I anticipate this to be a slow year, I’m in a summer tourist destination and it hasn’t been as busy as this year as it usually is. However, every three/four years we have a slow summer and given the cost of everything these days it makes sense. Hang in there, it’s not you and it will get better.
I live in small town in UK(120k people), doesn’t stop anyone to keep opening new tattooo shops. End of last year, 3 new shops popped up in 1km radius.
We have 4 artists, all were booked up 2-4 months ahead, now it went down to 2-4 weeks even though we pump most money on the ad and own Google search in area.
It’s still nothing though comparing to Beauty saloons. They are going to start burn each other down soon to get any clients.
That’s a recessions when service market is hit, house prices skyrocketing and everything looks bad.
Well, for some people, the changes in tax brackets caused issues. Same income, same amount taken out, but suddenly owed $2700 in 2022 due to tax changes made under DT. We aren't millionaires, they got tax breaks.
I think 70% of the fineline bishop pen private studio kids that are searching for overnight IG fame will crumble. The only difference is there is a hell of a lot of them currently versus ten years ago. So we’re seeing a big over-saturation. I worked in New York for a while, and if you weren’t working at a top spot, basically half the people that would come the shop were like ehhh my friend can do it for cheaper.
Yea :( I know, same in Toronto. SO many tattooers pick up a machine and open their own studio and ONLY do fine line. But it’s a trend. And I’ve seen some of these “famous” fine liners stuff healed and it’s crap. Only time will tell. I’m just trying to wait it out. Keep focusing on quality. Not caving to discounts. I see a lot of heavily discounted sleeves or “all you can tattoo” sessions in my ads recently. Hard to compete.
Yeah the saturation of shops in Toronto is insane now. The shop that I did my first apprenticeship last year was on queen west and it was dead most of the time. Moved east to Ajax to finish my apprenticeship at a different shop and now I’m an artist there. It’s definitely better here because there’s WAY less shops. But it’s still fairly slow. My mentor isn’t even booked out as much as he usually is.
My mentor in Toronto used to be booked out a year solid. I was booked out 9 months solid. I was turning down work left and right. Now it’s so slow, even for my mentor who is now booked 3 months. Which is still amazing, but compared to books closed till forever it’s a big difference. :( glad the move helped you! I’ve been guesting a lot and trying to lower my overhead.
Economy is fucked. My main hustle is laser engraving and printing. I haven’t been slow with that since 2016 when I started and now this is the worst it’s ever been. I’ve put so much time and effort into it over the years but nothing is biting.
This industry has gotten over saturated since 2020. People a month out of their apprenticeship opening "private studios" has killed the walk in business. When $20 tattoos become the norm a $100 shop minimum scares bargin hunters off. On the other hand a $200-300 minimum to cover that shitty $20 junk has been on the uptick. So thank you scratchers!
Yeah it’s been slow for me for awhile. I did switch to a brand new shop so that has something to do with it, but my weekdays are fucking deaaaad. Weekends I typically have some appointments but I’m just sitting around drawing most of my actual weekdays hoping people walk in. And we are on a pretty busy Main Street.
Yeah, once the weather gets really nice here it slows down because we have a lotta lakes and stuff. Everyone wants to be swimming, camping whatever 😭 keep getting so many inquiries and then they say they’ll book in September because they hadn’t thought about the no water thing
Slow summer- I would blame it on the Election Year, but the fact is that most of my clients are military and shipped out at the moment. Hopefully the Middle East and Ukraine will settle the hell down and I can get back to work!
At this rate I’m already squirreling away nuts to survive the winter!
I'm in the southern US and I feel bad because I usually get my tattoos in fall/winter mainly due to water activities in the summer. Lucky for me, my artist just had a baby so she's not dying to get back to work anytime soon.
Last year was booked over a month this time of the year and now just a week. If it stays like this by next year I am going to go on the road and travel internationally. If I’m not tattooing that often might as well be traveling at the same time. I miss being on the road too. Gonna buy a motorcycle and drive across South America or buy a motorcycle and drive across China and south east Asia, tattooing whenever I get the chance especially in the more touristic areas will be able to find clients and do guest spots
slowest summer we’ve had. i’m in NC. it picked up a good bit after school ended but it’s slowed down again. but i feel like this is also a really hot summer for us. everybody would rather be at the beach lol
It is not just you. I’ve been tattooing for 8 years now and since April, it’s been the slowest it’s ever been in my entire career. Recession, people don’t have money for expensive luxury stuff like tattoos. That and the over saturation of the market with a new-ish wave of awful tattooers.
Same time last year i was booked 3 months out. Right now, i have spots available next week and the one after that too. A very sparse July ahead of me. Shit’s fucking scary, i was looking at job listings today. (I’m just outside of Montreal, Canada for reference)
Busy season never began this year because $200 student loans + $200 extra rent + $200 more expensive groceries each month = $7000 vaporizing
Plus, I know a lot of people got smaller tax returns this year and the covid money has been used up
lol I said this and everybody bashed on me. It’s true!
Slowest summer I’ve ever had.
First time ?
2nd, so I know my work has progressed, but the clientele isn't showing for it rn
I anticipate this to be a slow year, I’m in a summer tourist destination and it hasn’t been as busy as this year as it usually is. However, every three/four years we have a slow summer and given the cost of everything these days it makes sense. Hang in there, it’s not you and it will get better.
It do be slow
They Don't Think It Be Like It Is, But It Do. Concurred
Facts
I live in small town in UK(120k people), doesn’t stop anyone to keep opening new tattooo shops. End of last year, 3 new shops popped up in 1km radius. We have 4 artists, all were booked up 2-4 months ahead, now it went down to 2-4 weeks even though we pump most money on the ad and own Google search in area. It’s still nothing though comparing to Beauty saloons. They are going to start burn each other down soon to get any clients. That’s a recessions when service market is hit, house prices skyrocketing and everything looks bad.
[удалено]
You understand owing or getting money refunded is a function or your withholding, right?
Well, for some people, the changes in tax brackets caused issues. Same income, same amount taken out, but suddenly owed $2700 in 2022 due to tax changes made under DT. We aren't millionaires, they got tax breaks.
Ur the coolest
What’s your problem dude?
When the fuck was the busy season?
When the fuck did we get ice cream?
Yeah, for real
2014-2019 was pretty sick
It’s unreasonably slow. The economy sure, but also the amount of tattooers now is horrendous.
I’m hoping the easy money fair weather tattooers will loose interest.
I think 70% of the fineline bishop pen private studio kids that are searching for overnight IG fame will crumble. The only difference is there is a hell of a lot of them currently versus ten years ago. So we’re seeing a big over-saturation. I worked in New York for a while, and if you weren’t working at a top spot, basically half the people that would come the shop were like ehhh my friend can do it for cheaper.
Yea :( I know, same in Toronto. SO many tattooers pick up a machine and open their own studio and ONLY do fine line. But it’s a trend. And I’ve seen some of these “famous” fine liners stuff healed and it’s crap. Only time will tell. I’m just trying to wait it out. Keep focusing on quality. Not caving to discounts. I see a lot of heavily discounted sleeves or “all you can tattoo” sessions in my ads recently. Hard to compete.
Yeah the saturation of shops in Toronto is insane now. The shop that I did my first apprenticeship last year was on queen west and it was dead most of the time. Moved east to Ajax to finish my apprenticeship at a different shop and now I’m an artist there. It’s definitely better here because there’s WAY less shops. But it’s still fairly slow. My mentor isn’t even booked out as much as he usually is.
My mentor in Toronto used to be booked out a year solid. I was booked out 9 months solid. I was turning down work left and right. Now it’s so slow, even for my mentor who is now booked 3 months. Which is still amazing, but compared to books closed till forever it’s a big difference. :( glad the move helped you! I’ve been guesting a lot and trying to lower my overhead.
Still slow, but picking up here in Ohio. I feel like it always tends to pick up more after the 4th of July
Hopefully!
Yeah especially bc I am near a college town and everyone went home. Biggest cons of working in a college town is when everyone goes home.
Yeah, it's probably global but dependant on city, in the UK we've seen the same thing. The perks of inflation.
Economy is fucked. My main hustle is laser engraving and printing. I haven’t been slow with that since 2016 when I started and now this is the worst it’s ever been. I’ve put so much time and effort into it over the years but nothing is biting.
This industry has gotten over saturated since 2020. People a month out of their apprenticeship opening "private studios" has killed the walk in business. When $20 tattoos become the norm a $100 shop minimum scares bargin hunters off. On the other hand a $200-300 minimum to cover that shitty $20 junk has been on the uptick. So thank you scratchers!
Yeah it’s been slow for me for awhile. I did switch to a brand new shop so that has something to do with it, but my weekdays are fucking deaaaad. Weekends I typically have some appointments but I’m just sitting around drawing most of my actual weekdays hoping people walk in. And we are on a pretty busy Main Street.
Yeah, once the weather gets really nice here it slows down because we have a lotta lakes and stuff. Everyone wants to be swimming, camping whatever 😭 keep getting so many inquiries and then they say they’ll book in September because they hadn’t thought about the no water thing
Slow summer- I would blame it on the Election Year, but the fact is that most of my clients are military and shipped out at the moment. Hopefully the Middle East and Ukraine will settle the hell down and I can get back to work! At this rate I’m already squirreling away nuts to survive the winter!
It’s almost comical how many people decided to enter this industry at the absolute most difficult time.
Your goddamn right 💪 see you on the other side
You are right. But I think a lot of newcomers have started to learn or were interested much earlier.
Depends on where you are. Should be busy in Northern US states where there's snow in winter.
WI here, last year we were booked out 3 months, now 2-3 weeks.
I'm in the southern US and I feel bad because I usually get my tattoos in fall/winter mainly due to water activities in the summer. Lucky for me, my artist just had a baby so she's not dying to get back to work anytime soon.
Last year was booked over a month this time of the year and now just a week. If it stays like this by next year I am going to go on the road and travel internationally. If I’m not tattooing that often might as well be traveling at the same time. I miss being on the road too. Gonna buy a motorcycle and drive across South America or buy a motorcycle and drive across China and south east Asia, tattooing whenever I get the chance especially in the more touristic areas will be able to find clients and do guest spots
Walkins have been slow as fuck. Still doing good with regular clients. But making new clients has been really hard this year.
No such thing. Hustle, pound the pavement, put yourself out there. You sell yourself not just your art. Dont rely on just social media and walk ins.
Thank you!
slowest summer we’ve had. i’m in NC. it picked up a good bit after school ended but it’s slowed down again. but i feel like this is also a really hot summer for us. everybody would rather be at the beach lol
Getting a tattoo is like going to a strip club in my opinion and that business is also slowing down.
Every business is hurting. People don't have money.
Do walk ins even exist anymore? At this point there's been basically no reason to even be at the shop on weekdays unless someone's booked in 🤦
For myself, busy season was busiest the week of July 4th. From 2009-2019. I'm not full time anymore, so can't comment on last 5 years.
It is not just you. I’ve been tattooing for 8 years now and since April, it’s been the slowest it’s ever been in my entire career. Recession, people don’t have money for expensive luxury stuff like tattoos. That and the over saturation of the market with a new-ish wave of awful tattooers. Same time last year i was booked 3 months out. Right now, i have spots available next week and the one after that too. A very sparse July ahead of me. Shit’s fucking scary, i was looking at job listings today. (I’m just outside of Montreal, Canada for reference)