Blog
Running a book that doesn’t run you.
Deposits, forms, DMs, scams, and the boring parts of tattooing for a living. Written for independent artists, not studios with a front desk.
November 4, 2026 · 2 min read
December fills fast. Block your time off before clients do.
Holiday requests, gift tattoos, last-minute cancellations, and the January rush all land in the same few weeks. A little setup in early November keeps December busy without eating your holidays.
October 28, 2026 · 2 min read
How to raise your rate for 2027 and tell your clients
Supplies, rent, and your skill all went up this year. The new year is the cleanest time to raise your rate. Here is when to announce it, what to honor, and how to word it so nobody feels ambushed.
October 21, 2026 · 2 min read
Opening your books for 2027 without drowning in DMs
Books for the new year usually open in the fall, and the day they open is the day your inbox falls apart. Here is how to run it so the requests arrive complete and nobody is left wondering if you saw theirs.
October 14, 2026 · 2 min read
A Halloween flash sheet you can still drop this month
Halloween is a little over two weeks out. A small spooky sheet, priced simply and booked by request, can fill the last week of October without a single DM thread to manage.
October 14, 2026 · 3 min read
Friday the 13th is November 13. Plan the flash day now.
The last Friday the 13th of 2026 lands on November 13, and the next one is not until August 2027. Four weeks is enough to draw the sheet, set the price, and take deposits ahead so the day runs on appointments instead of a line.
September 6, 2026 · 3 min read
Tattoo aftercare instructions you can send with every booking
The same five questions arrive after every session. Send the answers before the client asks. Here is a plain-language aftercare sheet, and where to put it so it actually gets read.
September 5, 2026 · 3 min read
No-shows and reschedules: how to handle both without losing the client
A no-show costs you the afternoon. A badly handled reschedule can cost you the client and their friends. The rules that keep both fair, and the wording that keeps people coming back.
September 4, 2026 · 3 min read
How much should a tattoo deposit be, and what should the policy say?
A deposit is not a fee. It is the price of holding a date. Here is how working artists set the amount, what the policy needs to cover, and how to say it without sounding like a lawyer.
September 2, 2026 · 3 min read
How to book tattoo clients from Instagram without living in your DMs
Instagram is where clients find you. It is a bad place to run a booking. Here is a setup that keeps the discovery on Instagram and moves everything after it somewhere you can manage.
August 30, 2026 · 3 min read
How to run a flash day that fills without turning into a line out the door
Flash days are the easiest money in tattooing and the easiest way to burn a Saturday. Pricing, sheets, booking, and the walk-in question, from artists who do them well.
August 28, 2026 · 3 min read
What to ask on a tattoo booking form
A booking form is a consultation you do not have to attend. These are the questions that let you quote from the request alone, and the ones that only make clients quit halfway through.
August 21, 2026 · 3 min read
Fake tattoo artist accounts are stealing deposits. Here is how to protect your clients.
Impersonators copy your grid, message people who commented on your posts, and collect deposits you never see. What the scam looks like, and the few things that make it stop working.