Business and Mindset: The Art of Competition Tattooing Part 3 Pain Management Ep 284

The Art of Competition Tattooing Part 3 | Pain Management | Ep 284

Ready for Part 3 of our series on Competition Tattooing!?

In this final episode with Kurt Jacobsen, we dive into pain management for clients during multi day sessions.

Kurt shares his thoughts about how, when and where to use Bactine for maximum effectiveness as well as why clients might choose to use a regimen of ibuprofen during the tattoo process.

Enjoy!

This episode was made possible thanks to:

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Interview by By Jake Meeks —

Writing By Daniel Pushcarich —

Topics: Client management, Pain management, Honest communication, Disarming and humanizing, Client energy levels, Proactive management, Assessing client responses, Efficiency of holes, Stipple shading, Shading techniques, Value vs tone, Circular packing, Trauma reduction, Sleep, Eating, Hydration. Temperature management, Tattoo competitions

"Know your Limits, And Take Care of Yourself"

— 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] Quick Recap to Client/Pain Management
[00:38] Mentality Is Critical
[02:56] Guiding your Client; Be Encouraging But Never Pandering
[07:34] Touch with Care, and Be Mindful of the Area You’re In
[10:01] Total Wipe-Out; It’s Better to Be a LIttle Wetter
[11:27] Jake’s Method for the “No Wipe Wiping” Method
[14:14] Position and Fatigue: The Less Muscle the Better
[17:03] Attention to Body Language, & Pillow Fights With Clients
[20:37] Planing Ahead! Knowing Where to Start & When
[21:35] Gimme that Sweet Caine, or maybe not!? Lidocaine & Bactine!
[24:22] Lidocaine Usage; Where, When, & How Often
[32:44] The Great Myth Of Ibuprofen & Why Tylenol Is the Lesser Option
[35:09] Don’t Give Medical Advice, You Only Play A Doctor On TV
[39:41] What Are you Even Saying?! No Soap in Bottles? Heresy!!!
[43:46] Prepwork & Trusting Yourself
[47:08] KNOW YOUR LIMITS, TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF!
[49:15] Redefine the Word “Failure”, Because it doesn’t exist
[51:11] Hitting The Wall! Mental & Physical Exhaustion & Awareness
[55:12] The Procrastination Priority?Don’t Get Through It, Get To It
[57:53] Progress over Perfection
[59:01] Choosing The Harder Path to Create Self-Growth
[1:00:26] Challenge Makes Everything More Interesting for Longer
[1:02:45] Thanks for Watching! Join THE CLUB!!

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Kurt Jacobsen’s Guide to Client/Pain Management Part 2

“You don’t have to be in the Olympics to enjoy a sport, BUT challenge makes everything more interesting for longer.”

— Kurt Jacobsen

A short write up

Notes

Also one quick thought before you go ahead. These are in order of IMPORTANCE based on KURT’S experience during the tattooing PROCESS. All are of equal value, but this is how he felt they showed up for him through trial and documentation.

Please Check out the rest of the Competition Tattooing Series to get all of Kurt’s great tips and notes:

Client/Pain Management

6) Mentality-
- Everyone wants to quit at some point
- Meter your energy levels and pay attention
- Guide clients to focusing and breathing to get through tough spots
  - Breathing techniques may seem “woo woo” or silly, but the fact is they WORK.
  - Take some time to learn and understand what and why, and practice them for yourself as well
- Encourage your clients, but don’t pander to their every whim
- There is ALWAYS an end!
  - Knowing that it exists and keeping it in mind for the client is crucial to their sitting longevity and mentality
  - The hardest day is always the middle
  - The last day is easier because you both can SEE the finish line so it’s easier to push through
7) Contact-
- Be Mindful of where you’re touching and stretching
  - near inflamed skin it’s sensitive
  - Be careful not to jam up the clients ribs with your elbow or any uncomfortable spot
- Fingertip stretching, not knuckle draggin
  - More Gentle
  - Takes more work and effort
- Wiping wetter than normal
  - All clients think you’re dry wiping, but they don’t know you’re a professional or what your methods are!
  - Have a slightly wetter paper towel than you normally would
  - Big Meeks Pro Tips! Reduced skin trauma!!
    - Try to use a foaming bottle
    - Wipe, super lightly, only with your glove directly on the skin
      - This loosens the liquids and inks on the skin
    - Press the paper towel directly over the area and hold tightly to soak up the fluids
    - Pull the paper towel away slowly without rubbing
8) Positioning/Body Fatigue-
- Use as little muscle as possible
  - Both you and the client should be as relaxed as you can be
  - Make sure that almost every session is laying down to alleviate and undue battery drainage
  - Long sessions sitting and trying to keep upright is taxing on your clients energy stores and longevity
- Pillows for Daaaaayyyyssss!
  - Clients will almost always fight you on this because they want to be seen as more tough or durable
  - A cheap option is having the client bring their hotel pillow
    - Saves room and money
- Try not to tense too much
  - Staying relaxed and in good posture
  - Adjust regularly and remember
  - THE NEXT POSITION IS THE BEST POSITION
- Always watch for clients body language
  - Excessive fidgeting will also lead to battery drainage
  - Make sure to take breaks for stretching or movement
    - Think of driving or flying long distance
9) Workflow & PLanning-
- Tackle the most sensitive areas first
  - Difficult and sensitive areas latter in the session will only cause fatigue faster
  - If A client is at 70% it’s easier to get through difficult spots than when they are at 40%
- Come back to difficult spots as little as possible
  - Keep away because the area is tender and traumatized
  - Pain is increased by an order of magnitude so therefore drainage is also increased
- Keep your touch plan mentioned earlier in mind
  - Finger tips for stretching
  - Not palms and knuckles
  - Try not to rest arms in sensitive areas like ribs

10) Lidocaine Use-
- Increased effectiveness the more broken the skin is
  - Best use case if for areas that are already worked
- Application Method
  - Try to get the client as far as possible before using any
    - Use only when clients pain gets upwards of a 6
  - Use as little as possible to maintain current state, not to make the client feel better
    - If client communicates they are at 6 and increasing to 7 only apply enough to keep them at 6, not decrease further
    - Pain will return quickly, and magnified, therefore reducing energy stores and worktime
  - Don’t apply lidocaine to an area you won’t be directly working in
    - Application size should apply directly to work area size
    - Don’t soak area, wipe with pre-soaked towels
  - Use separate towels for water and lidocaine
    - Have a stack of presoaked lidocaine towels at the ready
    - Don’t confuse your water towel and you lidocaine towels
      - If you continuously wipe with the lidocaine towels it will reduce effectiveness
  - Increase usage based on increased pain
    - Use pre-soaked towels gradually, and once every 50ish wipes and as pain goes up use every 45, 40, 35, etc.
    - This needs careful attention and practice due to increases in tolerance
  - Note how much you are using and pay attention to tolerance
    - Don’t soak an area, this decreases its overall effectiveness
    - If you spray over areas that you aren’t working on it adds to the total amount in the clients system therefore lowering workability time while using the lidocaine
- Reiteration - Limiting your lidocaine usage preserves its effectiveness
  - If you dump lidocaine on someone to take them from 6 to 3, when they come back to 6 it’s magnified and feels more like 8 or 9
  - When you try add more to get them back to 3 it always ends up being a 5, it never works the same
- NOTE!
  - Please understand and do a little research. Lidocaine isn’t a narcotic specifically, but the things Kurt says here are still relevant.
11) Advil Vs Tylenol-
- NOTES!
  - Neither Fireside nor Kurt are doctors and this does not constitute as medical advice
  - This is only Kurt’s personal experience, research, and experimentation
  - Please consult a doctor for advice on these ideas and drugs
- MYTH! Tylenol is better because Advil causes unnecessary or excessive bleeding during the tattoo due to thinning of the blood.
  - Probably propagated due to over cautious nature of pharmacists and medical practitioners
  - NOTE! - Usually used as a warning for people that take blood thinners or have anticoagulant or clotting disorders like hemophilia
- Drug Differences
  - Advil (Ibuprofen) - A pain relieving, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) used to reduce swelling and inflammation
    - Does in fact have blood thinning properties, but result seems to be negligent at best with no noticeable issues
    - Used for pain reduction and Anti-inflammation
    - Not nearly as damaging to body
  - Tylenol (acetaminophen) - A pain and fever reducing drug used to reduce immune responses.
    - Has no anti-inflammation properties
    - Higher cost on body and specifically liver
    - Easier to OD on from taking too many trying to be extra cautious with pain.
- You cannot give DIRECT medical advice
  - Instead humanize yourself and the situation
    - Tell the client how much getting tattooed sucks and how you hate getting tattoos done
    - You can add in your own process for administering Advil (ibuprofen) as a suggestion
      - Taking the doctor recommended, steady regimen, of paced ibuprofen throughout the tattoo process
        
        Before, during at the appropriate checkpoint, and again later if the session is long
        
        Only the doctor recommended times and amounts
      - ONLY GIVE AS A SUGGESTION NOT AS A DIRECT RECOMMENDATION!!!
12) No Soap in Bottles-
- Soap is designed to remove debris
  - By nature soap causes disruption
- Soap can increase irritation and redness because it dries out skin
- Wiping solely with water is a better option
- Occasionally soap IS needed due to plasma, lymph, and loss of visibility, but use sparingly
- NOTE:
  - Bactine mixed with soap over time it creates starts to develop an adhesive property on the skin’s surface
  - This can cause ink to stick and gum up on the skin and causes you to need to wipe often
  - This can start to cause more irritation
13) TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF!!!-
- Know Your Limits
  - Be honest with yourself and know what your limits are
  - Communicate with yourself
    - Understand where you break so you can healthily push past to gain and grow with your process
    - It’s different for everyone, be honest with yourself
      - Your body might fail before your spirit, your spirit might fail before the client, or the client might fail before those
  - Train yourself appropriately and well
    - The harder you train, the easier it’ll be when the hard thing comes
      - If you train harder than the event is, then the event will be that much easier
    - Pushing past comfort is where you will make the MOST growth
    - Pushing too far is where injury and failure happens
- There is no such thing as FAILURE!
  - redefine the world “failure”
    - If you try something and it doesn’t work it’s an “opportunity” to try something else
    - Example: If you have a relationship that doesn’t work and it ends, it’s not a failure because now you’re able to find something better.
  - If you tell yourself something doesn’t work and that it failed then you’re allowing negative thoughts to paint your experience
  - Keep your MENTALITY in check!
14) Paralysis/Avoidance-
- Analysis Paralysis
  - Triggers:
    - How you’re speaking to yourself or “negative self-talk”
    - When you’re at a breaking point/exhausted
  - The only thing to stave off paralysis is training as stated before
    - Finding your comfort zone and breaking point, and then slowly, but methodically pushing past it a little bit each time you get there.
- Avoid “Avoidance” by doing the most challenging or painful parts of the tattoo first
  - Avoidance leads to -
    - Paralysis
    - Imposter syndrome
    - Discouragement
- Expectation should be that these things will be inevitable, so using the previous methods to bolster yourself is imperative
  - Training has to kick in for muscle memory and preplanning
  - Awareness and self communication needs to be accurate
    - Save enough of your own battery to jumpstart yourself back into reality
    - Take a short rest or snack to get a boost
    - Discipline to know when these things need to happen
    - Always remember that if your battery is below 30% there is no coming back, it’s just exponential drainage on you and the client
- TIPS FROM JAKE:
  - If you’re finding something difficult, look at the thing you’re procrastinating on, go ahead and tackle that thing first. It will make your efforts for the rest of the day easier
    - If your avoiding something then it becomes your only focus and all of your energy goes to avoiding that thing
    - Don’t get “through” it, Get “to” it
FINAL NOTE:
- You don’t have to be in the Olympics to enjoy a sport, BUT challenge makes everything more interesting for a longer period of time.
  - Even if you’re going out and competing and tropies aren’t important to you, what you’re really doing is competing with yourself and making your tattooing STRONGER
  - Strengthens your purpose
- Commit to yourself FIRST
  - Forgive yourself for any mistakes IMMEDIATELY
  - Stay Committed

Thanks so much for watching and reading. Again, don’t forget to check out Part 1 & Part 2 for the rest of the tips and notes from Kurt!

This episode was made possible thanks to:

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