Tattoo terminology is one thing that will forever be a subject of debate. I used to work for a guy who had issues with the term “freehand.” Apparently in his mind, freehand is just going to town on somebody’s skin with no guidelines. Is he correct? Absolutely. You can call it whatever you want as long as it works for you. Since I came back to Guam, I’ve been introduced to a whole new set of tattoo theory and terminology. Things like “head artist” and “lead artist,” “powder shading” and “tagging.” Regardless of what you call it, I’m happy that I’ve been able to work alongside a lot of these artists and learn from them.

Personally, I’m not a technical guy. There are all kinds of terms for different techniques. Along the way, one of the most important things I’ve learned is that there is no single correct way to do things. Everyone has a set of tools and tricks that works for them and as long as you are practicing safe procedure, the end result is all that really matters. In fact, I recently saw some lettering done in a stateside rehabilitation facility that blew my mind. For an improvised machine and a short amount of time, it was easily some of the best fine line work I’ve ever seen up close.

There will be situations where you have limited resources and you have to rely on experience and/or guesswork to make things happen. From some of the work I’ve seen, some of Guam’s backyard tattoo artists will make use of their resources to make 2 or 3 sessions’ worth of disaster happen on someone.

Whatever the case may be, if anyone is interested in what I do and how I do it, please don’t assume that this is the only way to do things. It just happens that it works for me. Likewise, if you ever run into one of those know-it-all guys that have years of internet research and certifications under their belt, keep in mind that they are merely offering advice and not stating facts.