Ep. 80: You Don't Owe Anyone Your Skin

Have you ever felt stuck with a tattoo artist who makes you uncomfortable but the tattoo isn't done? Or perhaps you've been ghosted by an artist who still has your deposit? or maybe the work you've had done so far is just not... good? I've talked to many people throughout my time as a tattoo artist who didn't feel comfortable moving on. 

In this chat, I tackle the question those clients face: "Do I have to go back?" Whether dealing with an artist who makes inappropriate comments, consistently cancels appointments, or simply produces work you're not happy with, many people feel trapped in these situations—especially when they've paid significant deposits.

One of the most persistent myths I encounter is the belief that no other tattoo artist will touch another artist's unfinished work. This outdated notion keeps many clients returning to uncomfortable or unprofessional situations. The reality? Many of us in the industry are willing to help clients complete pieces when the original relationship has broken down. Creating a genuine connection with a new artist and being honest about your situation can often get you what you want. A new relationship with a tattoo artist who is a better fit for you. 

And that deposit you don't want to lose? Consider that payment for never having to deal with that person again. Your body, your comfort, and your agency are worth far more than any deposit. You don't owe anyone your skin, time, or money. When reasonable efforts to maintain a good professional relationship fail, giving yourself permission to move on is the right thing to do. 

Listen to the episode, and remember, that the art you wear, ideally comes with positive memories. Share your experiences or questions with me—I'd love to hear your thoughts.

You can connect with me, Micah Riot, as well as see my tattoo art on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/micahriot/

Micah's website is www.micahriot.com
The podcast is hosted on Buzzsprout but truly lives in the heart of Micah's website at:
https://www.micahriot.com/ink-medicine-podcast/

Chapters

• 0:05 Podcast Introduction
• 0:18 When to Leave Your Tattoo Artist
• 1:45 Myths About Switching Artists
• 3:21 Dealing With Lost Deposits
• 5:39 Professional Communication in Tattoo Relationships
• 7:41 Closing Thoughts

Transcript

Micah Riot: 0:05

This is Micah Riot and you are listening to Ink Medicine Podcast. Hello darlings, hello. I wanted to jump on here and have a quick talk with y'all about whether or not you have to go back to a tattoo artist that you don't feel comfortable with. And sometimes it's not about discomfort, sometimes they're just not readily available. You try to book a follow-up session. They're not answering you, they're blowing you off, they are canceling. It's just really hard to book with them. Maybe they move around a lot, they're just not here much. And the other piece for a lot of people is that they've given somebody a deposit and they don't want to lose that, and so they decide to wait, give that person a lot of benefits of the doubt and just see if they can get back in their chair eventually and use their deposit, if they can get back in their chair eventually and use their deposit.

Micah Riot: 1:05

I have now spoken to a whole bunch of people throughout my career about this very thing From different angles. Some of the work that I have seen these people had done by the unnamed tattoo artist that was still holding their deposit was not good, and they kept going back thinking that it will get better, and they didn't. You know, they just never really liked the work. And then for other people, the work looked fine to them but they couldn't get ahold of the person. The person just wouldn't answer their texts or their emails, wouldn't put them on their schedule, other emails wouldn't put them on their schedule. And then, of course, the last common thing that happens is that a person, a client, was made to feel extremely uncomfortable by the tattoo artist. The tattoo artist's intentions were more than friendly. Maybe they were a bit sexual in nature or more sensuous than the client was comfortable with. They didn't consented to something the tattoo artist was doing, was saying, or maybe they felt pushed into a design that they didn't want. You know, the tattoo artist assured them that it was going to look the way that they wanted, and then it just doesn't, and so they don't feel they don't trust the person, they don't feel comfortable going back to that person to finish the piece.

Micah Riot: 2:25

A lot of people assume that they cannot go to somebody else with an unfinished piece that most people wouldn't take them on, and there's some truth to that. Also, times have changed. There used to be a lot more clients, a lot more demand and a lot less tattoo artists and the tattoo artists that were working could be more picky about the kind of projects they would take on, and a lot of tattoo artists, with their ego, wanted to do their own artwork. You know I'm guilty of that too. I like to do my own artwork. Sure, when I'm being approached by somebody who is telling me that they need help, they need to finish a piece and they don't really have the option of going back to that original person, of course I'm going to be a lot more willing, a lot more open to helping them out. I don't want people hating their tattoo. I don't want people looking at their body and associating that tattoo with a bad experience. Not every single tattoo artist out there is going to be willing to finish that piece, but a lot of us will be.

Micah Riot: 3:20

You have to ask. The key in getting someone to do something you want is to create a connection with them, right? Yes, it's a transactional relationship. You have money and skin and you come to us and you offer us money to create beautiful art on your skin and we need that money because we need to pay our living expenses and that's true. So in that way, it's transactional, but there's a human element in that and a tattoo artist should see you as a whole human, just the way that you should see your tattoo artist as a whole human. We come together as full humans to meet each other in that space to create something together. Create that relationship with someone that you trust. Find that new tattoo artist. Go to them. If they won't, you know, if you really want them to finish your old piece that needs finishing and they aren't comfortable with that quite yet, ask them if they will be comfortable later. You know, if you had something else done by them, maybe you let them do a piece that is all theirs, where they get to do their art, their style, and then you check in with them about finishing the old piece. I would say there's a high probability of that person taking on that unfinished project.

Micah Riot: 4:29

Now the question of deposits. Yeah, it sucks if you give that person a few hundred bucks, 500 bucks, more than that. That super sucks and I'm really sorry but you're probably not going to get your deposit back. No amount of Yelp reviews, no amount of harassing them, asking them, calling them, texting them, if they're not willing to get you back on their chair, if they're not willing to continue that project, if they're flaky, if they're not answering, you're just not gonna most likely not gonna get your deposit back. And I'm sorry, but yeah, as a client, you are giving a deposit with the caveat that that deposit will be used towards your tattoo work. So you're not just giving somebody free money when somebody is flaky and weird and isn't going to tattoo you again.

Micah Riot: 5:17

That's a loss. That's a loss and you should consider that a payment. To never see that person again, to never have them touch your body again, to never have them put their ink in your skin again. That's pretty good payment, I think. If you look at it that way. Now you know what kind of person they are, what kind of business owner they are and what kind of tattoo artist they are. The summary of all that is you don't owe anyone your skin, your money, your time, your energy, your healing energy, any of that, your planning.

Micah Riot: 5:51

If it's not working, you know there's there's a reasonable amount of effort you can put in to try to make it work, and if it's not going to work, if you get the idea that it's not going to work, it's not going to work, move on. Yeah, and you know, if you have a lot of negativity with that person. They're probably not your person. I mean, you could try to talk to them about it. Some of the tattoo artists that I know would probably have that conversation with you, me including.

Micah Riot: 6:21

Sometimes stuff comes up in the relational space, right Like I've had clients piss me off, comes up in the relational space, right Like I've had clients piss me off. They might not have known that I'm pissed off, that they pissed me off what they did, and I try to gently tell them if it's relevant. If I can't, if I have to fire them. I'm very clear, I'm very clear about what happens. They usually know what they did in that case. Usually that's people who skip out on payment, who make multiple appointments and don't show up, like it's those kinds of things.

Micah Riot: 6:53

When you mess with my income, you mess with my ability to make a living. I'm not going to be giving you more free time. I try to communicate with my clients. If they did something that I found to be very offensive to me, that messed with my ability to work to make a living, if they disregarded my humanity, if they were inconsiderate towards me as a person, me as a business owner, I will usually try to let them know and work out that conflict. I also don't want anybody walking around with one of my tattoos feeling badly about that tattoo, looking at their body, feeling like associating negative things with that tattoo and me and those sessions we had together. So I will do my best to work it out. I will not flake on you. I will not run away to another country or another shop and not let you know. Let's you know, try to be an adult. That's all. I hope you're having a good week, enjoy this coming rain if you're in the Bay Area, and I will talk to you very soon.