Piercing Wizard Podcast

I was really happy to have been invited to teach at the first Australasian United Professional Piercers (AUPP) conference in Sydney, Australia. While I was there I sat down with Suzanne Hallett, from the AUPP's board of directors, and one of the event's key organizers. We talk about how a local organization can push standards higher in ways that might not be feasible on a global scale. The AUPP's first conference was an impressive event that brough piercers together with excellent classes, a vendor showcase area, and fun social moments. I also talk to Suzanne about her career success and how she went from being a staff member at a well known and respected studio, to becoming its owner. While I was in Sydney I was finishing up a video featuring Lola Slider narrating her bridge piercing methods and showing an example of both clamp, and no-clamp bridge piercing. Watch it at www.patreon.com/ryanpba along with dozens of other videos for just $15 on the arch-mage tier.

Lola and Ryan went to all the conferences and all you got was this lousy podcast. We recap some of our favorite parts of the BMXNET conference in Berlin, the Professional Piercers Poland conference in Gdansk, and the UKAPP conference in Manchester. Every conference has its own personality, community, and benefits. We share our experiences to help you decide which conference might be right for you. Stick around for some honest advice for prospective business owners. We will also be offering out next webinar on Sunday November 12 2023. Join us for two classes in one webinar: Navel Piercing Variations, written by Ryan for the BMXNET conference, and Size Matters (jewelry sizing theory) written by Lola for the UKAPP conference. Webinar is open to professional piercers of all experience levels. Sign up at www.ryanpba.com.

This PWP was recorded in front of a live studio audience. Lola and Ryan went to BMXNET 2023 in Berlin, while we were planning this episode we got a suggestion from a US piercer named Kookie to invite Kale Roberts as our guest. Kale (ig: fleshpiece) recently transplanted from the US to Germany, and this was also their first full conference experience. it felt like the perfect fit. We talk about safe experimentation and a few other issues. BMXNET is a unique conference because there are so many disciplines represented; piercing, body mod, scarification, suspension, tattooing, bondage, and more. How can you take your new information home and explore it safely and responsibly. No one is born into experience, you grow into it. Join in on our conversation and grow with us.

Lola Slider recently released a video presentation titled "Predicting and Preventing Predatory Behaviour". On this episode she discusses the importance of the topic with Ryan. You can watch the full video presentation for free at www.patreon.com/ryanpba. Ryan and Lola also discuss the upcoming piercing conferences they will be instructing at. BMXNET in Germany, Pro. Piercers Poland, UKAPP, and AuPP in Australia! Ryan will also be offering an advanced seminar in Sydney after the AuPP conference, for more info visit this form: https://forms.gle/LzY6vFHA6q1V6uxEA

Tongues and Cheeks and Dermal Punches, oh my. Ryan made a new video about tongue piercings and it sparked off a whole thing. Lola joins in for a conversation about common practices that have become less common, why, and what we're going to do about it. We approach tongues as a staple piercing that is making a comeback post-facemask-life. We approach cheek piercings as something we really wanted to like, but just don't. And Dermal Punches are talked about in more of a nostalgic hypothetical. A big recurring theme is informed consent. Openly and honestly talking about the risks and consequences for all of these piercings and how they should be approached as both the piercer and the piercee. Want to see Ryan's new video about tongue piercings? Its available now at www.patreon.com/ryanpba. Get more info or register for Ryan's August 20th 2023 webinar on bevel theory at www.ryanpba.com.

The final interview in my APP 2023 series will be with a piercer who goes by Wikilea on ig. Wikilea was a POC (piercer of color) scholar for this year's conference, she is a piercer who might describe herself as an American piercer and as a Chinese piercer. Lola and I sat down with Wikilea to talk about the current state of the Chinese piercing scene. This is another fascinating conversation that helps to shed a light on international body piercing. Lots of new content in the works for you at www.patreon.com/ryanpba. You can find hours of on-demand piercing educational content on the arch-mage tier. Active subscribers also get a discount on my upcoming August 20th 2023 webinar on bevel theory. Find more info or sign up at www.ryanpba.com.

Its pretty obvious when you need to leave a bad workplace, but what about when the workplace is mostly fine? Sometimes a piercer may plateau in a studio for various reasons, and it can be time to think about finding growth elsewhere. Canadian piercer Deacon Matheson sat down with Ryan and Lola during the 2023 APP conference to talk about what lead him to move on from a comfortable situation. Lola shares her thoughts from the perspective of another piercer leaving to start their own business, and Ryan approaches the topic from that of a studio owner looking to nourish growth within the studio and within it's staff. Ryan will be teaching his Bevel Theory webinar + workshop on August 20th 2023. Join him live online by registering at: https://forms.gle/JSWRHyoRqXDAfcmH7. This webinar is open to piercers of all experience levels, professional verification required. Special discount available for active patreon subscribers.

J'son D'souza is a piercer and studio owner from Mumbai, India. I met J'son at a conference in Germany and was happy to see him apply for, and receive, a legacy scholarship from the APP to attend their 2023 conference. Lola and I sat down with J'son to talk about some of the cultural history of jewelry and piercing in India. You'll find some fascinating details about how similar, and how different, the Indian piercing community is to those in Europe and North America. Thank you to all of the supporters from www.patreon.com/ryanpba that we got to meet in Las Vegas. We were happy to connect with you, welcome to the new sign ups as well, I hope you are enjoying the mountain of video content available. More on the way soon.

Ryan and Lola are getting ready for the 2023 APP conference! We talk about our classes and what we'll be doing in the expo. After our conference chat we talk a little about industrial piercings and our opinion(s) on if they should be healed with one piece of jewelry or two. We wrap up by talking about some of the progress Lola has made with her apprentice recently. If you are an active subscriber to my $15 arch mage tier at www.patreon.com/ryanpba and you'll be at the 2023 APP conference make sure to stop by my expo booth and you can get yourself a limited edition shirt. Also, now available, you can watch my watch new video narrating an industrial piercing.

Surface anchors (aka microdermals, dermal anchors, single point piercings) were the coolest thing ever at one point... but many piercers, Ryan and Lola included, have either scaled them back or eliminated them altogether at this point. We discuss their inception, the innovations for jewelry and techniques, and also their limitations and common problems. If you'd like to know more about surface anchors I just published 20+ minute narrated and subtitled video at www.patreon.com/ryanpba. I show two examples of piercing, along with some helpful tips and exercises to practice fundamentals.

Lola and Ryan discuss one of the most common issues facing today's piercing studios, and its not even about using a needle! Downsizing backings, changing out jewelry for retainers, and handling referrals from other studios is a daily occurrence for many of us. Sometimes this can be a quick service to fit in, but sometimes it becomes a speed bump to studios with limited time and resources. If you don't take the time to develop your own policies it can easily become a roadblock. This is a more complex issue than you may think, so lets talk about it. I have a few new videos available for you at www.patreon.com/ryanpba and several more on the way. You can watch my new video about Eyebrow piercings, and also a new tips and tricks video for working with ring opening pliers, niobium rings, and more. Ryan & Lola will be offering a techniques webinar on May 7th 2023 about Nipple Piercings & Bridge Piercings. Get more info or register at www.ryanpba.com or use this form: https://forms.gle/Ezffo29xiaHJmQWu5

Back at the grind in 2023 but Ryan and Lola want to start off with a quick vibe check. We talk about the balance between the energy we give to our clients and the energy we keep for ourselves. Lola will be performing a Talk APP session about self care at this year's conference so its at the front of her mind lately. We touch on bedside manner, silent appointments, transparency in relation to pricing, and more. We also talk about our upcoming class about jewelry sales on Sunday Feb 5 2023, what we'll be covering, and how to sign up. For more info use this google doc: https://forms.gle/VxuStEWdPwGFKDzz7. Registration closes February 1st so don't delay. New content is being posted multiple times a month at www.patreon.com/ryanpba. Sign up on the $15 arch-mage tier for instant on-demand access to dozens of hours of video content about piercing.

My final episode of 2022 is all about Scarification. Kevin Jump came on for episode 146 and we did a show called "keep piercing sacred". Kevin is a skilled scarification artist and while we were in Germany teaching a scar class together I thought we should record "keep scarification special". Scarification has changed a lot for me over the 20 years I have offered it. We share our thoughts on what keeps us motivated, and what does not. Enjoy. Check out the content available at www.patreon.com/ryanpba. Aside from my narrated videos about piercing methods I also have some webinars and lectures, including two lectures about scarification. You can also find info about all of my upcoming classes at www.ryanpba.com. See you in 2023.

2022 will go down in history as a year that definitely happened. Ryan and Lola talk about some of the year's occurrences and highlights. We say a few thank-yous and dive into submitted questions and subjects. How do you avoid toxic communities while you are searching for teachable conversations? How do you avoid being the toxic element in a learning environment? Does regulation create a better piercing industry? Ryan and Lola will be offering a two part webinar about positive jewelry sales, open to verifiable professional piercers and studio staff members. Find more info on registration at: https://forms.gle/FjuKrqhi4pVXFF6j7 or email at: ryanpba@gmail.com. Find new video content about piercer first aid, septum piercings, and more at: www.patreon.com/ryanpba.

Evan Quinno is the piercer at Precision Body Arts (my shop) and I am really happy to have him on the show. Evan worked his way up from the front desk to an apprenticeship to being a very experienced and skilled piercer. We talk about how the shop has changed recently and what working at our shop is like these days. Check out the new video content available at www.patreon.com/ryanpba and submit ideas for new 2023 content using this anonymous google form: https://forms.gle/FwCHTCRriohqTcLD9.

Matias Tafel (formerly known in the industry as Rata) is a heavyweight piercer and educator from Argentina. Matias has been a leading educator to the Latin piercer communities in Central America, South America, and Europe for decades. I've wanted to get him on the show for a long time. This interview was recorded in August 2022 at the GEP conference in Brazil. Check out my new first aid video about what happens when a client faints during a piercing, and I have a gem of an example to show you with it. I'm also finishing up a new video showing different septum techniques. Get access to these, and loads of other educational videos, at: www.patreon.com/ryanpba.

If you are a professional piercer looking for financial assistance to attend the 2023 Association of Professional Piercers conference listen to this episode. If you know someone who might benefit from applying, share this episode with them. APP administrator Caitlin McDiarmid comes on the show this week to talk about the Legacy Scholarship, the minimum requirements involved, and how to apply. I have seen this scholarship changes careers and lives for the better. Give it a listen. New video content available at www.patreon.com/ryanpba on philtrum and vertical labret piercings. I'm also working on new videos about what to do when a client faints, and different ways you can pierce a septum.

In the early days of the professional piercing industry there were big shop names and even bigger personalities. NOMAD was a studio pushing boundaries in a time when body piercing couldn't be defined by one name anymore. Blake Perlingieri, founder of NOMAD, was exploring and sharing a new aesthetic to the piercing community and helping to create a new branch on our piercer family tree. Like the podcast? Ryan also makes educational videos for piercers online at www.patreon.com/ryanpba. Get on-demand access to hours of video content by signing up on the $15 arch mage tier.

Enjoy this haunted episode where Ryan and Lola talk about scary stories for piercers: fainting clients, bleeding, creeps, and more (content warning; brief mention of stalkers and inappropriate client behavior). We threw this together for you early Halloween morning. Check out my new video on vertical labret piercings at www.patreon.com/ryanpba.

Regular guest Jef Saunders comes on to talk about troubleshooting and how troublesome it can be. As piercers we all have our preferences for aftercare, but problems can and will still come up. How do we handle troubleshooting? Reinforce our aftercare? Try to figure out what is the root cause of the issue and adapt to resolve it? What things can be helpful or harmful in these scenarios. Tune in to this very episode to hear more!! I have a new subtitled and narrated video about nipple piercings available for you at www.patreon.com/ryanpba, and I have a new video about vertical labrets coming soon too! Exclamation point!! I'm also doing a preorder for Gentian Violence hoodies through November 1st 2022, go to www.precisionbodyarts.com/shop for info.