From Punk to Professional

After 13 years as a Professional Body Piercer, I’ve spent countless hours guiding people through their fears and pain in order to come out of the process with something beautiful, something to care for, and something to be proud of.

Much attention and focus was given to the jewelry, the piercing, the small part of the body it was adorning. The attention to detail for most folks often ended there, without really addressing the rest of the whole person. This is how the modern body piercing movement has evolved. What rose from sacred indigenous practices has been commodified down to a (mostly) meaningless decoration.

My personal reasons for seeking out body piercings always stemmed from a curiosity of my strength and endurance. I would see a piercing and wonder if I was brave enough or strong enough to bear that experience as well.

As I developed in my career as a body piercer, I began to have a more holistic approach to my practice as well as my clients. I wanted to know what parts of their lives would be positively (or perhaps even negatively) affected by the piercing I was going to do for them as my intention has always been to cause as little pain and discomfort as possible.

As my career continued to progress I began to become more and more aware of the energy always around and being exchanged by people, swirling in and out of piercings all around me all the time. I didn’t realize it for a long time, but I began to incorporate energy work into my piercing practice; using calming techniques and breath work as a foundation, displaying and working with powerful crystals in my piercing spaces, and using my attention to detail to really listen to and see a person through all of their layers. This is why I say I am an Intuitive Practitioner of Practical Ritual; my methods are self taught through my own personal experiences working with clients when they are being their most vulnerable versions of themselves.

I began to communicate with my clients differently and through this a different kind of “product” was born. Instead of simply adorning piercing clients with pretty new jewelry in a professionally executed piercing we were building bloodletting rituals and releasing unnecessary energy. We were actively engaging in a rite of passage, speaking about the purpose for their visit and what they hoped to achieve through this change in their physical form.

These practices are not new. The means and facilities are modern and safe but every human culture has participated in body art in one way or another. These practices are our common connection. The ability to change our physical form is our birthright.

As I further my practice I’m involving the many modalities that have proven to be powerful transformers in my experiences with clients such as guided sound journeying with sacred instruments, crystal energy work, and Source Spirit work.