how «not» to book a tattoo appointment

We all love tattoos, that's why we are here, that's why we are reading this. And we all went through it, booking an appointment with a tattoo artist. There is a lot of people that get slightly nervous when booking their very first tattoo, oh how excited they are. So many questions. But, looking at it from the other side, the side of the artist, they are kind of cute and usually very respectful.

Over time though, you get used to booking in. It becomes routine. Some people turn into idiots. (Some might have been morons ever since they were bork, who knows)

If you are a first-timer or a tattoo collector:

Here are 4 things NOT to do when booking a tattoo appointment:

1. Haggling

Yes, pretty straight forward. Some people apparently think, tattoo prices are negotiable. No. They are not. A tattoo isn't simply like a print, it is hard work and you have to respect that. It is not just a random number that can be pushed down. If you don't wanna pay the price, that tells us that you do not value our work, why would we wanna tattoo you then? Before you contact an artist and pointlessly waste their time, do your research first. Tattooers don't hide what they charge for their work. And, yes I know there are a lot of you out there that would like to get work done and you just can't afford it, and if that is the case, do any tattooist a favour and just save up for a piece instead of being an annoyance. This way you will get a piece the tattooer and you are passionate about. So please. DON'T HAGGLE!

2. Getting a tattoo just for the sake of being tattooed

If you do this, then you are probably one of many people with a lot of horrible tattoos. You missed the point. You might also be one of the hagglers. If you catch yourself doing this, think about the following: The quality of tattoos improved so much just in the past years. For any style you are into, there are artists out there that specialise in that genre and can give you beautiful work. Do you want the tattoo to have meaning? Is it just for decoration? In any way, do your research (I recommend the Instagram). Trust me, you won't regret it. If you love an artists work and you trust them enough to give them all the freedom for the design, you will most likely get them to put all of their passion into your tattoo and you will walk around with a true artwork you and your artist can be proud of for the rest of your life. Get high quality tattoos that YOU are passionate about and you will never have to experience the laser.

3. Being disrespectful

Something I just recently got to experience again. Please, anybody, don't be di**s. Don't hit on tattoo artists, don't send them images of you and your kittens. We are not interested in you in any way but a professional tattoo artist - client relationship and please respect that. I have experienced too many creepy people trying to book in with me and if you do so, I will cancel your appointment. Be respectful.

4. Being too stubborn

There is absolutely nothing wrong with knowing what you want. It is a tattoo, it's gonna stay under your skin for a very long time, so you really need to be happy with it. All I am saying is, you should listen to the tattoo artist, they have a lot of experience and know what will work on skin, in their style and what will still look good in 30+ years. If you are to headstrong, you might end up with a piece that the both of you are not 100% happy with. Trust me with this one, I do speak out of experience.

These are a few things that came to my mind and happened to me before.

Remember, don't take this too seriously, we are trying to point out a few things while having a laugh. No harsh feelings.

Nevertheless, If you decide to book an appointment for anything in your life really, always treat people like you want to be treated by them.