Have you ever heard the phrase, “There are too many cooks in the kitchen”?

Without the right team, that can apply to artists, too.

During our most recent anesthesia collaboration on Mike, there were 6 artists in one shared space — all working on one leg sleeve.

Me, Reena, Linh, Christina, Nigel, and Jake, all working in tandem on a shared piece of art.

Except, that wasn’t all. While he was under, Mike wanted to have work done on more than just his skin. He’s a busy man; he wanted to get the most out of this experience.

While he was getting tatted, he asked that Dr. Thomas Connelly work on his grill, too, limiting our range of movement even more.

Between the artists, the doctors, and the videographers, there were a lot of people in a space that’s really only meant for 1-2. As artists, we have to be mindful of that. We have to adjust.

In a collaboration like this, we all have to be in sync. We have to move like a unit. Share that common goal, share our energy.

It’s a lot of pressure. It’s like a test — it goes way beyond the art itself.

The Fine Line Between Art and Endurance

Skin Design is full of talented artists. Every single one of our guys can create work that blows me away. But an anesthesia collabo like this is about more than that.

It’s about teamwork — working in unison. It’s being able to work alongside other artists, (from all over the country, Nashville to New York) and find that flow, that rhythm. It’s being able to joke around with each other, keeping the spirits lighthearted, upbeat, without losing that focus.

You have to put your ego aside and really work as a family. There has to be that base level of respect for everyone around you.

I have to do a lot to balance the differences in personalities and perspectives, to make sure everyone’s on the same page. Make sure everyone’s spirits stay high. As a Master #33 and the founder of SDT, it’s my job to guide everyone through it.

Because it’s not just about any one artist. It’s about the client. It’s about giving them the art they want in less than half the time.

It takes talent and speed. Everyone there has to be able to handle the pressure, to be able to do the work that would usually take multiple sessions in one — without sacrificing the quality of the work.

Artists have to do a lot of improvising, adapting techniques, swapping back and forth between smaller and bigger mags — all those little details that work toward the bigger picture.

We all have to be able to visualize it, to share that vision with the other artists to make sure it gets done.

And the whole time, we each have to be able to withstand the pressure of it.

It gets messy. It’s long, it’s exhausting, and it can take a lot out of you. Your back will hurt. Your eyes will hurt. Everyone is pulling. It’s hard to do clean lines, hard to shade. Hard to communicate.

We have to come together. Breathe together. Work together.

But if you can manage all that? It is so rewarding.

If you can lean into that adrenaline, the rush of it all, it is such a unique, fulfilling experience.

Toward the last stretch, you’re aware of this internal alarm clock.

Counting down.

3 hours.

The conversation is still flowing, but this sense of urgency starts to rise. Jokes turn into more talk about the tattoo, more strategic. The air feels just a little bit more electric.

It starts to get just a little uneasy. You wonder, “will we have enough time?”

2 hours.

It’s starting to get real. Time is of the essence. The look of concentration on everyone’s face intensifies. The energy in the room is palpable. Severe.

You can feel the tension rising. Adrenaline pumping. Anxiety escalating.

You realize the scope of the project ahead. The initial excitement gives way to an awareness of what comes next — and how little time there is left to make it happen.

Every second counts.

The tattoo is really taking shape, but you know what it takes to finish it. Lines need to be refined, shading needs to be deepened, and the details perfected.

The pressure is heavy — you feel every beat of your heart in your chest.

1 hour.

Everyone is laser-focused, hands moving with practiced precision.

The conversation has dwindled to hushed whispers and occasional sounds of concentration. The clock ticks, each second feeling like an eternity. The tattoo is nearing completion, but there's still a long way to go.

The fear of disappointment is real. No one wants to let the client down, to let them know that you haven’t quite finished what he paid for.

You catch yourself feeling stuck. Feeling mad at yourself. Defeated. You want to cry inside — but there’s no time for that. That initial thought of, “I don’t know if I can do this again,” comes back to haunt you.

You have to block it out and focus.

One stroke of the needle at a time.

Half an hour.

The sound of your heart pounding in your ears reminds you that you’re almost out of time.

No one’s talking. No more laughter — just the buzzing of the tattoo machine and the quiet hum of our breathing. It’s intense. We’re all grinding. Shading with bigger mags, detailing with liners, putting in the white, filling in space, working on those final touches that really make a piece stand out.

You’ve gone through the emotions. Fear. Doubt. Frustration. That burning desire to succeed, to make your team and your client proud.

But as the seconds tick away, you find a renewed sense of determination. You push yourself to the limit, every movement a testament to your resilience and skill. A testament to your team.

Then he’s waking up. Session’s over.

By the end of it, everyone is high fiving, celebrating in this shared victory, congratulating each other.

That feeling of joy and accomplishment makes everything worth it. Reminds you that you can and you will do it again — and that deep down, you love it. Every agonizing second.

Taking a step back and looking at what we created as a team fills me with so much pride. It’s so humbling to be a part of it. It’s like every single one of us has our own superpower — and when we put it together, we’re unstoppable. The result is amazing.

There’s so much love and admiration felt between the team. That’s what I love the most.

That’s what I lean into when things get rough, when I hit that point near the end of the session where my mind tries to convince me it’s too much, that I couldn’t handle another session like this. Your mind will lie to you, try to tell you, ‘you can’t take it.’

But my team makes me strong. We share that strength with each other. Getting to take them out to dinner afterwards, to tell them how proud I am of them, is one of the best parts of my job.

That’s what it’s all about, really. Uplifting our fellow artists, coming together, and creating art that our clients love. Being a part of their story, and writing a chapter of our own.

Redefining Tattoo Culture: The Case for Anesthesia

With anesthesia collaborations like this, I get a lot of people asking me how I feel about them.

There’s a lot of stigma surrounding it still. A lot of tattoo culture still hangs onto the more traditional ideals on what it means to earn your ink.

Even numbing cream is still frowned upon by a lot of people in the industry.

But, with time, those ideas are starting to fade.

So many of the people who claim “anesthesia is cheating” or that it’s “weak” could be the same people who squirm under the needle — something I don’t think anyone should be ashamed of.

To me, there is strength in recognizing what works best for you, in putting aside what’s considered taboo and doing what it takes to express yourself. There’s strength in evolving with the times.

And that’s what’s made our tattoo community so strong, what’s brought tattoos to the mainstream. What gives us power. That ability to adapt with the changes of the industry. That willingness to serve clients, even if it means pushing boundaries.

For clients like Mike, anesthesia sessions make the most sense. It’s not just about minimizing pain. It’s about taking back time.

He runs a national business. As an entrepreneur at his level, time is money. With a busy life like his, the ability to quickly schedule in this anesthesia collab means more time dedicated to work and family — something myself and many of my clients can relate to.

While these collabs are more expensive upfront, they end up saving him money.

If he'd gone with more traditional sessions with a single artist, it would have taken 12-15 appointments, each one lasting 6-8 hours. This would have meant canceling work commitments and traveling to the studio (arriving the day before and leaving the day after). Each trip would mean days lost at work.

For a piece as extensive as this, it would be a drawn out process, something someone in his position can’t afford.

I’m so grateful we’re able to give clients the ability to choose.

We’re here to tattoo our clients — anesthesia or no anesthesia. The days of needing to prove yourself through pain, of that being a right of passage, are on their way out.

At Skin Design, we’re so excited to embrace the change that comes with time.

It’s about art now. It’s a conversation. It’s about creating work out of what’s meaningful to you.

More Than Ink: The Art of Connection in Tattooing

People also think anesthesia ruins that artist-client connection. That there’s no time to exchange history. Share stories. Get to know each other.

But that isn’t entirely true.

We talk a lot before and after. Mike was Linh’s client before; we did his other leg sleeve — he’s been coming to us for his tattoos for a long time. We’ve got that trust. We’re all friends.

You don’t have to be awake during your tattoo to get to know your artist. I’ve gotten close to so many of my clients outside of the studio — fishing with them in Kauai, having dinner with them and their families, partying with them in SoHo.

For a lot of people, tattooing is like a form of therapy. But there’s so many ways to connect with your artist.

And doing it this way can make the process so much smoother for the artist — especially if you’re someone who has a hard time staying still throughout a session. It takes away distractions. Minimizes risk.

It’s not something I’d recommend for everyone, but I’m so excited that we’re starting to normalize it. I want to make sure clients have all the options available, that they’re able to decide what’s best for them and their lifestyle.

For clients like Mike.

Anesthesia Collaborations: Tailored to Your Needs

Having anesthesia collab options available meant that Mike got to fly to California, go to sleep, and wake up with the teeth and the tattoo that he wanted — even if it’s not quite finished yet.

With the cramped space, we ended up having to push out 1-2 of our artists at a time to make room for the other team. Because of that, we were just a few hours short.

Mike will be coming back to LA to finish up his grill — another anesthesia session. Linh and I are planning to fly back out to finish the rest of it at the same time.

Another chance for us to reconnect with Mike, someone who’s become a close friend and member of the Skin Design family.

Defying the Norms: Redefining the Tattoo Experience

The first time we did his leg, he went with Poseidon, a lighthouse, a nautical compass, sea turtle, and sharks, all tied together in this ocean theme. It was a huge cover up and he was so proud of it, so happy with the way it turned out. He gets so many compliments on it; it’s his favorite piece on his whole body.

After being talked into going to another set of artists for his back piece, he was left with a lot of regret.

It’s so important to work with artists you know and trust when it’s something that’s going to be etched onto your body forever.

So he came to us with his final leg sleeve — a clean slate.

This time, he wanted a Viking theme. It features a Nordic man and woman, another compass, a wolf, Viking longships, lightning, waves — so much detail. Even with this many guys, it should have taken around 16 hours; we ended up spending eight, with just a couple hours left until it’s complete.

He loves the design — and it was so fun to brainstorm ideas with him.

He just gave me and Linh the idea, we zoomed a few times, went over concepts, sizing, placement, what he liked, and I came up with the final design.

I was able to surprise him with it the day of (after spending plenty of late nights in the studio sketching and designing, nights where my wife wouldn’t see me until 5 am the next morning). He loved it, every little thing about it.

Seeing a client light up like that when I show them the final draft — it really reminds me why my career means so much to me.

Reminds me why, at Skin Design, we’re so committed to change, to leaving a legacy that meets the needs of our clients and grows alongside them.

I’m just so honored that our clients keep trusting us with their art — and so blessed to be a part of a team that redefines the norms of our industry.

Thank you, Mike, for making this happen. And thank you to my Skin Design family — you guys inspire me everyday.

Can’t wait to see what we create next: https://skindesigntattoos.com/tattoo-consultation/