Tips for the Freshman Tattooist. Its has been said that you haven’t been tattooing until your fifth year is complete. This is when you get to see your old tattoos healed. It takes that long for your tattoos to settle. Until then, your first 5 years are very important. Here is some advice. Take it…

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Sometimes I feel so swamped drawing new tattoos for clients that I forget how much I have done. They say if you wanna have self esteem, do something to be esteemed about! I’m posting this as a reminder to lift my head from the grind and appreciate what I do and who I have met.…

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www.blurb.com I love Blurb. I just got done making another portfolio. In the past I have used Adobe InDesign to layout my books. Doing it this way gives me a lot of control of the layout. Today I decided to use their HTML book making option. I was surprised at how much control I really…

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First camping trip of the year. A 250 mile loop to Giant City State Park. We found a cemetery for old heavy equipment. Went on some hikes. I think April and I have figure out the motorcycle camping. Rule one: Less is More. We do not take much. I could do this forever.  

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It’s Monday, and there’s usually a mixed sense of optimism and exhaustion with what lies ahead for the week. A fresh start, and a new mountain of work. Here’s a few simple reminders about how to keep stress at bay and use it to your advantage. Found over at Psych Central, this quick article will…

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Despite the best intentions… …the best efforts, the most thorough plans, life just does what it wants. We don’t ALWAYS accomplish what we set out to do. We fail. We are reminded that what we want isn’t necessarily going to become ours in the way we had imagined, or even at all. Times like these…

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“People over estimate their uniqueness so that commonalities seem like small miracles.” Google has already found your tattoo. It has already found the same tattoo for hundreds of other people wanting a bird and stars. After a quick Google search you quickly realize how many people had your idea. It is no big deal. Don’t…

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Being on constant display – as most of us are now due to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and any other social media people steadily consume – can undoubtedly lead to speculation about the perception everyone else has about you. Personal, face-to-face encounters can obviously lead to this sort of paranoia as well, but the distance between…

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…And our little life is rounded with a sleep Even though you’ve got a long to-do list looming over your subconscious like a vulture over nearly dead stuff, you need some rest, friends! Sure, no one’s going to finish that report (or Netflix marathon) for you, but enough is enough. Do everyone around you a…

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The Lineage. I bought a pure breed dog once. The first thing I wanted to know was the condition of the puppie’s parents. Where did this dog come from? How old were the parents? What was the temperament of the parents? These answers would help paint a picture of traits I might expect from the…

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“Whenever you hear someone say, ‘It’s not personal,’ or its sister phrase, ‘I had no choice,’ you can be almost be certain they’ve made a choice they are ashamed of.” -Page 24. ‘Never Be Closing’ by Tim Hurson and Tim Dunne. I love counter intuitive thinking. This book either changes my perceptions or validates my…

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The Zouglass’ let me shoot there Christmas card every year. This years theme was focussed on the arrival of little Sam. Note last years picture perfect Christmas card still hanging on the refrigerator door. A stark contrast to the first year of parenthood. Merry Christmas! -Matt Hodel

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Hiking. Bad Ischl has more hiking trails than most cities have bus lines.  Five if the trail are a five minute walk from my front door. This is only one of them.

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