• Sustainability in All Its Forms

Home , Body modification, Ear stapling

• Sustainability in All Its Forms THE POINT IN THIS ISSUE THE QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONAL PIERCERS 4 FROM THE EDITORS BOARD OF DIRECTORS Jef Saunders—President 7 Cody Vaughn—Vice-President PRESIDENT’S CORNER Aaron Pollack—Secretary Paul King—Treasurer 8 Kendra J. Berndt—Director of Events & Operations Luis Garcia—International Liaison REDUCING YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT Ryan Ouellette—Outreach Coordinator Steve Joyner—Legislation & Regulatory Affairs 10 Jef Saunders—Membership Liaison FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY FOR YOUR BUSINESS Miro Hernandez—Public Relations Brian Skellie—Medical Liaison 14 ADMINISTRATOR SUSTAINABILITY—LEARNING TO CULTIVATE Caitlin McDiarmid EDITORIAL STAFF 18 Managing Editor of Content & Archives—Kendra J. Berndt PIERCING STATISTICS Managing Editor of Content & Statistics—Marina Pecorino Contributing Editor—Ryan Clark 21 Art Director & Contributing Editor—Jim Ward Contributing Editor—Elayne Angel UPDATE FROM THE SECRETARY

ADVERTISING 22 [email protected] Front Cover: Alicia Cardenas CONFESSIONS OF A FUNERAL DIRECTOR Photo by Autumn Swisher ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONAL PIERCERS 24 1.888.888.1APP • safepiercing.org • [email protected] Donations to The Point are always appreciated. LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

The Association of Professional Piercers is a California-based, international non-profit 26 organization dedicated to the dissemination of vital health and safety information about body piercing to piercers, health care professionals, legislators, and the general public. SILVER ANCHOR Material submitted for publication is subject to editing. Submissions should be sent via email to [email protected]. 30 The Point is not responsible for claims made by our advertisers. However, we reserve the right to reject advertising that is unsuitable for our publication. FUNDRAISING FOR THE BPA

32 PIERCING—AN INTERVIEW WITH ELAYNE ANGEL

2 THE POINT ISSUE 78 3 We can embrace the idea of sustainability in our FROM piercing room by ensuring an ergonomic work environment to take as much stress off of our bodies as THE EDITORS possible. We see many very industry specific issues

that seem to arise due to the repetitive nature of our April Thomas Photo: MARINA PECORINO tasks. Making sure that you take care of your body will KENDRA JANE B go a long way to ensuring a long and happy career. The Point Editors We also need to build sustainable businesses by creating business plans and practices which ensure constant and continual growth at a calculated pace. Un- • Marina Pecorino checked growth in a business is neither realistic nor sustainable, and therefore should be avoided. lenge by reducing the use of supplies and tools, We can also strive to lessen our overall carbon foot- and thus reducing the need for additional pro- print within our shops. By making small changes in cessing and disposable products. For some our environment and routines, we can lessen our im- piercers, this is a perfect solution, but for oth- pact on the planet. It can be as easy as not printing ers, this may not be a change they’re prepared unnecessary receipts, switching to LED lightbulbs, or to undertake. installing a lower flow toilet. There’s also the unfortunate truth that our This issue will explore the idea of sustainability in work takes an emotional and physical toll on its many forms and how it can impact our careers and us, making burnout a very real possibility. the body modification industry in more ways than you Long hours on our feet and standing in strange Photo: Kendra Jane B. may have thought possible. We would love to hear how What WOULD positions can lead to muscle fatigue and joint Paul King do? you have made changes for a more sustainable career! pain for many. Hectic days when breaks are Email us at [email protected] scarce and meals may be a fantasy can leave us without the resources our body needs to maintain our pace. Add to that the emotional strain of taking on an especially challenging Monthly Mail-In Buy 8 get 2 FREE client, and you’ll be ready for bed as soon as ustainability touches many aspects of Spore Testing Service on ALL Blackjack Gloves! you get home. Even some of my most enjoy- Protecting and Supplying the our daily personal and professional Tattoo Industry with the finest: able and meaningful client experiences have (latex and non-latex) lives. In this issue, Kendra Jane provides Gloves Sterilization left me feeling drained. If we intend to sustain n Products tips for reducing our carbon footprint Face Masks n this profession, it’s important to remember & Shields Disposables YOUR NET PRICE: Sthrough structural improvements and office n n our self-care regimen; as the Volunteer duck- upgrades. Also, Jared Karnes of Onetribe dis- Disinfectants Protective Apparel $7.35 lings say, “What Would Paul King Do?” & Cleaners & Eyewear cusses sustainability and his discovery of permaculture from a manufacturing perspective. • Kendra Jane B Christina Shull shares some wisdom about When you hear the word “sustainability,” your how to establish a solid business and personal first thoughts might be of recycling soda cans budget, with a focus on financial planning and or composting your vegetable scraps. How- 12 Tests with Matching Controls Our Spore Testing services are available for retirement. ever, the idea of sustainability is one that can Steam/Autoclave, Chemical Vapor and Dry Heat For the safety of our clients and ourselves, be applied in a much broader sense to every sterilization cycles. Blackjack Blackjack it is an unfortunate consequence that our in- aspect of life. Things such as maintaining a North Bay Bioscience Monthly Service includes: Latex Gloves Nitrile Gloves n Prompt notification on all failed tests Powder-Free/Textured Powder-Free/Textured dustry is a heavy producer of waste. I’ve often sustainable work life balance; which in our in- n Email Statement of Test Results Available: XS, S, M, L & XL Available: XS, S, M, L & XL been morbidly curious to know how much dustry seems very difficult for many. Creating n Secure access to test results online 24 hours a #LG-8000 Series #NG-8000 Series weight in garbage an average piercing room a healthy balance of piercing and non-pierc- day, 7 days a week n Email Reminders to Test generates in a day, but that newfound knowl- ing related activities is something I struggle n 24 hour incubation of Steam Tests edge would more than likely make me sad. with myself almost daily. However, I believe it n Gram staining verification on all failed tests As we look toward the future of our pro- is important to realize that we all need down- n A control strip that accompanies each test strip n Certificate of Participation fession and our planet, I think it’s important time and we all need to foster the passions we to bring sustainability to the forefront of our have in life outside of our piercing room. In 1.800.289.7786 n [email protected] n www.nbbs.com minds. Some studios are taking on this chal- the long run it makes us better piercers.

4 THE POINT ISSUE 78 5 THE PRESIDENT’S CORNER JEF SAUNDERS APP President

s you may know, I currently serve as safe piercing jewelry has become more and both President and Membership Li- more the norm in shops all over the world. This aison. I feel that this is a very exciting welcome exchange of ideas has illuminated the time to be involved in all aspects of path to APP membership, but more important- AAPP Membership; there are more tools at our ly safer piercing practices worldwide. disposal than ever before. The entire APP benefits from the assistance Technological advances have made shoot- so many of our Members have given to pro- ing videos and photographing documents spective applicants. The volunteers within the easier than ever. In years past, a new applicant APP work so hard to make the organization would have to shoot a VHS or DVD, along effective, and they have my sincere gratitude. with photocopies of all of their compliance I also want to say thank you to those of you documentation. They would then ship it in the within our organization and within our com- mail to our office, where it was forwarded to a munity that supply piercers with so much person on our Membership Committee, who health and safety information and education. would review it. Then it would be shipped to a The growth our organization has experienced second person on our Membership Commit- wouldn’t have happened without you. tee for review. To maintain this growth and continue to If an applicant made a small fulfill our mission of health and safety edu- The volunteers within the mistake, it could take months cation, the APP is taking steps to streamline of letters and phone calls to the membership application process. We are APP work so hard to make make an important change doing this by developing a digital application the organization effective, and appropriately document which we are hoping to unveil very soon. This and they have my sincere it. Now, we can instantly re- digital application should result in fewer miss- gratitude. spond with requests for missing documents, making each step easier for ing documents or quick fixes applicants to understand as well as committee of minor mistakes in an ap- members and the office staff to process. It is plicant’s piercing studio. This means far fewer my hope that this simpler, digital application declination letters have to be sent over minimal will allow the APP to continue growing the errors. The Membership Committee sees these way it has over the past five years. mistakes and then gets to engage in one-on- In addition to a digital application, the APP one health and safety education that makes a is in the process of automating certain aspects real difference in our community. The current of membership compliance and recordkeep- Membership Committee (Cody Vaughn, Mon- ing. Soon, internal documents will be upload- ica Sabin, Coyote Black, Johnny Velez, Aaron ed directly to Member records, and Members Pollack, Darrin Walters and now Sean Phillips) will be granted access to upload external doc- have my thanks for the amazing number of ap- umentation (like First Aid and CPR). These plications and renewals they have processed records will be available to the Membership BIJOUX™ SIDE-SET during my term as Membership Liaison. Committee and APP staff for review. This is an It is impossible to fully understand the im- ongoing project in the beta phase, but I have GEMMED BAR COLLECTION pact of internet forums, such as the Body very high hopes that it will be a huge success Modification Learning Forum and the APP in making membership accessible to more and

Toll Free: 1.888.298.7766 Info: [email protected] Non-Member Forum, in popularizing the use more piercers, while also making maintaining PH: 315.402.2136 www.LeRoi.com of safe jewelry and up-to-date health and safety membership even simpler. FX: 315.297.4167 practices. There was a time when jewelry com- Stay tuned over the next months as we hope pliance issues were the chief hurdle for most to see these great projects revealed to the piercers in joining the APP. With these forums, membership.

6 THE POINT ISSUE 78 7 Second to the paperwork we create in our shops is of our own shop and look at what our neighbour- REDUCING YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT the paper that just shows up. Junk mail may be one hoods and cities offer. Working with other like mind- of the most wasteful things known to man. There are ed businesses to support and cross promote one an- IN THE PIERCING INDUSTRY free services that will remove you from mailing lists, in other is a great way to not only decrease your carbon KENDRA JANE B hopes of eliminating waste before it starts. If recycling footprint, but to increase your business. As an added The Point Editor bins are not already easily accessible, this can be an- bonus, you’ll be building great relationships. Chanc- other quick, easy office upgrade. Put them near water es are, there are businesses in your area that are also he idea of being a more environmentally con- make sure to recycle them through e-recycling com- coolers and next to the photocopier. trying to improve their sustainability. Network with scientious business is not new, although it is panies or manufacturer take-back programs. Make Another super easy addition to your sustainable shop them and use their services when you can. Part of not necessarily the first thing you think of in sure the option you choose has some sound data-wip- arsenal is a digital thermostat with program functional- being a green business is ensuring that your supply reference to tattoo and piercing shops. At home ing procedures in place to keep your data secure. ity to lower the temperature when no one is in the shop. chain is green too. Seek out green vendors for your Tmaybe you are already living a greener life; upcycling, You aren’t working all hours of the night (at least Take your heat conservation the extra step if your shop business needs, whether it is printing business cards, sorting your curbside recyclables, and buying your I hope not), so why does your computer need to be is located in a climate that would benefit from some hosting your website, or manufacturing the products food locally. Meanwhile at work, the computer stays on? Turn off everything you possibly can before you winterizing; seal windows and doors so heat or cold air you sell. on all night, you use only one side of printer paper leave the office each day. Make sure to keep lights off is not escaping and seal gaps in floorboards. Of course there are always additional steps you can and the climate controls keep it a constant 68 degrees in unused rooms throughout the day and turn off all If studio structure improvements are possible, there take to make any shop more sustainable, and the only all year long. It’s easy to let the green routine slide at lights when leaving. This can be simplified by install- are many things that can be done to increase the build- way to make progress is to know where you’re head- work, since it’s not technically your space. However, ing motion sensor light switches where applicable, or ing’s energy efficiency. Install insulated windows for ed. It is important to keep up with environmental you may also fall on the other end of the spectrum, consolidating electronic plugs so you are able to turn better temperature regulation. Look into a tune up news and green business trends to identify areas you being the shop’s outspoken green warrior. The nicest off minimal power strips or switches at the end of the for the heating/cooling systems to make sure they are can improve on. Making checklists of green business thing about working towards more sustainable busi- day. Make use of power management options on elec- operating at peak efficiency. Buy energy-saving appli- practices to implement and setting deadlines can en- ness practices is that these changes can be eco-friend- tronics, such as programming the computer to turn off ances that are Energy Star-rated or look into upgrad- sure that things get completed in a timely manner. As ly while potentially reducing overhead costs. So even automatically at a certain time each night, just in case ing old equipment like inefficient boilers or furnaces. you make changes, small or large, it is important to if the benefits to the planet are hard to see, those ben- it is forgotten. You can also set your monitor to turn If you’re lucky enough to be able to afford a shop re- keep measuring this progress. As you make a major efits to your bottom line may be more visible. off after a few minutes of inactivity. And never leave model, go green from the floor to the skylights. Use change, review energy consumption reports of the It is hard to know where you can improve if you don’t things like cell phone chargers plugged in when you’re eco-friendly flooring options made from renewable or building and re-evaluate using carbon footprint cal- take a measure of where you are currently. Some areas not using them. They still draw energy, regardless of recycled materials. Use sustainable fabrics made from culators. It’s easy to get gung-ho about being greener, of your shop may be very green, while you may have whether there’s anything plugged into them. hemp or bamboo for window coverings, or get them only to have the efforts fall by the wayside when a room for improvement in other areas. Rather than just One of the easiest things an office can do to reduce second hand. Lengths of bamboo make great curtain busy time hits. Create a positive environment where going into this with guesswork, I would encourage you waste is to keep an eye on paper. Paper makes up about rods, too. The sustainable options are only as limited positive change and growth towards sustainability is to keep measurable data on how well you are doing in 35% of the waste stream—even though it’s one of the as your imagination. embraced even in an industry where being dispos- the sustainability realm. The simplest way is to use any easiest materials to re-use and recycle. You don’t need Now that we have looked at a few simple things able is encouraged! Revel in the many ways we can one of many online carbon footprint calculators. Once to print every e-mail. Just organize your inbox to make (and a couple more involved as well) let’s step outside work to reduce our carbon footprint. you have done the calculations you will have a great e-mails easier to find and reference. You can encour- baseline to work from. Although some of the ideas listed age others not to print unnecessary paperwork as well. are small and easily implemented, others are larger and Make back-up copies of important files and keep them much more in depth undertakings. This means that it is on an external drive or cloud storage, instead of stor- important to remember this is not an all or nothing sce- ing boxes of paper files. When you do need to print nario and in fact each small thing you do to create a more important documents, make sure you use a sustain- sustainable shop environment will add up over time. able paper, and set your printer or copier to print on Let’s start with the physical environment and struc- both sides of the page. ture of the studios we work in and own. This can be The idea of going paperless is still a future reality for as easy or in-depth as you want it to be. On the sim- many places. That being said, many shops throughout ple and easily accomplished end of the list you can the world have successfully gone to paperless options start with switching to LED and other energy-saving for waivers and aftercare. There are well known pro- light bulbs; even a small change like this can create a grams which will allow you to sign PDF files digitally, as measurable difference in your building’s energy usage. well as create PDF documents with signature fields for The shop can purchase energy-saving models of office clients to sign. There are also different digital programs equipment, such as Energy Star-approved comput- made specifically for tattoo and piercing shops. In fact ers, LCD monitors, printers, and photocopiers. When we even offered a class taught by Alicia Cardenas at our your electronics have reached the end of their life, 2015 APP Conference about going paperless.

8 THE POINT ISSUE 78 9 Every Dollar: Budget, Manage Money, Track Spend- tion. Increasing the amount of taxes that are deduct- FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY FOR YOUR BUSINESS ing—This application is offered by money manage- ed from your paycheck is the easiest way to have your CHRISTINA SHULL ment professional, Dave Ramsey, who is one of the taxes paid in full at the end of the year or at least get leading experts on financial planning for retirement close. Maybe you’ll even get a return! If the money is usiness sustainability in the piercing • Personal and eliminating debt. This is a great program for bud- taken off your check before you even cash it, you won’t industry generally requires financial • Groceries geting, and I love the ease in which you can view how have to worry about the money burning a hole in your pocket. This works well for hourly employees and sala- planning, unless you plan on liv- • Gas your monthly spending was planned, compared to ing with your parents for the rest of how much has been spent and how much is remain- ried workers alike, and is very easy to setup and update • Medical bills yourB life or you have landed a sugar daddy or ing. However, you cannot sync this with your financial as needed. Since direct deposit can usually be setup mama. Knowing and doing what it takes to • Pet care/child care accounts unless you pay a $9.99 monthly subscription to transfer money into multiple accounts, I person- keep your finances in order is important. Re- • Clothing to EveryDollar Plus. I like the formatting and ease of ally have my salary automatically deposited into two gardless of whether you are a staff member or • Entertainment and dining out entering and editing transactions a little more in this separate accounts. Every two weeks, one account gets program. half of my mortgage payment and the other account the owner of a studio, both positions require • Both Personal and Business a healthy cash flow and good money manage- Overall, I personally favor the Mint program more gets the rest of the money. This allows me to always • Rent ment skills. I am going to lightly touch on a due to the free financial account syncing and addition- have money set aside for when my mortgage is due. If variety of financial planning topics that apply • Insurance al features offered. you’re doing the math, you’ll realize that I am also able to everybody in the piercing industry and I • Utilities Once you have a sense of how much money you are to make one additional full mortgage payment a year encourage you to use this article as a jumping • Loans making versus how much you are spending, you can on this system, which has a very positive impact on point to explore these topics and start work- • Telephone start budgeting. I know budgeting sounds boring, but my loan principal, especially early in the agreement. Having money automatically transferred into savings, ing towards better financial success. • Internet trust me: it is going to make a world of difference in Understanding your cash flow is as im- your financial future. It is easy to casually spend mon- or into an account for taxes, is a great way to avoid portant for staff members as it is for business Tracking your current spending habits can ey as things come up. Planning your spending for the the temptation of spending the money. Talk with your owners, al- be done in a variety of ways. I can tell you month makes it is much harder to randomly spend accountant about paying quarterly or even monthly if It is crucial that you truly know how much though hour- from personal experience that the various money, allowing you to strategically cut from one or you are not currently required to do so. This is espe- apps available are easier for tracking person- money is coming in and how much money is ly or salaried more categories as necessary. For example: you will be cially helpful for independent contractors and certain employees al spending. They are just so much simpler to more likely to think twice about blowing a hundred business entities that only need to pay their taxes after going out. do have an use than trying to keep track of your spend- dollars on things you don’t need when you start de- the end of the calendar year. These smaller and more advantage ing habits on paper. I have tried a handful of ducting that amount from your grocery money. When frequent payments can feel more manageable and at- in this due to having an income that can be different apps and discuss my two favorites you have the basic budgeting down it is time to start tainable to many people. more steady and predictable. It is crucial that below. There is no excuse for not trying out adding in some new expenses that might not be in your Eliminating debt is a big aspect of financial success you truly know how much money is coming one or both of these apps, because both are current budget. Putting money into a savings account and happiness. Budgeting and planning is the most ef- in and how much money is going out. The un- available as free downloads. monthly or even bi-weekly is one of the easiest things fective way to start chipping away at debt. You can find derstanding of your income to output is nec- Mint: Personal Finance, Budget, Bills & Mon- you can do to start creating short-term financial stabil- a lot of wonderful and manageable tips on eliminating essary to start budgeting and improving your ey—This application is offered by the makers ity. Having an emergency fund can be vital to staying debt through a wide variety of books and programs. financial situation. Take the time to estimate of Intuit and TurboTax, and if you have ever on track financially if you experience a setback. These On a very minimal salary, I paid off tens of thousands what you might spend on various purchasing used programs from either company, you know emergency savings can keep you from going into debt of dollars of debt that I had acquired before I became a categories and then compare that to what you that many of their products are straightforward if you end up with unexpected medical bills, home business owner. I was also able to use these techniques ended up spending. You will probably be very and easy to use. This program provides a more or auto repairs, sudden unemployment, or any of the to improve my financial situation enough to purchase surprised to find out how much you really do complete picture of your finances by bringing other stressful surprises that life can throw your way. a home less than two years after I opened my business. spend on certain things. together your bank accounts, credit cards, bills When I first started my business, I was hardly paying There are many different approaches and theories for Some examples of different expenses as an and investments so you can get an overview of myself because I invested most of my business income the best way to pay off debt and these techniques alone individual or business owner can include: where you are at. There are also some great fea- back into my studio. Even then, I started by setting could be an entire series of articles. aside $50 a month. Later on, I bumped it up to $100 a Want quick suggestions? Create projections and plan • Business: tures such as staying up to date on your credit score (and getting pointers for how to improve month, which wasn’t missed much from each paycheck accordingly. Don’t let your tax burden at the end of the • Inventory it), bill payment reminders (to decrease the like- even though I was only paying myself a small salary. year be a total surprise that results in scrambling to • Piercing supplies lihood of being late on a payment), and the abil- Setting aside money for your taxes is another cru- come up with the money. If you are a business owner, • Janitorial items ity to create budgets. My favorite thing about cial part of your budgeting and planning. Whether we you are most likely required to pay taxes quarterly or • Payroll this program is that you can sync your various are talking about individual or business taxes, it is a monthly, as mentioned above. If you are an independent • Office supplies financial accounts with Mint, so your financial wise decision to set the money aside for when they are contractor, you should be planning for when you need to pay your taxes. Talk with an accountant, SCORE men- • Advertising, printing transactions are automatically updated and you due. If temptation to spend the money is too great, only need to manually enter cash transactions. there are a handful of ways to minimize the tempta- tor, tax advisor, or other professional who can help you

10 THE POINT ISSUE 78 11 figure out how to project your estimated taxes and how to measure the projections throughout the year. The big finaleo t this article is a very long and daunt- ing subject that would need much more time to cover extensively. Thankfully, you can attend a course at the 22nd annual APP Conference this year on the subject: “Do Piercers get to Retire? Financial Planning 101 for our Industry.” Retirement planning is crucial in an industry that does not have retirement plans offered commonly as a benefit. I hope to see that change in the future and personally have retirement plans for my studio staff written into my ten year business plan. However, until the industry starts offering retirement plans, it is up to each of us individually to plan for our retirement. I encourage you to sit down with a financial advisor and talk with them about how you can get started investing in your future. There are plenty of resources available to help you come up with a financially successful plan, including a plethora of information on the internet, investing and financial planning classes, countless books and programs, and various business professionals. Talk with friends and colleagues as well, maybe they have some great ideas and insight that you can adapt. It is never too early to start working towards a brighter financial future! “Essential reading…”* running the gauntlet An Intimate History of the Modern Body Piercing Movement by Jim Ward In this revealing autobiography, Jim Ward, considered by many to be the father of the modern piercing industry, tells the engaging and candid story of discovering his own fascination with body piercing, his founding of Gauntlet, the world’s first body piercing studio, and how he transformed a personal fetish and backroom, amateur pursuit into a respected profession and spearheaded a world-wide social phenomenon. Essential reading for everyone with an interest in body piercing; you, your shop staff, and your customers will treasure this book. for more information and to order a copy of Running the Gauntlet signed especially for you by the author, visit runningthegauntlet-book.com. Also available wholesale and retail at safepiercing.org/publications/ running-the-gauntlet. “Essential reading for* anyone who wants to • Deluxe, large-format hardcover understand how modern body piercing arrived at the place it currently occupies.” • Over 180 pages James Weber, Former President • More than 250 photos, over half of them in color! Association of Professional Piercers www.runningthegauntlet-book.com

12 wHOlESAlE ORDERS NOw AvAIlABlE THROugH THETHE APP! POINT ISSUE 78 13 The Piercing bible The definiTiVe gUide To sAfe body Piercing by Elayne Angel

This one-of-a-kind comprehensive resource covers everything piercers and piercees need to know about the subject. Piercing pioneer and authority Elayne Angel shares her exhaustive knowledge about piercing techniques, jewelry, placements, aftercare, troubleshooting, and more.

ABOuT THE AuTHOR - ELAYnE AnGEL has been a professional piercer for more than 20 years and has performed over 40,000 piercings. She was awarded the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award by the Association of Professional Piercers in 2006 and is a contributing writer for PAIN Magazine. She lives in Mérida, Mexico. Visit www.piercingbible.com for more information.

Available for wholesale or retail purchase through the APP office: 1 (888) 888-1APP or APP website: www. safepiercing.org $20.00 A portion of the proceeds from each sale goes to the APP. PaPerBack

To sell The Piercing Bible in your studio, 6 x 9 Inches place a “retailer order” with the publisher: Photos & IllustratIons email [email protected] 308 Pages or call 800.733.3000, ext. 86384 ISBN: 978-1-58091-193-1 ciples were the key to a true sense of sustainability. ment through interaction and discovery, we began to SUSTAINABILITY—LEARNING TO CULTIVATE However, the more research and planning I did, the learn more about how the world worked, our place JARED KARNES more I felt something was missing from my sustain- in it, and how we could change it both for better and Onetribe ability equation. for worse. We understood and appreciated our de- I am constantly looking at both the past and the pendence on our place. I discovered that the thread rowing up, if given the chance, I hur- current world around me for jewelry design inspi- connecting these cultures is a universal feeling of “the ried toward the forest at any avail- ration. I have a particular interest in Mesoamerican sacred.” A rooted sense that we depend on and are inable opportunity. I would stand in cultures, and over the course of years spent admiring timately connected to our place. stillness, watching the sunlight fil- their artwork, I have noticed the frequent depiction The sense of interconnectedness and interdepen- terG down through the tree canopy with the of important plants in jewelry and crafts. You may be dence that I experienced as a child in the woods, a branches swaying in the wind. It was obvious to pleased to learn that body modifying cultures, and in feeling that you may have had at some point in your me that I was a part of something larger. I knew particular those cultures of the Americas, domesticat- own life, is missing from our conversations about sus- I belonged here and that the sun, wind, trees, ed the majority of the plants we eat today. The con- tainability. Permaculture sometimes felt methodical and myself were always changing. I could see, nections between body modification and the history and cold until I had the insight that it was a tool, rather both physically and mentally, the connections of agriculture fascinated me, and I became obsessed than an inspiration. I had lost my connection with the between places, wildlife, and people. In school with the ethnobotanical aspects of the cultures from sacred. That feeling had faded as I became a workahol- while learning biology and earth sciences, I dis- which many of our body modification practices are ic business owner. Sustainability became something I covered scientific validation for my feeling that descended. It is possible to find mythology containing did and not something I lived, and my definition of we needed to pay more attention to the effects reverence for plants and the greater environment in sustainability had not been broad enough to encom- that our actions have, not just on the people Multi-Piece Mayan Jade Ear Flares by cultures from the Americas to China and everywhere pass myself and my own needs and relationships. The around us, but everything else. Onetribe. Photo by Jared Karnes in between. As humanity came to know our environ- realization that true sustainability begins with making I started Onetribe at the end of 2002 and beginning 2003, in the midst of a growing “green” We had a garden when I was young, and movement. A philosophy of conservation and thankfully I’ve never forgotten how amazing it awareness for nature manifested in several as- is to watch a seed grow into food. I was rein- pects of my business; using soy inks and recy- troduced to gardening during business travel cled packaging as well as shredding our junk through Southeast Asia, and I started explor- mail for padding our shipments. As the years ing the environmental and social impacts of progressed, I dedicated considerable resources industrial agriculture and subsistence farm- to building our local showroom using as many ing. At home, as the conversation about local green mate- food, food access, and community self-suffi- rials as pos- ciency began to grow, I dove headfirst into the The concept of cultivation as purposeful sible. Sus- urban agriculture movement and co-founded attentiveness and care that starts with our- tainability a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to nutrition ed- selves and radiates outward is a powerful was the new ucation and food activism. It was during this period that, quite by accident, I stumbled and empowering world view. buzz and we were all in. onto the concept of Permaculture. One day, Onetribe was a wrong turn led to an invitation for tea at a growing, and we frequently (and sometimes stranger’s house and a conversation that be- heatedly) discussed the extent to which sus- gan to change my view of sustainability. tainability would influence our decisions. Body To put it simply, Permaculture is an agricul- modification had become both a personal ob- tural design framework based on the concept session and a way to make a living. Unfortu- of interconnectedness. It is meant to closely nately, I found it increasingly difficult to recon- mimic the diversity and balance found in our cile capitalism with environmental and social natural environment. Permaculture has value sustainability. As my responsibilities grew, it in the larger context of our lives because it is became harder to hold onto that youthful con- grounded in the pursuit of an equitable exis- nection with the world and sustainability be- tence. I realized Permaculture could provide came a source of stress. I felt guilt and constant an ethical framework for making decisions tension between growing a business and reduc- about how my actions influenced the world ing my impact on the environment. around me, and I believed that these prin-

14 THE POINT ISSUE 78 15 • Catch and Store Energy: Energy is a resource that many of them love to collect stones. I also know flows between entities in a system. Maximizing many people who love my work but cannot wear it, storage and use, whether it’s rainwater, solar pow- and I would love to engage those folks by using the er, or our own personal energy (I’m looking at you, edges and valuing the margins of my business to ex- seven day a week piercers) creates more stable pand my reach. I have become good at catching and outcomes. On the business front, energy takes the storing energy in the form of rough materials, and form of resources or capital. Making some effort to noticed many of them are not often collected. I have catch and store allows us to take advantage of pos- been looking for a way to utilize materials not suit- itive opportunities, sustain through slow seasons, able for jewelry in an effort to produce no waste. I or make positive impacts within our communities believe this is especially important because resources (return of surplus). have already been used to bring these materials to my • Obtain a Yield: Define and work toward goals. When door. My business landscape is changing as some of I plant a garden, I start by understanding how much my long time employees have moved on to fulfill their food I want for myself and others and work back- own goals. In an effort to creatively use and respond ward from there. In business, plan for sustainable to change, I designed a new product that allows me growth and profit to catch and store or redirect into to obtain a yield from all of my existing tools, skill our communities. sets, and materials. My Lithicoin collectible stone coin project launched recently and I have realized • Produce No Waste: I have found this is easier in per- the value of diversity by growing my customer base sonal life than in business. How many pairs of gloves and creating new income from existing resources, all you use in a week is not as important as the safety with little negative impact. Coming full circle, an in- of your customer, but where can you work to offset tangible but very important aspect of this is a larger this impact? Is there any waste that can be reused platform to connect with others by using natural ma- or repurposed? Even knowledge can be considered terials to inspire a greater closeness to the earth. waste or byproduct. This article is a byproduct of learning to run my business. Sustainability, which I once viewed as simply a • Use and Value Diversity: Diversity creates robust matter of reduce, reuse, and recycle, has become a and stable ecosystems, and this benefit has been constantly evolving process of cultivation. Onetribe Lithicoins—a new way to collect stones for reference and inspiration identified in human societies as well. Engage with your community to increase diversity in both your space in our lives for these connections has allowed • Care for People—Everyone deserves access to the personal and business life. Diversifying personal While my businesses are what I do to sustain my me to balance my personal and business needs while resources needed for survival. relationships makes us well rounded, compassion- family, they are also a tool I use to care for the earth ate, and useful people. Diversity in business leads to and the people around me. No system is perfect, and still minimizing my overall impact on the world. • Return of Surplus—Sometimes referred to as “Fair more stable income streams and less risk. it would be an outright lie for me to imply that my While developing these ideas, I came to love the Share,” this is one of the tenets that is most at odds lifestyle and business actions cause zero harm to oth- word “cultivate” to describe my belief that the con- with traditional capitalism. Return of surplus dic- • Use edges and value the marginal: Often the edges er beings or places. Acknowledging this is a first step cepts of permaculture combined with a personal tates that we reinvest surpluses back into our sys- of an ecosystem (where water meets land or field for all of us. Sustainability, which I once viewed as connection to our place can allow us to care for our- tems to benefit earth and people. meets forest) contain the most activity and thus selves and what’s around us simultaneously. The con- simply a matter of reduce, reuse, and recycle, has be- Some guiding principles from Permaculture: opportunity. Look to the fringes of your social cir- cept of cultivation as purposeful attentiveness and cle and your business to discover opportunities for come a constantly evolving process of cultivation. I care that starts with ourselves and radiates outward growth and ways to continue cultivating yourself have learned to view sustainability as being not just • Observe and Interact: Only when we take time to about the environment, but about me, you, and ev- is a powerful and empowering world view. It offers carefully observe will we fully realize the extent of and your community. an opportunity to view ourselves and our businesses erything else. I genuinely believe that humanity can our relationships with people and place, and pro- • Creatively Use and Respond to Change: Everything prosper while reducing our negative impacts and al- as small parts of a larger whole and identify our rela- actively cultivate success. I had a conversation in around us is constantly changing and this is really tionships and opportunities in a more organic way. It lowing our world to thrive. It will not happen pas- 2016 with Badur Ramji from PunkMedics about the the essence of life. Embracing this rather than fight- sively, though. It is not possible to build peace and also encourages us to take responsibility for the neg- lack of data collection in our industry, but I recently ing it has given me a much more open and coopera- ative impacts we impose on the world and actively prosperity on a foundation of destruction. We must read an article by Jim Weber about his studio shar- tive view of the world and my place in it. fall in love with the world around us and take pro- design our existence rather than being passengers. ing graphs and observations about their customer In addition to reading and understanding these active steps to design our society rather than being base and this is a promising step forward. It’s easy The Core Tenets of Permaculture guidelines, it’s important to understand how to im- passengers in a society built to move us from birth to extend this into visualizing our positive and neg- plement them. Through observation and interaction through consumption and death with little regard for • Care for the Earth—We can't thrive unless the eco- ative impacts, also. systems we rely on are thriving. with my customers over the years, I’ve realized that the impact. We must learn to cultivate.

16 THE POINT ISSUE 78 17 Repeating the results in 2015, nostril pierc- It’s no surprise that a lot of what we do are PIERCING STATISTICS ings were the most popular service we offered different ear piercings. The breakdown of ear JAMES WEBER in 2016. We performed 1690 of them, just be- piercings done in 2016 is below: Infinite Body Piercing hind our 2015 number of 1697 nostril pierc- We did 3,785 ear piercings in 2016. This ings. For the second year in a row, the nostril works out to over 315 ear piercings per month, piercing is king—or queen, really, since the almost 73 per week, and an average of 10.3 ear or several years, adult little over 78 per week, and on average over 11 overwhelming majority of our nostril piercing piercings every day. These accounted for ap- Fvideo streaming site per day—and that’s in addition to clients we clients are women. proximately 44.4% of total piercings. PornHub has re- see for piercings. In 2016, 32% of our services Our second most popular piercing is the Facial and Oral Piercings leased statistics on were jewelry insertions, with piercings mak- nipple. In all we did 333 single nipple piercings the viewing hab- ing up 68% of what we did last year. and 637 double nipple piercings—making for 1607 nipples pierced in 2016. Not surprising- its of their us- 2016 Total Piercings, by Type ers. Wondering ly, in third and fourth place for most-request- what search ed piercings in 2016 were outer helix piercings terms are most and earlobe piercings, with 1092 and 1070 popular with performed respectively. Rounding out the top online porn five was septum piercings, with 637 done in consumers? 2016. You can see a breakdown of everything What country we did in 2016, below. has the highest Two piercings absent from this year’s list percentage of fe- that were on last year’s are tongue webbing male viewers? Who the piercings (we did eleven in 2015) and cheek most-searched fictional mov- piercings (we did four that year). This could ie characters are? How much viewership be because people didn’t request them, or the dips during the Super Bowl? Want to know piercing staff talked clients out of them. (They how each of last year’s Presidential debates are both problematic piercings: the tongue affected porn viewing in the United States? webbing for keeping it from migrating; and It’s all in PornHub’s 2016 Year in Review. Re- cheek piercings for getting them to heal.) Or gardless of your attitudes or tastes regarding maybe it’s a little bit of both. adult films, it is fascinating to see a snap- Ear Piercing Numbers shot—albeit from a single, English-language adult site—about adult video viewing habits We performed 2427 different non-ear facial worldwide. In this spirit, we decided to take a piercings in 2016, including nostril, septum, look at our own 2016 piercing statistics for the eyebrow, and bridge piercings, and 312 oral services we offer at the studio. While we don’t piercings, including lip, labret, beauty mark, have access to the tremendous user data and philtrum, and tongue piercings. Facial pierc- demographic breakdown that PornHub does, ings accounted for approximately 28% of total we can easily break down the number and In total, the piercers here at Infinite piercings, while oral piercings accounted for type of services we provided in 2016 through under 4%. our POS system. did 8722 piercings in 2016. This works out to First, it’s important to note that new pierc- an average of 727 piercings per month, 168 Genital Piercing Numbers ings aren’t the only service we offer; we change per week, and 24 piercings per day. If you add 330 genital piercings were performed in jewelry and stretch piercings for clients, free in our 4,062 jewelry insertions and piercing 2016: 217 female genital piercings, and 113 of charge, regardless of whether the original stretches, that comes to an average of 1065 male genital piercings. Measured against piercing was done at our studio. (Just tip your procedures per month, 246 each week, and our total numbers, genital piercings account piercer!) It’s a continuing service for our re- 35 clients per day, every day! for just under 4% of our total piercings. turning customers, and a bit of outreach to After jewelry insertions, the top five ser- Themost popular female genital piercing, customers we haven’t pierced—at least not vices we performed for clients were, in order: by a large margin, was the clitoral hood pierc- yet. As a result, we did a whopping 4,062 jew- nostril piercings, nipple piercings, outer he- ing—it was number eleven on the overall list elry insertions and piercings stretches in 2016. lix piercings, earlobe piercings, and then sep- of most popular piercings—with a surprising That’s 338.5 jewelry insertions per month, a tum piercings. five Princess Albertina piercings done last

18 THE POINT ISSUE 78 19 ing matters at the studio.) We had a few months at the UPDATE FROM beginning of the year, between the departure of John Logger and the hiring of Zach, when we had quite a THE SECRETARY few guests seeing clients at the studio. You can see the AARON POLLACK breakdown with the accompanying chart. This has been an exciting year so far for the APP. Our Clients, by Gender First off, thank you to everyone who participated in our 2016-17 Elections. These elections were to fill four positions on the Board of Directors. Steve Joyner, Jef Saunders, and Cody Vaughn will all be returning for second terms on the Board. Brian Skellie will be joining the Board at the con- clusion of Conference 2017. Congratulations! Camp APP hosted a great group discussion on the potential to add rose gold to the initial piercing jewelry standard for Membership. After discussion with APP Members, past board members, and jewelry manufacturers, the Board vot- ed to include the following in the Initial Piercing How does this break down by category? Facial Jewelry Standard for Membership: piercings account for 28% of what we did last year, oral “Gold (yellow, white, or rose) is appropriate for piercings 4%, ear piercings a whopping 44%, nipple initial piercings if it is solid 14k or 18k, alloyed for piercings 19%, genital piercings 4%, and navel pierc- biocompatibility, and free from nickel or cadmi- ings a small 1% of our totals. um. Gold higher than 18k is too soft for body jew- year. The most popular male genital piercing was the It goes without saying that we do a lot of piercings. elry because it can easily be scratched or nicked. Prince Albert piercing, followed closely behind by the We’re not the average studio though. We’ve been in Gold lower than 14k, gold plated, gold-filled, or frenum piercing. Robert and Ed also inserted fourteen business over twenty years, we have an amazing staff gold overlay/vermeil jewelry is not acceptable for genital beads on nine different clients. and reputation, and we’re also in a large city (the fifth fresh piercings.” largest in the United States) without a lot of competi- Piercing Totals by Category and Piercer Registration is now open for the 22nd annual tion. (Restrictive zoning regulations limit the number APP Conference & Exposition! Check your email of tattoo and piercing studios in most areas of Phil- Who are the people coming in for our services? Un- for your invite, or through our website at www. adelphia.) As a result, we’re easily one of the busiest fortunately, we don’t have detailed demographic data safepiercing.org to get registered. piercing studios in the U.S., and these numbers are in on our clients, such as age or location. We can pore no way indicative of the volume of clients seen in an over release forms for much of this information, but that is prohibitively time-consuming. What we have “average” studio, if there even is such a thing, so these In contrast to our lack of more detailed information done, though, is go through last December’s clients’ numbers shouldn’t be seen as representative of the on our clients, Facebook has excellent (insidious?) tools forms to determine the gender breakdown of our cus- volume of services performed at other studios. for demographics. Through our page analytics, we’re tomers. While it’s obvious more women than men We have four piercers on staff—with two scheduled able to get an age breakdown of our Facebook fans: come in for our services, it was surprising to find out together on weekdays and all four scheduled and ro- 50% are aged 25-34; 22% are aged 18-24; 17% aged 35- just how big the discrepancy is. An overwhelming per- tating through weekend shifts—with various guest 44; 8% are over 45 years old, with less than 3% under centage of our clients are women, in reality just under piercers helping us out during any staff transitions and/ 18 years old. Unfortunately, this most likely says more 90%, while a little over 10% of our piercing clients are or during extended vacation times with our regular about Facebook’s audience than ours. men. This also includes our numerous trans clients. staff. If we track the piercing totals by piercer, you get a Whew! Congratulations if you’ve made it this far. (This is why we refer to “female” or “male” genital breakdown of the percentage of piercings performed by Statistics can be either fascinating or tedious, and we piercings, but break down our clients between “men” each member of our piercing staff. Robert and Andru hope we’ve presented these in enough of an engaging and “women.”) We also have quite a few clients who both saw a quarter of last year’s clients, with Eduardo way that everyone can geek out on these numbers as identify outside of the gender binary, but at this time seeing slightly less. (As head piercer at the studio, Ed’s much as we did. responsibilities often mean some of the other piercers their numbers are few when compared to the total cli- are seeing clients while Ed is taking care of other press- ent numbers. This article is republished from the Infinite Body Piercing website.

20 THE POINT ISSUE 78 21 by men, I worked hard to earn that respect. all do to help the industry, I’m still impressed They saw how well I could handle the car - by it. Colleagues work together, educate each I could turn, twist it in any corner or small other, and share information, no matter who road. The competition was still intense be- you are. Whether you’re just getting started tween funeral directors. No one would offer or you’ve been a piercer for years, there’s al- any guidance, and even though people are ways someone that will cheer for you or push free to choose their funeral homes, if rival you harder to reach your goals. In our indus- directors noticed you were encroaching on try, people will make you feel at home while their territory they would go so far as to slan- reminding you that if you stand still, you don’t der you to potential clients. get anywhere. If you really want to get some- After over eighteen years of working as a where you need to work hard and fight for it. Top to bottom: our sign; our first hearse, licensed care and body restorator and man- However, most piercers understand that it’s a a chevy, with flower's; 1994—my dad and ager of the company, when the time came whole lot easier if you have help. I know there I posing. I wore black, skirts, and thick my brother and I didn’t want to take over the are many different industries out there and stockings to cover my tattoos. business. We grew up in the field, but it was competition can be hard, but after comparing never the career either of us would have cho- my experiences in these industries, I’m happy sen. We stayed at our jobs until our mother and proud to be a piercer! retired in 2012. In preparation for her retirement, I started to seek a new career path and began an apprenticeship at a local tattoo shop in 2010. Tattoos and piercings always inspired me. Even though I had to hide my body art, I loved having it and always dreamt about owning my own shop. It might be weird to say considering my previous line of work, but I guess I have always had an interested in working with bodies. So I started to seek and absorb every piece of information that I could find on piercing in an attempt to gain as much knowledge CONFESSIONS OF A FUNERAL DIRECTOR about it as possible. I quickly established ANGIE VAN DIJKEN that I couldn’t find much about it in Holland. Thankfully, the world seems a whole lot small- hile I was growing up, my par- group of pallbearers were shared between sev- er thanks to things like the internet and Face- ents started their own funeral eral undertakers; we were often last when it book. I started to read all kinds of educational business. My dad was a sacristan came to planning. As a result, we were often forums and websites, as well as befriend oth- and had several jobs to make it short on people when pallbearers were need- er piercers via social media. The longer I dug Whappen. In those times, we were stereotyped ed. It was a constant struggle and respect was around, the more amazed I became in regards as crows who wore top hats and long, black not easily earned. Yet, my parents persevered to this industry. Colleagues have been very frocks. My mom was the one with all the nec- and built a name for themselves in the region. friendly, taking time to answer any questions essary licensing and qualifications, but she As a kid, I always helped out after school I have. I’ve sent countless messages through wasn’t allowed to perform funerals. The in- to earn extra allowance, so I already knew the Facebook and gotten many helpful answers dustry was accustomed to funeral directors ropes. When my parents expanded the busi- from so many people. I was nervous to attend being men, so initially my mother worked ness with a new hearse, my dad asked me to my first BMXnet Conference because I didn’t mostly behind the scenes. In this farmer’s re- become the driver. At the time, I had no for- know anyone, but again, people were friendly gion, change is not accepted quickly. Being mal education and was working as a bartend- and caring, right from the start. Piercers are the first female funeral director in the area, er; I took his offer. Despite my past involve- genuinely interested in you and open for a it was difficult for my mother to prove her- ment with the industry, I had to prove myself conversation, which is so much different than self to others in the funeral business locally. to the men who drove hearses for other direc- what I was used to from the funeral industry. Top: my brother and me at work eating coffee and cake; We were viewed as the competition, rather tors, similar to what my mother had to do. As After almost seven years of piercing, meet- Bottom: my mom and brother receiving the best funeral than colleagues or friends. As an example, a a young woman in the role normally assumed ing many more people, and learning what they home certificate

22 THE POINT ISSUE 78 23 APP D ASSOIATIO OF PROFESSIOA PIERERS AUA OFEREE & EPOSITIO 11-1 2017 at Bally’s Hotel And Casino, Las Vegas, NV

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE CHRISTINA SHULL

Click on one of these images to download a printable copy of this postcard.

n the last three months, following the debut of Health Association (NEHA) projects which were both .. the Legislation and Regulatory Affairs Commit- discussed at greater length in the previous column. ASSOIATIO OF PROFESSIOA PIERERS APP POST OFFICE BOX 1287 / LAWRENCE, KS 66044 888-888-1277 . tee column in Issue 77 of The Point, there have Some members of the Legislation and Regulatory not been many new actions to report. For many Affairs Committee have been using the slow season to states,I very little happens on a regulatory level at the work on a substantial and exciting project. Over the $50 APP beginning and end of the calendar year. This tends to last several months, “save the date” postcards for the . be a time when many government agencies are wind- 2017 APP Conference were sent to various health de- A full conference pass offers access to over 40 ing down their fiscal year and budgeting tends to be partment officials in the hopes of generating interest piercing-speciﬁc classes, workshops, roundtable tight. The end of the year is also a time when sched- before state budgets were finalized. The APP offers a discussions, and APP Talks including: uling issues frequently arise due to federally observed free Conference pass (with the exception of the “pierc-  Health Inspector Meeting. This is an opportunity for health inspectors and members of the APP holidays between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. er only” classes) to health department officials who Legislation and Regulatory Affairs Committee to While the Legislation and Regulatory Affairs Com- book in the APP room block. A printable copy of this meet and discuss pertinent issues. mittee has not been very active assisting with new reg- postcard may be downloaded here.. Feel free to share it  Safe Practices in the Piercing Room and the ulations or legislation recently, the timing worked out with your local health department officials. With our Sterilization Room well with our Committee Chair, Steve Joyner having recent outreach efforts and your help, we hope to in-  Studio Documentation knee surgery in November. If there was ever a good crease the attendance of these officials at future Con-  Wound Healing Dynamics and Aftercare time to be out of commission, a slower time for the ferences.  Legislation committee is probably as good a time as it could get. Now that we are a few months into 2017, legislation  Basic Steel, Titanium, and Niobium Luckily, Steve’s surgery went well and he’s back in is starting to picking up momentum. Work has begun action! However, please note that while new regula- with a new state, in addition to the states and coun- tions and legislation have been sparse these last few tries that we have been in touch with previously. If you SAE THE DATE months, some of our committee members have on- know of regulations or legislation being added or re- going regular involvement in Association of Food and worked in your area, please contact us at legislation@ Drug Officials (AFDO) and National Environmental safepiercing.org.

24 THE POINT ISSUE 78 25 and Sailor Sid Diller, owned the business. SILVER ANCHOR Silver Anchor shared its name with Sid’s SHAWN PORTER Ft. Lauderdale tattoo studio and was lo- Sacred Debris cated in a small house that served as the office and Ed’s living quarters. There were a few satellite trailers where the jewelry was manufactured. Jay (Jack Yount) settled after his wife Twenty something years later I still con- passed away and he retired from Amer- tend that Silver Anchor produced the fin- ican Standard Plumbing, where his only est quality body jewelry of all of the com- full apprentice Mike Natali lived and panies that were around back then. Open where famed ‘Modification Doctor’ Ron- to interpretation I know, but during their ald Brown made frequent visits for un- “good years” with Mike Natali as GM and derground surgery. It was also the home his partner Chuck as shop manager they base of Big Ed Fenster and the Silver An- put out top notch large gauge jewelry that chor Body Jewelry Company. had a mirror finish that I’ve never seen ri- At the time finding body piercing jewel- valed. Chuck was one of the few jewelers ry was no easy task. In the 1980s and ear- who, by hand, could produce a ring for a You have to appreciate dealing with Ed Emil Gundelach, 1 ly 1990s manufacturing companies were P.A. in ⁄2"stock with an inner diameter of whose entire history was with piercing as Big Ed Fenster, 1 5 few and far between. It was not available ⁄2"with a threaded ⁄8"ball that fit perfectly. a sexual thing being able to make some and Mev Chap- at every mall or website, and most tattoo Sure, some of their output would make a of the most complicated “u-tubes” imag- man (seated) shops didn’t have piercers to buy it from/ devoted APP acolyte cringe; the 00ga ex- inable, but being completely vexed by install it for you. The Gauntlet, Spain’s ternally threaded barbells I had made as the mechanics of a plug for stretched ear A jeweler at Editor’s Note: This article was compiled by Customs, Pleasurable Piercing, The Good a present to myself on my 17th birthday lobes. U-tubes were urethra tubes, which Silver Anchor, Kendra Jane Berndt from existing sourc- Art Company, Toucan for gold, Wildcat would likely cause a panic, but the threads later went on to be universally referred to circa 1980s. es written by Shawn Porter. In addition to in the UK, and Fenster’s Silver Anchor were buffed for easy insertion and years as ‘Prince’s Wands’ and Ed specialized in writing for Modblog, Shawn also edits Oc- were the big names at the time. Pre-inter- later when I finally gifted them to a friend them. I remember sitting at the desk one cult Vibrations tattoo blog as well as his net. Some had catalogs while others had they had retained a perfect finish. day packing orders and seeing this MON- personal diary at Sacred Debris. Without stapled and xeroxed price sheets, includ- In my time visiting the shop - with Jack at STER of a tube in his inbox (back when the his collection of writings, photographs, and ed with your order. When I first started first and then later to spend time with Mike inbox was actually a box and not an email personal accounts much of the history of buying from Silver Anchor they didn’t and Chuck - it was always an adventure. account) that he had made for himself. At 5 body piercing would not be documented even have a retail price list since they only My brother and I would meet up with Bri- the thickest it was a full ⁄8"with 1" balls and and archived as it currently is. I would like served wholesale clients. Big Ed Fenster, an Skellie, Kevin Covella, and Rob Moore, 4ga posts for his apadravya. I remember to thank Shawn for his continued work, as a nudist, swinger, and friend of both Jack maybe pack a few orders (when I first start- thinking that it looked more like a billy I was only able to compile the following be- ed going I was 16) and be in awe that we fi- club than a dick accessory. Ed looked at me cause of his work. nally found people who ‘got’ it. Sometimes sheepishly and said “my girlfriend likes me ephyrhills, Florida was first in- we’d continue on to Jack’s house and docu- to wear this when I fuck her.” corporated as a city in 1914. Ac- ment a modification procedure, meet some Ultimately, under Mike’s direction cording to the 2000 Census it was of his out of town friends, or just sit in the Silver Anchor became a powerhouse of home to 10,833 residents, many of pool or hot tub and enjoy the company. The a company. At the time it was a seller’s Zwhom were over 65 and retired. It’s close shift was taking place quickly from an old- market, and with body jewelry being as to Tampa and to my hometown of Plant er gay demographic to younger people who rare as it was, paying over $20 wholesale City, and can boast to being the birth- were taking on modification as a culture for a 12ga ring wasn’t uncommon. When place of several famous NASCAR drivers, and not a kink and Jack was grooming us to things got too big the stresses started an American Idol finalist, and notorious help bridge the gap. Visits to Silver Anchor to appear and eventually Mike and his Ghoul Carl Tanzier. It was also, for a few had them asking us questions about making partner moved on to start Bravo! Body years at least, the Body Modification ‘earlets’ since more people were stretching Jewelry. Several of the jewelers Ed had capital of the world. their lobes and despite having made cus- hired did the same, and before long over Far from the cultural meccas of the tom half question mark shaped nipple jew- saturation of a niche product flooded a West Coast, Zephryhills was where ad- elry they had never seen a stretched earlobe small area. Tattoo shops started selling vanced body modification pioneer Mr. Ed Fenster before mine. body jewelry. Tampa, the nearest major

26 THE POINT ISSUE 78 27 city to Zephryhills, saw a piercing only shop open under the name of Leather Ti- ger—that’s a story in and of itself—with a ‘head piercer’ who had to have PFIQ’s “Pierce with a Pro” open when he’d do a piercing. Once Jack Yount passed away things mostly fell apart. In time Silver Anchor closed it’s doors. I’m not sure what happened to it’s back stock or employees. I’m not even sure what happened to Ed Fenster. But I still have a handful of my Silver Anchor jewelry in their original bags that I keep for old times’ sakes. Here’s a video featuring Ed (with very little clothing, sterile or aseptic tech- nique, or gloves - remember when it was filmed) that I posted on Modblog back in 2008. It’ll hopefully give you a glimpse into the sexual nature of pre-1990s body piercing/modification. Have History, Will Travel Above: Mike Natali (left) with Shawn Porter (right) It must have been about 1991 when I Below: Jewelry from the Silver Anchor first met Mike Natali; two decades later SABJ001 (archival photo number). and we’ve taken to calling our first meet- Location: Crystal Springs, Florida. ing ‘guiche day’ as both of us were at Jack Year: Approximately 1988. Yount’s Zephyrhills, Florida house to have A selection of Silver Anchor Body Jewelry fresh from the ours pierced when we were introduced and buffing station. Items include tapered insertion pins, cap- became fast friends. Mike became an old- tive ball rings, barbells, screw on ball rings, stainless steel er brother/uncle figure to my brother and shackles and guiche weights. I. Under his leadership, Ed Fenster’s Silver Anchor body jewelry company experienced massive growth and his own Bravo! Body Jewelry set a high bar for the companies that followed. In late August I traveled down to Tam- pa to reconnect with Mike and to record an oral history with him about his introduction to Jack and Ed Fenster, his time at SA and Bravo and his career as a body piercer. The videos need to be edited and a transcript made, but it was really great to spend the afternoon with him and get his story told. Editor’s note: When I spoke with Shawn in February of 2017, these items still required transcribing.

28 THE POINT ISSUE 78 29 As the 2016 Conference drew to a close, I once again with last year’s donations, I will be using iconic shirts FUNDRAISING FOR THE BPA approached Paul King. This time to ask if I could con- from within our industry as the source material for our GENE GOWEN tinue to generate fundraising donations for the BPA. fundraising items, but this time I’ll be doing things a Oculo Visitant Gallery He was kind enough to not only allow me to continue little differently. No matter what direction the Archive my work, but also invited me to become a permanent may take in years to come our fundraising efforts, and committee member for the Body Piercing Archive. our end goal remains the same. We will always strive to I am so proud to serve as the current Fundraising find projects we feel best way to honor our past. Where Coordinator for the Body Piercing Archives Commit- we come from has its place in our world today and we tee. As we approach the 2017 Conference, I am once will continue to collect, celebrate, and share this col- again back to work on our fundraising projects. Just as lective history.

y name is Gene Gowen. I am a proud Member of the Associa- tionM of Professional Piercers and the Manager for Oculo Visitant Gallery, located in Oneonta, NY. Oculo is a sister studio to Hand Of Glory Tat- too and The End Is Near Body Piercing in Brooklyn, NY. Like the rest of our membership, my first introduction to the Body Piercing Archive was during the 2015 APP One of two blankets made from vintage industry shirts— Conference. I spent that week photo by Kendra Jane B. attending classes and the jewelry exposition. However, After many conversations back and forth I am I continually found myself filling my free time proud to announce that I am now responsible wandering around the Body Piercing Archive for generating fundraising items, to be used (BPA) exhibit. The Sailor Sid collection—as on behalf of the Body Piercing Archive. Left: BPA exhibit poster. Below: the sec- well as the entire BPA display that year—was I spent the remainder of 2015 and the first ond of two blankets made and donat- a great place for us all to gain a very import- few months of 2016 working on gathering ed by Gene and his mother. Photos by ant historical perspective on the work we do. items that we could use in our fundraising. Kendra Jane B. It was also an incredible expression and dis- The idea was simply to create something that play showing our industry’s gratitude for the would be historically relevant to our industry, work, efforts, and struggles of those who did while still being something that the average so much to pave the way for the rest of us. Conference attendee would be interested in Every time I visited the BPA exhibit that and be able to afford. week, I saw the importance and purpose for an Our first tangible products were a series of official archive. While sitting in the Member’s memory quilts, bags, and cases. To make these Meeting, and after talking with Paul King, I items, we used shirts from piercing studios, began to understand the challenges this fledg- jewelry manufacturers, and past Conferences ling non-profit organization would face, even that had been collected or donated. These falling under the umbrella of the APP. Not items were made in a collaborative effort be- knowing what, if anything I could do to con- tween my mother and myself. This project be- tribute, I hesitated to volunteer. After a week came a way to contribute to the APP and also of pondering the idea I finally mustered up a way for my mother and I to work together on the courage to ask Paul if there was anything something. These were presented at the 21st I could do to help the efforts for the Archive. APP Conference in July of 2016.

30 THE POINT ISSUE 78 31 Article republished with permission from InkSpired Magazine

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