Local Tattoo Artists See Success Despite Coronavirus Setbacks

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Local tattoo artists have surprisingly found creative professional growth during a global pandemic.

No impulsive walk-ins. No supportive guests. No symptoms showing.

The Coronavirus pandemic brought a heavy dose of change to the tattooing industry of St. Petersburg, Florida with masked canvases and muffled voices.

For three months, local tattoo shops were forced to shut down, leaving artists with a mind full of creativity and no prospect of needling into permanence.

Jay Gray, 26, took the first lockdown as a sign to fully commit to his dreams of becoming a tattoo artist.

“That was like a forced leap of faith for me, since the restaurant is not working anymore, I might as well dive into this with no distractions, ” said Gray, who quit to focus on his tattoo apprenticeship at Ink Werkz full time.

One would think a year into a global pandemic would prove to be detrimental to the tattoo industry. However, tattooing, like many other creative endeavors, has thrived in the time of the novel Coronavirus outbreak.

Florida had around 9,000 to 10,000 tattoo artists and 4,100 registered tattoo shops in 2020, according to the Florida Professional Tattoo Artist Guild. St. Petersburg tattoo shops were allowed to reopen in June of the same year with COVID precautions in place.

Tattoo artists have been and still are uniquely qualified with hygienic protocols. They must complete Bloodborne Pathogens & Communicable Diseases training to be licensed.

“I hope people remember that tattoo shops are cleaner than hospitals,” said Gray.

While the volume of clients being tattooed had decreased, the amount of tattooing hours increased with more of a commitment to larger pieces.

“I have been busy, just in a constant state of creation. It reminded me that I am an artist, not just a tattooer. It has reignited my creativity,” said Christopher Jameson, a seasoned artist with ten years of experience.

“Surprisingly, when we opened back up, I was busier than I have ever been,” said Micheal Ryan, a recently graduated apprentice who has doubled his weekly income.

As local tattoo artists look to the future amidst the pandemic, they’ll keep opening up shop and doing business as usual. Well, mostly.