1/30/26

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Tattooing is changing every second. Every day, a new set of underground artists are produced and emerge into the world of tattooing. The game of tattooing is changing so fast due to one main factor: technology. Product innovation, social media, and artificial intelligence are some of the main factors at play here.

Today let’s focus on discussing the social media aspect of tattooing. Tattooers over the years have transitioned from a once “looked down on” part of society, where most street tattoo shops were not considered welcoming to people who looked different from the typical tattoo client. Fast forward to today, and most tattoo artists you see are welcoming, doing trendy videos on social media to help people understand that they are just human too. It’s almost as if this technological break gave us a leap forward in the tattoo game, one where trust and authenticity became the main selling point of the artist.

Today, it’s not as important if an artist is the best in their field or not. What truly makes the difference in today’s artistry is technology and authenticity. If you can build a small group of real followers who truly support you and love your art, you have it made. That’s the neat part about becoming a tattooist now. You don’t have to be Ink Master status to live a full, happy life as an artist. Technology makes it possible for people who love your art to find you and support you. It gives you a path to speak your mind and gain supporters who truly understand why you do what you do. It goes a lot deeper than just tattooing people at this point. You are building a community of fans who are loyal to your craft. People who saw you in years one and two struggling, and who stick with you into years five and beyond when you are shining. I think that’s a really neat new aspect of the tattoo industry, and we can witness it happening with our own eyes right now. Just go on your Instagram For You page and type in “realism tattoos.” You’ll be able to find highly skilled artists with small followings in each city, just waiting for you to connect with them.

This really wasn’t possible for the last generation of tattoo artists. It didn’t used to be easy to gain a cult-like following just by posting online. Tattooists had to rely solely on conventional marketing methods and walk-in clients to make a living. Even ten years ago, when I was first thinking of starting out, it was a lot different. Social media has exploded since then.

This week was aimed toward where I think the industry is going. It has much more to do with building communities of people who trust you as a person and who love your particular style of art, no matter how “good” you are. I think the next generation of artists will take this and run with it. It will no longer be about overall art perception in terms of good or bad. I think it will shift toward an overall view of the person and how much positivity and weight they carry within the industry.

Have a great weekend everyone! 

Jake

1/24/26

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Tattooing has always lived in an interesting tension between tradition and change. On one hand, it’s one of the oldest human practices we have — marks made by hand, passed down through bodies rather than books. On the other, it’s constantly absorbing whatever the present moment throws at it: new machines, new pigments, new ways of seeing the body itself.

What’s interesting about the future of tattooing isn’t some sci-fi leap forward, but the quiet refinements already happening. Artists are getting more intentional. Clients are arriving with less impulse and more thought. There’s a growing appreciation for tattoos that age well — not just technically, but emotionally. People are asking better questions: Will this still feel like me in ten years? How will it move as my body changes? What story am I actually telling?

Technology will keep creeping in, but it won’t replace the human core of the process. Better inks, improved healing knowledge, and smarter machines may reduce trauma and increase longevity, but the real value will still come from the conversation between artist and client. That exchange — part collaboration, part trust — is impossible to automate.

At the same time, tattooing may become less about visibility and more about meaning. As tattoos become increasingly normalized, the shock value fades, and what remains is intention. The future might belong not to the loudest designs, but to the most personal ones — tattoos chosen slowly, placed thoughtfully, and carried quietly.

In that way, tattooing doesn’t really move forward by reinventing itself. It moves forward by remembering what it’s always been about: marking time, identity, and change on living skin.

Have a great week, 

Jake