nothing new, but i still have something to say.

i was watching the documentary "i like killing flies" a few weeks ago. the film is about kenny shopsin and his diner in new york. amongst all of the profanity laced wisdom, something he said has really stuck with me. in a rant about killing enemies, in his case flies, he discusses how once you get rid of all the outside evils, then you are left with your own. and then finishes his statement with, "anyways, i like killing flies."

how does this relate to my life, my career. well, for years tattooing struggled to make it out of the back alleys. struggled against ridiculous laws, zoning, and stereo types. now look at us, we are all over popular clothing, mainstream advertising, in the most upscale locations, and all over television. what is there to struggle with now? our own.

maybe one day, hopefully soon, the love will be gone from tattooing. in the meantime, all of the hard working craftsmen will keep at it.  with no sales, specials, or bullshit. if your good, you don't settle, you know what your worth. we are not the cheapest or the most expensive shop in dc, but we are the finest.

it's not so bad that you rip off dan higgs. it's bad that you only rip off dan higgs and no one else. it's bad that you have taken a 15+ year career and reduced it to your 3 years of identity. with, to my knowledge, not even so much as a thank you.

it's not bad that you are a johnny come lately to dc. it's bad that in the 7-10 years of your existence, you've had multiple apprentices, multiple shops, hired all the people we have fired, and asked every guest artist we have had to come to your shop. all bad, all things proving your a johnny come lately that doesn't understand the business or what's good for it.

had sinus issues at work all week last week. i was a little grumpy and didn't feel like getting photos of any finished tattoos. so here are a couple old ones that i feel are a good representation of my work. clean, to the point and what the customer asked for.