a lot like me. And since you know this about yourself, you can do what I did. Set up systems that take you away from saying yes to everything.

One of the things I did was get myself a free Google Voice phone number and made sure this would be my only source of communication. Call/text whatever they want. And the beauty of it, your phone number remains yours. You can alway tell when a client is calling or texting and address it during normal business hours.

Then I set up a system with a scheduling software called Calendly. If you’ve never heard of it, its a scheduling tool that you send your client and they can pick a day and time to come meet with you to talk instead of wasting time with the back and forth. I did this for consultations and different hourly time slots but eventually went back to just consultations.

You can even setup an autoresponder on Messenger and Instagram DM’s that sends the link to people when they mention certain keywords like tattoo, appointment, quote etc. Then they can book a consult while you are on a hike with your dog instead of worrying about missing an opportunity.

I also built a Google Form that allowed people to leave me all the info they thought I would need including reference photos and descriptions. I was able to pick and choose who I wanted to work with before they even came in. It was a great way to say no without the pressure of being face to face. And then , if you like the project you can send them the consultation booking link… so easy right. And if you don’t like the project, you can respond with a recommendation of another artist. Win Win.

The last thing I’ll talk about is my weekly calendar. I never let anyone book just any day. I picked Tuesdays as my day for consultations. This kept me from having to feel interrupted in between tattoos and allowed me to focus on working with my clients on those days.

For me, I always want to be home for dinner with my girls. So a hard 6pm end to my day was critical. You can play with what works for you but this was important to me.  It’s this boundary that really matters.

The next few days of the week were exclusively for drawing and tattooing and those wonderful weekends were already booked with family time.

The main point is to put the people and things you want more of, on your calendar first and then fill it in with clients. Theres plenty of time for both. Too many artists think they need to be available all the time, and its simply not true. Fill your cup before you can fill your clients cups.

Now keep in mind this is not a definitive solution but it worked for me to filter out needy clients and allow me to control my calendar. I know some shops don’t work this way and that can be frustrating. But its important to know that you are not a tree, you are able to move around.

This worked so well for me that I built Art and Sol Tattoo Gallery to scale these concepts for all the artists that work there.

If you think you might want to check us out, cool. Check out www.artandsoltattoo.com/tattoo-artist to see if you’d like to work with us! We love artists that want to create a life that includes tattooing and all the things you love!

I really hope you find this a little helpful in setting some boundaries so you can feel like you’ve got work/life balance!

Got any suggestions for ways to streamline the process? email me davidmeektattoos@gmail.com

David Meek

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Hiring Tattoo Artists isnt easy

Its me doing what I do best.

Its seems to me that every single tattoo shop is experiencing unprecedented boom times. So much so that Im seeing post after post on multiple tattoo shop social media pages announcing that they are hiring. I admit, even I have put out the help wanted call for my shop Art and Sol.

As of this writing, Im currently booking for spring of 2021 which is a bit hectic when trying to consider birthdays, holidays, weekend getaways with the family, school breaks etc etc.

Im beyond grateful for the trust when it comes to making tattoos for my clients. In fact, the work Ive been asked to do is really starting to line up with the work that lights me up. The large realistic black and grey work!

The problem for me is, the more of that large realistic black and grey tattoo work I get asked to do, the less time I have for the work that got me to where I am today.

Its quite a new dilemma for me. Which is why I was looking to bring in someone that could use a change. Someone that needed a place to feel like they could grow as an artist and a person with our culture.

My clients deserve the best I have for them, but thats coming at a 5 month wait in some cases for a smaller tattoo.

The best I can come up with is bringing in an artist that shares the same values and moral compass as the shop artistically, and as a business in the Tucson community.

Someone that my clients will feel just as comfortable with as they would with me.

Its less of a financial thing for our shop and more for my clients. I feel a responsibility to make sure they get great tattoos. And not have to wait half a year lol. Or settle for a tattoo artist that they are unsure about.

So I guess the point of this post is to let everyone know that I am actively trying to address my new demand and still take care of everyone that wants to get tattooed.

I do have 3 shop helpers that hope to begin a tattoo apprenticeship with me and that will be a great boost of energy for the shop and to the tucson tattoo community. But til then, Ill practice patience and continue working very hard to make things better for the shop, the artists present and future, and our shop helpers.

Im taking appointments for large black and grey realistic tattoos almost exclusively and my rates have increased to counter the new demand. If you are interested in booking with me text Art and Sol at 520-314-7358 to start the process.

Dave

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Episode 6: Tattoo Expo Titan Tim Azinger

 

Tim has been putting on tattoo expos for 25 years which says a lot about his dedication to tattooing. And thats on top of running his own shop Pinnacle Tattoo in Pittsburgh. His flagship show, The Meeting of the Marked is the second longest running tattoo expo in the country right now. Thats no small feat in a time where there are 4 tattoo shows going on damn near every weekend. Tims shows are like family reunions bringing together artists year after year. And while the venue may have changed a few times over the years, the quality and the caliber remain a constant. It was my pleasure to spend some time chatting with my dear friend and my hope is that after you hear this you’ll feel the same way I do about my friend Tim. He is a friend of tattooing and tattooings history.  I could go on and on about the guy but you’ll just have to work one of his shows to see what I’m talking about. Congrats on 25 years Tim. heres to 25 more convetions years!

Be sure to follow Tim on Instagram @tattootim or any of the shows hes putting on. @meetingofthemarked  @ladylucktattooexpo @pnwtattooexpo @chchtattooexpo or directly on the web at www.pinnacletattoo.com

and don’t forget to follow the show on instagram  @thetattooerspodcast or me @davidmeektattoos or on www.facebook.com/thetattooerspodcast  and subscribe to the show on itunes and google play. It only takes a second but really helps the show a bunch. I really do appreciate it. 

feel free to leave me any comments you may have about the show on your favorie social media..

thanks everyone.

David Meek

www.davidmeektattoos.com

music by www.bensound.com





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The Tattooers Podcast Ep 4 pt 1: Phillies finest tatttoers protect the trade w/ Eric Perfect

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD ON ITUNES

Eric is a tattooer of 27 years and has seen his fair share of bullshit when it comes to tattooing. And the recent uprising of  Tattoo Schools is no exception. There have always been people trying to make a buck off of tattooing especially since the rise of its popularity in todays culture. Tattoos are fashionable but that comes with some drawbacks as well as some benefits. 

In the beginning of this episode we will hear from the tattoo school man himself. Expaining that he was failing at the job he is trying to teach people….That blows my mind…

Eric Perfect with Philadelphia tattooers protesting tattoo schools

The tattoo school drawback is that now, in a few short months and thousands of dollars later, a young naive person can become a “tattoo artist”. [I use quotations and the term tattoo artist very loosely here] All at the expense of the genreal public. Its the customers and clients that we have worked so hard to give the best of oursleves and give the best possible tattoos we can. Mind you there are always crappy tattoo artists doing tattoos they shouldn’t be doing and Im probably one of them.  But to set this as the standard is not only decienving the would be  tattoo artists but the general public into thinking that these tattoos are ok. I have my own opinions of whats right and wrong about this but ill let Eric Perfect, Chad Knight and Myke Chambers explain the situation in Philly. So stay tuned for the upcoming episodes with those fellas. Til then please enjoy Eric Perfect.

 

For more info on what is going on please visit www.notattooschool.com or follow Eric on Instagram and Facebook

 

Dave

follow the show on Instagram and facebook.com/thetattooerspodcast

 

 

music by bensound.com





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Tucson 4th Ave Street Fair and Oh yeah Im moving

This past weekend the family and I went down to one of Tucsons best traditions. The 4th Avenue Street Fair. I have been going to this event on and off for the last decade or so and it never dissapoints. Well maybe because I never have any real agenda other than to see the community come hang out in the streets for a few days. Beers in hand, roasted corn in the air and all the classic pop up carnival food tents in the background. And at center stage you have vendors and vendors and vendors galore. All hoping to share their unique little gifts on to the world. From homemade to repurposed and even some thoughtfully manufactured items can be found. Local artists in varying mediums from paints to yarn to sealife… Its so cool to look at. 

I found myself enjoying a pineapple cocktail for most of the day. and Yes, it was an actual pineapple that I continued to refill with only adult libations. And with that pineapple I discovered a really cool fact. If you want to make friends, carry around a pineapple with a straw and some garnish. Everybody wants to know the guy with a pineapple drink. If only for the moment they need to ask him where he got it… Instant ice breaker. People seem to lower their guard when talking to a man holding a pineapple drink. Im going to continue this experiment and carry a pineapple around wherever I go. Just to see if my hypothesis holds true. 

So considering all the cool stuff I got to see and the people I got to watch. This year was just as good as any other year. We also brought home some new friends. 4 new red little shrimp that contain themselves in their own ecosystem. SO meditative to watch these little creatures swim and eat and eat and swim.  They are a welcome addition to our home and we all love towatch them just be. 

And Oh yes lets not forget the title of this little bloggy thing. Im moving… DUN DUN DUUUUUN.  haha . Not to worry, Im just experiencing a little domestic relocation. The stresses that go along with a move are quite unique and tiresome and to be honest, I wish I was a minimalist everytime. But we will overcome. 

So no need to worry I was just sharing some life happenings. 

Its hard to do but its such a healthy neceesity to shed the past from your present. Going through ol boxes, being reminded of some great memories. And other items you come across may have now meaning at all. So why the hell do I have this…. Donate. Moving gives us an opportuninty to purge our collections that we seem to cherish until its time to relocate them. 

That actually might be my new mantra when buying something. Do I want to pack this up and move this?  Instead of this is so cool  I need this so bad…

Well thatll do for now. What do you think of community street fairs and moving? Leave a comment 

 

and if you are interested in any of my tattoo work fear not I  will still be working at Fast Lane Tattoo on Oracele Rd in Tucson.

David-meek-tucson-tattoo-artist-sailor-jerry-acetate-stencil-tucson-arizona-fast-lane-tattoo-best-tattooartist-traditional
Heres a pic of me tattooing an original sailor jerry acetate stencil of a rose.





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Tucson Tattoos and Phoenix Marathons

Its been a crazy couple of weeks finishing up february and beginning March. Crazy in its type of activities rather than crazy in volume of activities, which is usually the case.

 

But maybe I should back up.

The last 8 months or so I’ve found myself being more deliberate with my time. My one most valuable asset. I’ve spent way more time being with my family rather than away and the feeling of gratitude is surging!

Ill have to post about my new adventures in meditation, running, reading(usually disney bio related or self educations.), floating, music, art and even hang gliding!

 

So back to my deliberate use of time.

I have spent years trading time for money. And I’ve learned that that is not a bad thing. It was the precise thing I needed to be doing. Especially since have a family that I am most certainly a part of. And part of those responsibilities include financial contributions. So work work work. Well maybe more tattoo tattoo tattoo. 

And if you think for a second I don’t love what I do, you’re crazy. I’m a punk rock kid at heart. I had a mohawk at my daughters first birthday. I’ve had jobs before tattooing. I made damn good money.  But being able to do things the way I want has always been part of the plan. Want a mohawk? Wear one. Want to be tattooed? Be tattooed. 

So as fate would have it, Tattooing showed it lovely face in my life. 

Now, the mantra of MY WAY has been poking around again. I’ve put my pole in the pond from sunup to sundown and sometimes longer to make tattoos on some of the raddest people I could ever expect to meet. And as I  grow skill, they grow in styles and size!

 

My appointment book has been steadily filling with more and more tattoos that really are some incredibly fun pieces. And I have been been practicing how to deliberately use my time.

I also gave myself the most enduring test of physical stress and mental stress by signing up to do a Half Maration (13.1 miles) in Mesa Arizona. I gave myself an official training season of 6 days. Now I clearly would never recommend that to anyone, and I know I’ll never ask that of me again. But the commitiment to participate for 5 years and I can’t fail myself. So this year, six days it was, and next year at least 3 months.

 It’s late. I dont care why I’m writing. All I know is Im enjoying it. I think I need to do a few more posts to get used to the directio of this. I wonder if I really show how the sausage is made, in my shop anyways,   there could be some small benefit to the tattoo world or the world in general. 

I kind of feel like these article s need to be longer. Or maybe I should ramble more, or no. Thats a bad idea. They will be as long as they need to be and nothing more. 

I am looking forward to this being my personal account of life as an evergrowing artist of life, tattooing, and creation be it art, memories, humans, and anything that Isn’t already here. 

 

I look forward to hearing from anyone that has some good books films unrelated reccomendations, comments, feedback, encouragement, or usable criticsims!





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Inkognito Tattoo Concealer

Well after many trials and formulas we have finally come up with a cosmetic tattoo coverup. I have personally been working on finding the right system for covering a tattoo for work, for  performing or for whatever you may need to conceal your tattoo for. It may seem wierd that a tattoo artist would promote covering tattoos but the reason is simple. I love tattoos. I love them so much that when somebody says they can’t get one, it makes me want them to have one even more. Usually its the people that just want a little something on their wrist or hand but occasionally you get those that want their necks tattooed. With this tattoo concealer you can get all the tattoos you dont want anyone to know about.

I have put it through some grueling tests and with many failures, Finally there is something I can be proud of. Feel free to check out the link and browse the products. www.inognitotattooconcealer.com. If you have any questions regarding shades or shipping send us an email at info@inkognitoconcealer.com

 

Inkognito Tattoo Concealer Covering a Tattoo
Some pretty good proof that this stuff is the best way to cover a tattoo with makeup cosmetics

I hope this new project is able to help those that thought getting a tattoo was hopeless. For the entrepreneurs that will work for themselves one day but today they need to cover. For the actors that have roles that may be better played with your tattoo hidden. For the bride whose decision to get a tattoo of the Mickeys Hornet on your shoulder when she was 18 may not match your elegant strapless dress. For the felon that wants to start over… Weve got you covered.

 

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Happy Birthday Sailor Jerry

 

Today is Sailor Jerry’s birthday.  A legend among tattooers and a rum-maker amongst the rest of the world. I am lucky enough to have my own piece of Jerry’s history with a handcut acetate stencil I received from Shanghai Kate. The history of this little piece of plastic is more vast than I could ever know. How may sailors did it rest upon for a brief moment before the adrenaline and alcohol kick in. I’ve tattooed this stencil the way it was meant to be tattooed and Ive had it tattooed on me in the same fashion. Vaseline and carbon powder. Enough said. No sissy stencil papers and stencil solutions. Things were much different back then. Heres a peek for the know-it-alls  that think Norman Keith Collins was a rum maker and Ed Hardy is a shirt designer!  Youre Welcome


get your hands on a hard copy

David Meek

Fast Lane Tattoo

3801 N Oracle rd

Tucson Az

(520)-388-8282