In the year 2020 a global pandemic blanketed the world. The Corona Virus, also known as Covid-19, hit with immense force. In March of 2020 a lockdown mandate was issued advising that people should limit their time outside to a minimum and they should start to practice social distancing, keeping themselves no less than 6 feet apart. This was said to assist in lowering the amount of infected people. Some listened, while others continued to frolick without a care. During this time I was living in New York City, arguably the most important metropolitan city in the world, where all of these precautions were being taken extremely serious. The death rate, from this plague, was catastrophic. For one of the first times in history, the streets of NYC were empty on a consistent basis. Curfews were issued and many did their part by staying inside.

A big problem a lot of people didn’t realize was that staying inside meant that they had to face their true selves, which at times can be hard for most. Unfortunately some chose to take their lives during this time possibly because of what they saw in the mirror or because the voices that were being ignored for so long were finally being listened to. At this moment in history a lot of people took a good look at themselves and decided they wanted to make some changes, any type of change big or small. For those unsure as to what exact changes they wanted to make, a tattoo was a quick and easy fix. An alteration to self that wasn’t too drastic, yet also issued instant gratification.

***Reuben doing a guest spot at M&D Tattoo 2021, photo by Jessie B.***

Starting in the middle of 2020, when the lock down was starting to unlock and social distancing was starting to lift in some places, people flooded to get tattooed. Mid range skilled tattooers went from not being able to keep their studios open to being booked out months in advance. I believe the reason for this is because people were fighting to either be someone else, or a better “version of themselves.” It was easy, one little screen shot or hastily worded DM and it was oﬀ to the races. Instagram, TikTok and Twitter had people convinced that they could be the most “edgy” person in their family with just a “fine line” tattoo of a flower. (An image a thousand other people were also racing to go get.) This was the change and advancement many were seeking. The tattoos made them diﬀerent. The tattoos saved their lives.

***Laughs and a friendly game of pool at Spitball Tattoo. Brooklyn, NY 2022.***

Hold on one second! We’d be remiss to forget the large influx of new tattooers during this time. These were typically people with 3 seconds worth of experience rushing to the interwebs to boast about their books being closed, all while having a (INSANE) minimum rate of $500 and blatantly ripping people oﬀ with their “tattoo get rich quick schemes.” Former & current philistines who suddenly wanted to “change the world with their art.” The grift was as transparent as the tracing paper for their poorly done stick and pokes. Don’t get me wrong—a good tattoo should cost good money, but you have to earn that position. This precarious time was being abused by many. This brings me to my next point: since the mass overcharge on tattoos, it feels like some customers have woken up and just simply stopped getting tattooed, which lead to a decline in both the art and commerce parts of tattooing.

**Patrick McGill gazing out the window on a slow day in 2024 at Masterwork Tattoo.**

Come the middle of 2024 tattooing took a big stumble. Especially for the hype tattooers. Some taking to the net saying that they were quitting tattooing because of the lack of business. To my surprise many oﬀ the map tattooers,“underground tattooers”or even walk-in shop tattooers, are still busy. Some say this is the way it was before the pandemic. Perhaps this is just the swing of things, peoples interests have changed from that old reflection in the mirror or maybe the trend is dead and attentions have shifted. It’s now time to go on those trips, buy that car and renovate that house. Others say it’s inflation not allowing people to focus on extras. Let’s be honest, tattoos have become a luxury! No longer just for criminals and creatures of the underground. Never the less there is not just one answer but all I know for sure is that this is one of the largest up and down swings of tattooing I have witnessed in my 17 years of being involved in the craft. This low is a new beginning for tattooing. The shedding has started and the true tattoo believers are pushing on.

Tattoo Pandemic

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