I Hated Masks Before Hating Masks Was Cool BUT WE ALL NEED THEM

by Saylor Sweetheart

@saylorpiercing

I hate the phrase “the new normal”, as much as I love the short-lived NBCsitcom of the same name; at leastthe show had Nene Leaks serving up jokes on the regular! Problem is: for the time being; it’s completely accurate!

Reopening isn’t the end goal, it’s the beginning of a journey full of challenges!

If you’re not open by now you’re probably on your way, to planning your re-open...which is great, because You probably pulled from sources more qualified than I am, to speak on technical issues; when you started building your new policies, and systems (like the APP, The APT, and The CDC)!

I wish that reopening came with a manual, on how to do our jobs, while navigating the physical, social, and intellectual barriers, the pandemic has forced us to install. Unfortunately it can’t be done, there is no one size fits all approach...saying all studios should follow the same plan, is like saying bike tires and oranges are the same thing...sure they’re both round, but only one of them mixes well with vodka when I juice it!

This new normal is uncertain. Sadly we can’t plan for what we don’t know; but we can plan With what we Do!

Once your system is in place you need to start debugging...look at your system, show it to your team; and start asking questions: What could go wrong? What happens when it does? How should I handle x,y,z?

Again it’s impossible to plan for everything, all we can do is take notes and try; and it’s overwhelming, so I made a quick list of some of the bugs I’ve found in our system, and solutions I Haven’t seen anywhere else to help patch them up, and help get you started:

I’m overwhelmed” Protect your mental health:

You can’t do this all at once, or by yourself, ask for help, and break everything down into small tasks, and give yourself permission to take breaks, and find peace; throughout your day. remember if you don’t take care of yourself, you have less to offer everyone else!

We’re all in this together; Look for someone who does, we have coworkers, colleagues, and clients we can ask for help! we also have neighboring businesses like hair salon, or the dentist, or chiropractor down the street, who could offer a fresh perspective on how to approach a similar problem!

salad bars don’t have sneeze guards, to protect us from the vegetables

“What if clients get angry because they don’t understand?”

You can’t please everyone, but you can do your best to save the situation when you can’t!

Know your policy, know why it exists, and make sure you can explain it easily. people space out when we things get technical...if a client doesn’t see why they need a mask there’s a huge difference between saying “drops of saliva in the air we exhale blah, blah, blah” and “salad bars don’t have sneeze guards, to protect us from the vegetables” dumbing it down, ensures they won’t think you’re talking to them like they’re stupid!

Photo by @inked_photography

“My normal vendor is out of stock, Where do I find ppe/specific items without overpaying a third party seller?”

You don’t...we’re bound to overpay at some point; relax: just pretend it’s supreme or Gucci...it’s an inconvenience. We need to save our bandwidth for problems!

“What if I overlap, screw up, or forget to do something, or make a mistake?”

Same as it ever was, to error is human, to acknowledge, apologize, and bend over backwards to make it right, is correct!

“How do I keep my mask from fogging my face shield/glasses?”

Treat them with Optix Antifog spray for glasses, or RainX as directed...either should work wonders •digital consent forms; like stabpad, or Reepertech make it possible for the clients to fill out contsent forms from their own smart phone!

Care instructions can be disseminated by:

•Email if the client has one.

•Airdrop if the client has email or an iPhone

•NFC stickers like popl (popl.co) can set to open a specific website on a clients phone with a single tap, and you can stick them anywhere, but they don’t work with older phones, so if

you’re sticking them on the front counter or door, you might also want to make a: QR codes only take a minute to make, and can be set to open a website of your choice when scanned by a smartphone (I like linktree (linker.ee) as you can add your contacts social and aftercare instructions all in one easy page.

•Any of the previously mentioned consent forms

•Your clients can take a pic of a framed print of your aftercare in your lobby can work in a pinch!

•All of the above; it’s redundant, but if you stay ready you don’t got to get ready!

If you’ve read this far, thank you! I’m sure there’s plenty of things I missed feel free to add your best survival tip in the comments below!

Thank you! Black lives matter Protest is patriotism Please wash your hands! And in case nobody said it today, I love you!

Piercer, fluent in tattooer and client. -Saylor

ABOUT THE WRITER

Saylor is a piercer that works at @floatingworldtattoos and @huntergatherertattoo in Philadelphia. He is also a regular at the Villain Arts Tattoo Conventions, piercing clients across the country.

Villain Arts Tattoo News Magazine Fall 2020 Issue 1