Tell me a bit about yourself...

I've been a body piercer for six years and own my own studio. At first it was just something that I did for myself. While it has become a business and a career, I still don't see it as a lifestyle. It's just something that I do.

Has your clientele changed over your career?

The only difference is that there are more of them now. It's the same kind of people, but because it's more acceptable, those that were held back by their lifestyles in the past aren't any more.

Why do people get pierced?

Usually to look cool, and sometimes just because they like the experience. People need to think more about why they're getting it done. A lot of people that come in that are really terrified, and are still terrified up to the piercing, but they still do it. While it's really good to overcome your fear, there's also a point at which the fear is telling them something! Not that it's going to be bad, just that they're not ready yet -- people need to think about it and prepare themselves more. For a lot of people it's too much a spur of the moment thing.

How does it change a person's life when they get pierced?

Some people just aren't responsible enough with themselves to handle piercing -- to look after it properly. The worst problem is when the client's friends think they know more than I do. So they don't listen to my advice, don't keep the aftercare sheets I get them, and they listen to their friend's advice. But then when the piercing gets infected, who do they blame? Me...

The other big problem is that half the people think piercing is a simple, simple thing -- that no matter what, it can't be fucked up... that anybody can do it. The other half think the opposite, that we're trained professionals, like doctors. We're neither one -- we're somewhere in between. There's knowledge you need to do the job properly, but there's no licensing or certification.

What do people need to know before getting pierced that they don't usually get told?

You might have a harder time finding a job and fitting in -- it seems obvious, but not enough shops tell people this. People should consider these things. The decision is for the client to make, but sometimes we need to inject a dose of reality.

What's the biggest problem with piercers?

Too much ego. We're here for our customers. This is a service industry. It's not to get some cool pictures, it's not to be famous, it's not to get chicks, it's not to be rich. If you're not a piercer because you like people, then you shouldn't be a piercer. Too many people become piercers to be cool. We've got a lot of piercers who don't know enough about what they're doing and are more concerned about how they look to people than their skills.

What's the biggest mistake that clients make?

The walk into a place and assume, just because it's a piercing studio, that they must know what they're doing. Unfortunately, that's not always the case. Clients need to inform themselves. If I could change one thing about the industry, I'd get rid of all the horrible piercers -- the biggest complaint that I have is when I hear about someone getting pierced at another studio and they tell me "the clamps hurt more than the piercing". The number one sign of a problem piercer is cranking the clamp on too tight -- there's no need for it to hurt. I wonder: are they covering up other problems, are they sadistic, or do they just not know what they're doing?