I feel as though i was wrongfully included on a list of people not following the rules.  I was doing everything properly, single use needles, disinfectants, autoclave, sterilized everything.  Yes the health board came and business license came. I was told that i was doing everything above and beyond what was required other than installing a sink in the room i was working out of that was entirely separate from any living area of my home.  The issue that was told to me was that i didn't have a proper business license.  That has been rectified.  That day i got hired at a shop (it was never an issue of not being able to find a job it was that i am opening a studio) to appease what they wanted of me.  

To discuss facts there is a very large gap between someone without shop experience working out of a kitchen and someone with more than a decade experience working part time from a dedicated closed off area in a home with full sterilization equipment.  I worked from my home for 6 weeks.  I had hoped to get a store front shop running in that time but between the funding issues and the conflicting information i was getting when calling the city my opening was pushed back. Most people in the industry i know have worked from a home at some point for a ton of different reasons.  One of the best tattooers in the city has told me stories about working from the bathroom of a bar, so take it for what its worth. 

Its really hard to follow whats important in this industry.  One thing that is always at the top of everyones list is sterilization processes.  Unfortunately what is required isn't up to par with what i feel is necessary.  For example my tools are soaked in a chemical sterilizer (glutaraldehyde) over night before being manually scrubbed, then ran in an ultrasonic, rinsed, soaked in 90% alcohol until dry, ran through a full cycle on an autoclave, packaged and ran through a second full cycle.  I do this because there is always a chance for human or mechanical error and i feel this is a reasonable process to use.  Most places scrub, ultrasonic, package then clave once, as per the requirements.  Huge difference there.

One thing that gets me going with the regulations is there is no regulations put on what is being put into the clients.  I have never been asked by a health inspector whats in a tattoo pigment or what kind of jewelry is being used.  Wanna do an experiment? Go in to any shop and ask to see the invoices for their jewelry.  Most shops are using jewelry they pay less than 1$ for and charge you tons for installing garbage.  Any idea how hard it is to convince a shop owner used to such practices to spend 10$ american plus shipping and duty per piece?  Or what about finding a responsible enough artist to put the client that far ahead that the extra money per piece comes out of their pocket?  Well thats what i do and thats why i am opening a shop and also why it was a waste of time to try and find a shop to work from.  Think about it, if you had all of your own equipment, had been doing your job for over a decade, and were taking steps to opening your own business, would you go work for someone else, losing money and fighting everyday to not work with inferior supplies? Neither would I.  I put my clients first more than anyone i have ever met in the industry and am being penalized for it. But also, I will continue to put my clients first at my own expense and stress levels because I feel thats more important than a business license or the difference between 8 feet to a sink and 10 feet, which is whats checked in the most amount of detail.

As a note, my shop is opening soon and will be fully licensed with the city (that process has already started) and will continue to provide the service and dedication I am known for despite this laughable inclusion over a single piece of paper. To borrow a quote with origins im unsure of, when men speak ill of you, live so as nobody may believe them.  I don't assume everything i do is right or that im above the rules in any manner, i simply do my best to be ahead of the curve in every way i can be.  Ask anyone that has worked with me over the years and they will tell you similar.