Yes its never been better

No its terribly dangerous!

Well I think both these answers could be correct,let me explain.Tattooing has propably now reached its heights of popularity, due to shows such as Miami ink and London ink, and a continuous flow of high profile Celebes strutting their inky stuff.

I have just returned from Skin Deeps Tattoo Jam convention, and after a period of not visiting too many shows due to Spending most of my free time abroad now, on my other projects (see Kulabresort.com) could not get over the quality of the work being done, it is now up with the content quality and skill of any of the established arts and crafts paraded around the world in museums and parks.

Also the health and hygiene standards are much improved especially now with new plastic disposable equipment and ready made and sterilised needles, we don't even need a steriliser on site any more a good thing as the old steam autoclave doesn't actually destroy all virus (mad cow disease) .

I didn't recognise more than a couple of the artists working, a change from Dunstable where the whole point of my visit was to enjoy seeing all those people that you didn't have time to see because we were all too busy in our shops, propably also cause I,m 50 this year and 20 years older than most( Please not a has been, I still work and am building a shop on our resort in Thailand, any one fancy a working holl?) and so to summarise, Never been a better time to get a piece of artwork its safer greater and what a choice of artists you now have to choose from. 

So why dangerous?

Well propably not so much so that its gonna kill you, but with the rise in high quality, beautiful, and safe work, we have also had the rise at the other end of not so good, safe, or beautiful work,

its never been easier to set up a shop and start Tattooing, or find an artist who will charge you to learn the trade!(most that do need teaching thier selves).You can go on ebay, get the kit and presto your mates are telling you within days how great you are.

For the first ten years of my career I was one of half a dozen in Birmingham now I,m one of I should guess 60 plus, slow down, I,m not complaining of good competition I've no reason to, my shops still do enough to suport me and my colleagues my comments are meant as a warning to people looking for the new and great art work available. Just because some one  works from a shop, it  does not mean they can do a good tattoo, a great number of studios simply do awful work and the artists in them will lie of their history to cover their lack of skill!.

This is the down side of the aforementioned media coverage in that many now see tattooing as a way of making loads of cash and being involved in a world of glamorous ease,

As mickey Sharpze predicted 30 years ago when I worked his studio, there is indeed now a "shop on every corner" but take care, examine the place, its work, and history very carefully before entrusting them with your skin.