Star of Texas convention was dope. It was really good to reconnect with my tattoo family from Hawaii, and make some new friends. Conventions are a great opportunity to grow and to network, and I tried to make that happen. People in Texas are generally a decent lot. The barbecue is good and the weather was decent. 

The convention was small. Probably about 200 artists, and very slow this year. It was my first convention in two years, but I did some fun pieces and got to spend time with people I love. 

Some things I learned or was reminded of from this convention:

1: Always bring a Light. The lighting was terrible and I had to buy and overpriced headlight to get through the weekend.

2: You really don’t need to drink to have a good time. In fact, its often more enjoyable if you’re with the right people.

3: I really need to prepare better for conventions. I got better this time around, but being good at conventions is definitely a skill. You need to have:

• A: Bring a good attitude. People can smell bitterness and ingratitude. Especially if you haven’t booked anything for the week. You have a chance to connect with people in a rapid-fire succession, this can make or break your career. Ask people their names, and try to smile at people. Just because someone might not get a tattoo from you, it doesn’t hurt to make them smile or feel comfortable with you.

• B: Ample supplies, (but not too much. I’ll go into more detail about this later) and some sort of organization system

• C: Business cards (make sure to bring enough. if you run out you look unprofessional)

• D: Stickers, people love stickers. Generosity pays off later.

• E: An artful Banner with hangers

• F: Portfolio

• G: Camera/ Lighting/polarized lens

• H: IPad/ Apple Pencil (I forgot mine this time, and I was lucky my friends had my back)

• I: Nice presentable clothes (don’t look like a bum, look like a professional)

• J: A Massage table/ arm rest if you can stretch it

• K: A blanket for your display table ( you can use it to cover your shit at the end of the day)

• L: Wannados and Paintings (this was clutch in bringing people in. People need to see what you’re into and not just what you’ve done. Its also way less stressful and you don’t have to draw while you’re on your trip if you have a bunch of these.

4: Snake heads need to fit the snake body. I did an awesome Hannya the second day of the convention that took all day. Thanks Luis. But the snake head was just a bit smaller than it should’ve been. The tattoo came out awesome though.

5: Make sure to make time to enjoy the place that you’re visiting while traveling for tattoos. Life isn’t all about work, have fun!