2023 Year in Review
Visiting shops in 2023, everyone was stoked to be tattooing and getting into their art and craft at every chance. While a large number of artists found booking levels rising and falling throughout the year we saw plenty of sick work and stoked clients.
The major highlight for us was the Sydney Tattoo Convention in August. A true artist run event built on dedication and love for tattooing, this event had a vibe missing from many current events. It was filled with great artists, local and overseas, PTAA attendance, great judging and tattoos on display, and interesting seminars. It is up everyone to get behind these initiatives to ensure they rise above the rest.
Speaking to many of the apprentices and new artists, quite a few ask where they can access information on tattoos past artists and flash. It’s out there for sure, google makes some easier to access, while much historic memorabilia and knowledge is not stored on the web and requires an open chat with the more experienced, local veterans and at events.
I am often overwhelmed by the generosity and willingness to share stories from these experienced artists and retired veterans and am so thankful to everyone for welcoming us each time we visit.
We support like-minded events and work to share tattoo history and knowledge. The collectors’ cards we include free, will continue in 2024 with some new cards soon to be released.
With that in mind, also here are some of the great reads we enjoyed this year definitely worth checking out.
2023 Top reads for your 2024
- In the Shadows: The People & History of New York City Underground Tattooing
- Tattoo Schemes by Eddie Deutsche
- Tattooing: The Life and Times of Crazy Philadelphia Eddie
On a down note, the trend towards mass produced, cheaper equipment and larger corporate operations continues. We are seeing profit seeking price rises from manufacturers and even more worryingly, lower standard manufacturing processes, materials and fittings.
There is nothing wrong with cheaper equipment as long as it is fit for purpose. For those that seek higher standards and quality for longer term use, you will need to be more vigilant and be prepared to make changes between brands and sources where quality changes or new innovation arrives.
We will be swapping out some of the products we held in 2023 and offering more niche, artist led sources and artisan tools. Industry Tattoo Supply is not made to be big, it is made to be quality. Artist First!
We move into 2024 with renewed energy and excitement. Hope to see you at either the Sydney Tattoo Convention, Perth’s own West Australian Tattoo & Arts Festival or travels around the country across the year.
Enjoy your tatts!
Adam & the crew at Industry Tattoo Supply