Sean Dowdell : What piercers do you look up to and why ? Jef Saunders : I think first and foremost , when I think of pure , raw , piercing talent : Luis Garcia . Luis has some kind of extra sensory perception when it comes to placement . Luis is playing chess when other piercers ( including myself ) are playing checkers .
I am really inspired by younger , newer piercers . I think a lot of my experienced peers look at newer piercers and see entitled Tumblr users who didn ’ t have to work for anything . I think of it differently . I had the benefit of piercing before it was easy to put pictures on the internet . I had a running start with my portfolio before other piercers had a chance to tear it apart . Nowadays ? You need to be good , and you need to get good fast . Sure , you may not have had to go to the library to research skin preps , but you had better get the length on that industrial right or the internet will tear you apart ! It ’ s a ton of pressure on these newer piercers , and most of them are doing a fantastic job of absorbing that pressure and putting out remarkable work .
Finally , there ’ s no small list of piercers I think are spectacular . I couldn ’ t list them all but a few include Cody Vaughn , Courtney Jane Maxwell , Aaron Pollack , Kelly Carvara , Kellan Smith , and Ken Coyote .
Sean Dowdell : What are your thoughts about the internet and its role in the piercing industry ? Jef Saunders : I can ’ t really say enough about how much I enjoy the free exchange of ideas . The internet is a wonderful resource for piercers , and I can ’ t imagine being where we are today in terms of health and safety , as well as technique if the internet wasn ’ t a big part of our industry .
I have really enjoyed being a blogger . I was caught off guard when my piercing blog ( www . piercingnerd . com ) started to develop a following . In the years since I started it , I ’ ve developed classes on the entries I ’ ve posted and met literally hundreds of piercers through it . It ’ s been a wonderful personal learning experience , as well as a fun way to give back to our community .
Sean Dowdell : If you could give 1 piece of advice to the piercers out there , what would it be ( pertaining specifically to procedures )? Jef Saunders : You are allowed to practice on an inanimate object before you do a piercing on a paying customer . I think , for a lot of piercers , they never consider trying a piercing technique on a piece of foam board or one of those silicone body bits . The muscle memory , and figuring out problems before they arise , is totally worth the small amount of time or money you may need to invest .
Sean Dowdell : What do you think are ( if any ) problems within the piercing industry ? Jef Saunders : Less a problem , more an opportunity for improvement : it ’ s very important to me that we continue to innovate tools and supplies that are designed to be single use . I would love to see the piercing community embrace less tool reprocessing as a way of making piercing safer for our clients , and exposing piercers and shop employees to less bioburden . There are lots of jewelry and supply companies that can seize that opportunity and make us disposable , inexpensive , high quality piercing tools .
Sean Dowdell : Where would you like to be in 5 years ( pertaining to life and business )? Jef Saunders : That ’ s a difficult question ! I sold my shops last year to my good friend , Peter Jett . I ’ m hoping within five years , I have found a good place to continue to pierce , whether I own the shop or not . My son will be six years old by then , so I ’ m betting I ’ ll be coaching basketball by then too !
Sean Dowdell : What is your favorite piercing to perform and why ? Jef Saunders : I really love the basics , especially nostrils and navels . I have to admit a daith piercing is a pretty special one to me , though . I like performing
34 InkSpiredMagazine . com