Business and Mindset: The Art of Competition Tattooing Kurt Jacobsen EP 282

The Art of Competition Tattooing | Kurt Jacobsen | EP 282

We’ve got an exciting multi-part series for you with our good buddy, and previous guest Kurt Jacobsen! To us Kurt is known as ultra competitive and uniquely unflappable. He’s also EXTREMELY precise.

In this part of conversation, Jake and Kurt discuss the challenges and benefits of competition in the tattoo industry. They explore the decision to compete, knowing your limits, and the need for full commitment and excitement.

They highlight the value of networking, receiving critiques, and incentivizing clients to compete. Kurt shares his seven-year process for competing in tattoo of the day competitions, emphasizing the importance of passion, client interaction, peer review, and choosing the right shows. Overall, the conversation underscores the dedication and growth that come with competing in the tattoo industry.

This episode was made possible thanks to:

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Interview by By Jake Meeks —

Writing By Daniel Pushcarich —

Topics: competition, tattoo industry, challenges, benefits, commitment, excitement, networking, critiques, incentivizing clients, judging lines, dedication, growth, tattoo industry, trophies, selling point, passion, sustained excitement, trust, competing, tattoo of the day, seven-year process, client interaction, peer review, networking, shows

“Passion is sustained excitement and its intent is to amplify trust.”

— Kurt Jacobsen

Kurt Jacobsen (@kjaketattoo) has been tattooing for 14+ years is an undeniable wealth of knowledge and an expertly skilled tattooer and draftsmen. Kurt has taken on many challenges including mentorship, running a shop, and 36+ hour marathon tattooing at conventions.

Kurt has a unique style of tattooing that blends beautiful painterly textures with soft bright and bold atmosphere. It’s a bit like staring at a gouache painting on someone’s skin.

Kurt is based in Rolling Meadows, IL and owns Unbreakable Ink.

Please enjoy!

INTERVIEW LINKS, MENTIONS, AND SHOW NOTES BELOW…

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

Connect with Kurt Jacobsen:

UnBreakable Ink | IG

SHOW NOTES

[00:00] Introduction To The Topic Of Competition Tattooing
[02:30] Enter Kurt Jacobsen
[04:37] Why Kurt Decided To Get Into Competition Tattooing
[11:50] Attracting Clients At Conventions
[13:10] Staying Focused During Conventions
[15:12] The Importance Of Calculated Risks & Planned Growth
[17:35] Cons Of High Level Competition
[20:19] Dealing With Discouragement & Self-Doubt During Competitions
[25:47] Pain Management & Tattoo Design Principles
[27:01] Fireside Foundations Ad Break
[28:23] Networking and The Importance of Accepting Critique at Conventions
[33:58] Commitment and Client Excitement
[38:16] Put Healed Work In Judging Lines and Incentivize Clients
[40:02] Incentivizing Clients to Compete
[42:00] Trophies Sell Tattoos For You, Don’t Hide Them
[44:35] Passion is Sustainable Excitement That Amplifies Trust
[45:42] Building Up to Competing; Consistency, Pacing, and Planning
[50:26] Invitationals Vs. Feeder Shows
[54:25] The importance of starting small with competitions
[57:24] Client Exposure, Championing the Client, & Peer-Review
[1:00:31] Communicating with clients during the tattoo process
[1:02:59] Kurts Process; Seven Years in The Making
[1:05:12] Step 1: Practice Tattooing In It’s Most Nuanced Form
[1:05:42] Step 2: Plan a Single, and Local Tattoo Of The Day
[1:07:34] Step 3: Extend it to 2 Days of Tattoo Of the Day
[1:09:04] Important Note: Save Best Clients and Tattoos FOR NEXT YEAR
[1:09:46] Step 4: Prep for Back to Back Tattoos
[1:11:16] Explaining the structure of multi-day tattoo projects
[1:14:29] Know Yourself, Know Your Limits, Take Care of Yourself
[1:16:32] Closing thoughts on self-awareness and client trust

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Kurt Jacobsen Howls moving Castle

Kurt Jacobsen’s Guide to Competition Tattooing

"Discouragement shouldn’t affect the action; whatever action was planned should still continue forward if that's your goal."

— Kurt Jacobsen

A couple of notes about this section. These notes and ideas are taken directly from Kurt’s experiences, if you feel like you can be as aggressively persistent as him then this system may work for you. These notes can also be applied to your own competition experiences so that you can hone in on what has been working and quickly shed what hasn’t

Some other things to consider, this IS for the extremely competitive and serious tattooer. If you’re going to follow the same path as Kurt, understand that it takes exceptional dedication and self reflection. Be warned, you will feel hurt sometimes, and you will feel despondent about results even WITH great effort and time put in, but you have to realize that nothing the judges are saying is personal or a character attack on you. They are just taking in what they can see and giving feedback.

With those things out of the way, here are notes from Kurt’s Webinar.

Notes

TOP NOTES: (absolutely the most important things to remember!! - Seriously, you have to think about these things all the time)
- KNOW YOUR LIMITS
  - You have to keep stock of what’s possible and where your consistency starts to breakdown
  - When knowing where you start to breakdown you can afford the opportunity to push a little past your limits each time and grow
- TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF
  - You must get good sleep
  - You must stay hydrated and well fed
  - You must stretch and exercise

Why Compete?

Pros-
- Showing Off/Exposure
- It amplifies your art direction
- Really good clients
- Exposure to a specific market of tattoo client
  - Other clients in the judging line
  - Mild interviews while working
- Increases your capabilities
- Promotes aggressive growth
Cons-
- Exceptionally difficult
- Exposes “Imposter Syndrome”
- May cause loss of faith in self
- May create/perpetuate some unhealthy habits

If You Decide Competing is Right For You!

Opportunities
- Peer Networking while judging!
- Exposure to judges and other high level tattooers
- Judging critiques
  - It’s important to have good language around asking for critiques
    - “Thank you so much for your time”
    - “I really appreciate what you said, and thank you, again for your time and effort”
  - Don’t have hurt feelings, they aren’t telling you that you are a bad artist
  - Very difficult mentally to be judged
ADVICE!
- FULL COMPLETE COMMITMENT
  - If you have any hesitation, the client will know and feel that hesitation
- EXCITEMENT
  - This is the LANGUAGE you speak with
  - Clients in these, and all situations, need reassurance or to be reassured they’ve made a good commitment
- TROPHIES BREED CONVERSATIONS
  - Having trophies visible shows what’s possible
  - If you don’t have at Least BOS or TOTD displayed then you’re losing potential show clientele
- PUT CLIENTS IN JUDGING LINES
  - Past healed clients will talk you up
  - Fresh clients will already be in competition mode
  - They will both give you the opportunity to make NEW clients
- “CLIENT CELEBRITY FOR A DAY”
  - You can sell this to your client with trophies and discussions about them being up on stage to get them excited to compete with you
- PASSION
  - Defined - Sustained excitement over long periods of time
  - Your interest in your clients success along with your own will amplify TRUST
  - Excitement is the LANGUAGE you speak with
- COMPETITION is a “FINAL EXAM” at the END OF THE YEAR
  - Plan, prepare and study
  - make sure you know exactly which piece
  - Make sure you know exactly what client
- START SMALL & BUILD UP
  - Start with smaller shows
  - Build confidence
  - Single “Tattoo Of The Day” pieces
- EVERYDAY IS A COMPETITION
  - Always keep competition in the back of your mind
  - This will train you to weed out clients that can’t cut it
  - This will also train you to always be more efficient
- PACE AND PLAN
  - Divide your work and tasks

Start With “Feeder” Shows vs Invite Shows

Invite Shows
- More Elite Tattoo Artists
  - Small booth availability
- Higher stakes leads to higher chance of hurt ego and less likely to try again
Feeder Shows
- Lower stakes allows multiple attempts without too much loss in faith of self
- Start with shows that (almost) anyone can attend
- Practice
- Gain trust with current clients
- Garners interest with local clients throughout the year
NO MATTER THE JUDGING RESULTS
- Client is being looked at by other potential clients
- Opportunity for peer review and networking
- Opportunity for judge review/critique/feedback
- Opportunity for your client to feel like a champion
- Opportunity for you to build confidence and also feel like a champion

Kurt’s Method for Getting Started

Again It cannot be emphasized enough.

KNOW YOUR LIMITS
TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF

This is Kurt’s plan over a seven year period. After an early experience, he took that experience and formulated a clear path and executed it aggressively over those seven years.

Practice Technique and Timing:
- How long does it take you to do each thing
  - Efficiency is KEY
- How well can you do it consistently
  - Effectiveness is Crucial
- Document your progress
  - reflect back on what’s working
  - immediately throw out what doesn’t.
Plan 1 TOTD at a LOCAL SHOW
- Make the piece extremely doable
  - Don’t shoot for the stars (yet)
- A 5 Hour Tattoo should take you 2x longer
  - You want to make sure everything is crystal clear
  - You want to make sure you don’t rush ANYTHING
- Plan your approach
  - Choose subject beforehand
  - Clearly Choose Palette
- Choose client CAREFULLY
- OVER COMMUNICATE
Extend to 2 TOTD
- Plan to compete on Friday
- Take saturday off for recoup
- Plan to compete on sunday
Practice, Repeat
Enroll Studio Clients
- SAVE YOUR BEST CLIENTS FOR SHOWS
Extend your projects
- (2 methods - Both work equally)
  - Method A - Combine 2 days into 1 Project
    - Give a better TOTD on Saturday or Sunday
    - Commit to a 3rd day when ready
  - Method B - 3 Days for 3 different projects
    - Shows you what kind of energy expenditure it will take for full 3 day pieces.

NOTE:
- If you do these things, clients who want this will TRUST YOU, because you are already putting in THE WORK
- KEEP OFFERING

MORE Kurt QUOTES FROM THIS INTERVIEW

Cons Of High Level Competition

[17:35] "Going out and competing is like putting a megaphone on your ‘imposter syndrome’. It's a guarantee that your imposter syndrome is going to feel huge, HUGE, much bigger than it already does. And again, that's something that your mentality has to be trained for, or else you end up in another one of the cons, which is discouragement."

— Kurt Jacobsen

Incentivizing Clients to Compete

[40:02] “The client who knows nothing about competing, might love the feeling of being glorified on stage, and trophies are the conversation starter. It’s a continued point of interest and a conversation that I don’t need to start, it’s already started. Trophies are selling before I even open my mouth”

— Kurt Jacobsen

PEOPLE MENTIONED

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