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I finally made it to Elm Street Tattoo in Deep Ellum and had a wonderful visit with a very chill tattoo and piercing artist named Pickles.  He totally normalized the experience for me and was very open to talking about how tattoos have changed from what my image had been.  Pickles said it's now no longer possible to type cast who comes in.  What has changed his world has been Pinterest and photo-shopping.  Customers regularly come in with unreal expectations based on images that may not be authentic photos of actual tattoos.  Folks also may think he can tattoo their grandmother's face on their knuckle and that's not often possible.  What hasn't changed is the tendency for folks to ignore his advice about post-care, mostly with piercings.  I asked "for a friend" whether he ever encounters customers with a severe fear of needles.  Turns out Pickles is deathly afraid of shots and IVs and he gets a lot of smirks when he mentions that at a clinic with his many tattoos visible.  Tattoo artist with a fear of shots?  They are incredulous.  I explained that I got tired of my wedding china pattern  (selected at 23) and had the same worry of my taste changing about tattoo design selections.  He laughed and said he is frequently asked to modify a design into something different.  Pickles kept referring to flash art and I judiciously waited to ask one of my staff for a definition.  Turns out it has nothing to do with the flashing from the 70's.  Flash tattoos are just common designs typically displayed on the walls or in the binders.  But the rest of you already knew that!  Finally, Pickles said what a great idea it was to incorporate field trips like this into a leadership training curriculum because it makes folks more open and accepting.  Don't be surprised if Pickles signs up for the next ILP class!

Kathleen

Kathleen M. LaValle
President and CEO
Dallas CASA
2757 Swiss Ave.
Dallas, TX 75204
469.547.9443 direct
dallascasa.org

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