big tree, work in progress!

while working on my friend’s tree tonight he told me about his zen retreat experience.

the group meditates, all sitting in position. a monk creeps stealthily and calmly between the rows of silent people, carrying a long flat stick. when he notices someone out of position or obviously distracted, he taps them on the shoulder, then whacks them hard on each shoulder.

I’ve also been promised a link to a podcast that discusses the nature of pain and how to cope with it by staying in the moment.

I find that if I start paying attention to someone’s physical pain while tattooing them, it becomes more difficult to focus on the art itself, the technical aspects and creative aspect of the work. So I try my hardest to block it out or make a joke – I am far from a soothing nurse, in other words.

So maybe if I have access to a soothing podcast, I can throw headphones on my clients while I torture them.