This economy is brutal. Everybody’s feeling it.
The tattoo community is no exception.
We’re either in or on the brink of a recession—depending on who you ask. After the pandemic in 2022, inflation was the highest it had been in over four decades.
And for a lot of people, it hasn’t gotten better. They haven’t been able to catch up financially.
People can barely afford the necessities, let alone splurge on tattoos. Artists don’t know what to do or how to survive it.
I’ve had a lot of people reach out to me recently for advice, asking me how to navigate this economy.
A lot of shops are late on rent, including private studios. Things have slowed down—there aren’t as many clients as there used to be. The market is oversaturated. Competition is real.
I feel it, too.
My horoscope tells me next year, things are going to get worse. I’ve had so many messages standing out to me, so many signs of what’s coming.
One of my close friends, a minister, recently asked me if he could give me a blessing—something he’s wanted to ask me for years. It’s like the universe is trying to show me what to look out for.
When I look at my own situation—how I’m torn between taking the next year to lay low and try to escape whatever’s coming or facing it head on with armor around myself and my family—it gives me a lot of perspective into the advice I give.
Adapting to the Change in the Tattoo Industry
When people reach out to me for my advice on how to move forward, I remind them that times are changing. We have to adapt with the change.
Being an entrepreneur is never easy. Life will test you, will push you to your breaking point.
When the economy is strong, everyone’s making money. People see the green and think it will last forever—but they don’t always take the steps needed to make sure it does.
Too many people got too comfortable tattooing.
A lot of the people who got into the tattoo industry are people who didn’t graduate highschool. People with no art background. People who didn’t know what to do with their lives and saw tattooing as their way out.
It seemed like a great career option when it was popular and lucrative.
But those same artists don’t always have the business experience to back it up when things get tough. They don’t have the grit it takes to make it as an entrepreneur.
Now, they’re wondering what to do next.
It’s not sustainable with that mindset. With each step you take in life, you have to think to yourself, ‘What happens after? What happens when things fall apart?’
People who weren’t even passionate about tattooing jumped on the bandwagon. But now that the economy is rough, they’re left feeling stranded.
The purists, the realists, the people who are about this industry, who’ve adapted to it, innovated it—those are the guys that are going to last. They’ve contributed so much to this community. They’re constantly pushing themselves, their team, in new, uncharted ways.
Tattooing will live forever, but not for everyone. There’s Ai, new robots designed and programmed to do smaller, simpler tattoos—replacing the average artist not really destined for longevity. There’s tattoo schools and the influx of new artists from overseas.
It boils down to this: Can you handle the change?
The Golden Age of the Tattoo Industry: Is It Over?
Less seasoned artists are panicking.
It’s so important to be grateful that you were able to capitalize while you could and then pivot when you have to.
For years, tattooing was a field that was easy to get into; you can make it without a degree, get into a shop and improve your skills. In a sense, it was easy to get rich. People had money to spend on tattoos, on travel, and it was easier to blow up on social media.
Now, the economy’s died down. The way that social media used to be people’s lifeline is now making it harder to get clients and compete as a solo artist.
It’s hard to stand out when there’s so many good artists lowballing and charging less, operating out of illegal private studio establishments without proper licenses and permits—flying under the radar.
Tattooing now is not how it used to be. The sad part is it’s only going to get worse before it gets better.
For a lot of people, they won’t be able to withstand the market while relying solely on tattooing. It just isn’t bringing home enough to support their families.
It’s important to take a step back, even when things are hard, and be thankful for the lessons learned along the way. Win or lose, every battle teaches you something.
Be glad that you’ve weathered as much as you have. Even if it’s less lucrative, find new ways to innovate—to find new ways to make money in the industry or find a life outside of it.
A lot of people aren’t built for this. And that’s not a bad thing.
There’s more to life than worrying about tattooing. There are other, more consistent, less stressful jobs—especially for the people who are new to the industry, who’ve never faced the cycle we’re in now.
You have to ask yourself what your priority is. If it’s stability, this is the wrong field to be in.
It feels like we’re in that Covid-phase again. It’s a lot to endure.
When you look at the changes happening around you, you have to think back to what got you into this game in the first place. Family. Art. Community. The chance at a better life. The opportunity to give back.
To survive, you have to remember that.
You have to keep grinding. Keep inspiring people, giving them hope. Reassure them that the overall game is life, not tattooing. You’ve got to find ways to level up in all areas.
You have your mind, your body—eyes, mouth, feet, hands. You have so many tools to create something for yourself and your family—even if that means taking a new path.
Even if that means challenging the industry norms.
Fighting for Financial Freedom
Not only is the tattoo community influenced by the state of the economy, but we have our own culture, our own stigma, that can hold us back from our full potential.
There’s a lot of old school ideals surrounding what we do. In the past, tattoo artists lived a lifestyle similar to a drug dealer.
Traditionally, tattoo culture puts a lot of stigma around taxes and debt.
They want everything in cash, want nothing to do with credit. Don’t want to pay Uncle Sam. It’s almost like the old school Asian way of doing business that I was taught in my earlier days.
I did that for years. It got me nowhere. When it was time to buy a house, expand my business, I was stuck. I had to learn the hard way, had to build my credit from nothing, dig my way out of fraud—I could have lost everything in the process.
When it comes to business, don’t go for the quick hits, for instant gratification.
I’ve seen so many people in the industry with Rollexes on their wrist, pulling up in a new Mercedes they bought in cash, who go home to an apartment—and they think they’re living the life.
Until bad times hit and they can’t get a loan. Can’t grow their company. They lived in a dream world for too long—it always catches up to them.
They end up having to downgrade, to sell the things they bought in cash for a portion of what they actually spent on it.
Tattooing isn’t forever for everyone—only for the people who know how to move.
You have to always be thinking about your future, playing the game of life two moves ahead of everyone else. The tattoo industry is constantly evolving; you have to be ready.
And on top of that, It takes a toll on your body. So many artists my age can’t do it anymore; they don’t have the stamina, their wrists are too sore, their back is giving out, their eyes don’t make out the lines like they used to.
When you’re an artist, you have to prepare for that. You have to have a plan for the day you can’t hold a needle anymore. That means establishing a line of credit.
Debt: The Secret to Success in the Tattoo Industry
We’ve helped so many members of the Skin Design family build and fix their credit, cosigned on their homes, their cars.
I see how strong the stigma is surrounding what we do with our money, and how hard it is to overcome as a community.
But I’ve learned that paying taxes is a good thing. It’s helped me expand, get loans. Skin Design wouldn’t be the empire it is today if we hadn’t.
I’ve learned also, in business, we’re forever in debt.
A lot of people want to live debt free, which is nice. But it’s small scale. Everything you make moving forward is limited. It’s not how you create a legacy as a business owner.
Debt can help you grow. It’s for people who are hungry for more.
I don’t have a limit to my success. Even at 53, I don’t have a stopping point. My biggest worry is, ‘Will I be able to accomplish everything I want before I go?’
I know the answer is no. I have too much ambition. The sky’s the limit. People look up to me, but in my head, I still haven’t made it yet.
SDT is still growing, and it’s because we’re a credit accrued business, not cash. For us, I would prefer to have $0 cash. That’s crazy to say as a tattoo artist. It’s so taboo in our industry.
But I put everything into our business. More successful people have less liquid assets; everything is seen as an investment.
People always ask me, ‘How do you keep expanding in this economy?’ SDT just signed another lease—Nashville—in a time where so many artists are closing up shop, considering different career paths.
But this isn’t new for us. We expanded in Orange County during Covid and then expanded in Caesars Palace a year later in 2021.
And it’s because of debt and paying taxes. It’s because of how we play the game—both in business and in life. It’s because we’re constantly pushing ourselves, breaking boundaries. We’re changing the narrative around finances in the industry, welcoming change, even welcoming debt..
And I’ve been so blessed. Through every hardship – even with the trials I’m expecting next year – I know that God has my back, that my guardian angels are guiding me, teaching me along the way.
That’s not something I can keep to myself.
I share this with others in the industry because I want to uplift other artists. That’s my purpose as a lifepath 33. I’m here to share the things that have made me successful.
Because I love this industry. We’re a community, a family.
I’m not afraid to share the things that gave me what I have now, good and bad. Even with my book coming out—I know there are going to be things that make people look at me differently. Things that bring back the ghosts of my past.
But that’s the price I’m willing to pay to help the people around me. I’m not going to hoard the secrets of my success.
Whatever comes out of it, whatever happens next—I know that the universe is going to use me to support other people’s journeys. To make the tattoo industry healthier.
Nothing can hold me back. Even when it’s scary, even when it’s hard—Skin Design is strong enough to handle the pressure of it all.
I just hope that sharing a piece of my story, the insight behind every accomplishment, helps others in their own life.
Because that’s what it’s about. When I talk about debt—it’s not just about money. I owe so much to the people around me. To my family, both in and out of the studio. To everyone who’s supported me. To the people who’ve doubted me and made me stronger.
And I’ll never stop trying to repay them.
