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I got a Baby’s brain and an old man’s heart

Took eighteen years to get this far Don’t always know what I’m talkin’ about

Feels like I’m livin’ in the middle of doubt

If you’re in between two places or experiences, especially if you’re transitioning between them, you’re in a liminal place. Let me tell you, those liminal places are – usually – rubbish. And that’s exactly where I found myself after walking away.  And, as ever, I turned to my comics books and my record collection for the solution. 

You see, I’m not an educated or a cultured man. I am one of ‘Thatchers children’, a member of the lost generation that is Gen X – the latchkey generation. I’m a product of recession, MTV, miners strikes, nuclear paranoia , cold war, negative equity, the last days of communism, McJob’s, Chenobyl, terrapin huts, free market economics, Cruise missiles, non existent parenting, sex kills, pulp culture and technology as a replacement for everything I have missed out on thanks to the baby boomers who robbed me of my childhood and the impending badly thought out policies of fucking millennial politicians who seem hell bent on robbing me of whatever is left. 

I’m bleak, cynical, and disaffected and – in the absence of any real teachers or mentors in my life – the profound impact of my early heroes cannot be understated. My worldview and life lessons didn’t come from traditional sources but from the unconventional classrooms of comic books, lyrics, movies and the insightful dialogues woven through interviews with my heroes in the NME (RIP). Unremarkably, at least to me, this eclectic education continues to shape my perspective, proving that life’s lessons often emerge from unexpected quarters.

Info Freako

There is no end to what I want to know

There’s what you feel, And what you know

The early days of the World Wide Web – a term that now sounds quaint – played a pivotal role in shaping my intellectual landscape. Functioning as my virtual library, it granted me access to the profound musings and wisdom of my heroes across diverse subjects. This newfound connectivity opened a gateway to deeper insights, offering me a front-row seat to their minds.

As the technological terrain continued to expand, the digital realm evolved into more than just a repository of information; it became my surrogate education. In this vast expanse of interconnected data, I discovered a multifaceted tool that not only stored knowledge but also facilitated connectivity and learning. My computer screen transformed into a dynamic classroom, a space where I could immerse myself in a plethora of subjects with just a few clicks.

Online courses emerged as a beacon of learning, offering structured modules and expert guidance accessible from the comfort of my home. The democratisation of education had become a reality and I seized the opportunity to expand my intellectual horizons, absorbing insights from disciplines beyond the constraints of traditional education.

Beyond formalised courses, virtual communities became another cornerstone of my digital education. Engaging in discussions, forums, and collaborative projects with individuals from diverse backgrounds enhanced my understanding of the real-world application of theoretical knowledge. The exchange of ideas within these virtual spaces fostered a sense of belonging to a global community of learners.

In essence, technology became the facilitator of my unconventional education, bridging gaps and providing avenues for continuous learning. The World Wide Web, once a novelty, transformed into an indispensable tool that empowered me to navigate the ever-expanding sea of knowledge. From the early days of exploration to the present, my journey as an ‘info freako’ has been a testament to the transformative power of technology in shaping the modern pursuit of knowledge.

“You have to reject one expression of the band, first, before you get to the next expression and in between you have nothing, you have to risk it all” -Bono

In the fallout that came with walking away from ‘The Deal with the Devil’ – and believe me , there was plenty – I realised that I was going to have to reinvent myself.

To become a graphic designer, I’d had to reject the musician and now I had to reject the designer to become the tattooist. But in-between I was nothing.

Back as the novice in my mid thirties I was terrified and liberated all at once and, for the first time, I was in exactly the right place at the right time. The fall of the Berlin Wall in 89 and subsequently the end of the USSR and the Eastern block had brought about huge changes. Suddenly artists with no sense of the history or ‘rules’ of tattooing were picking up machines and just using them in whatever way they wanted to, to make the kind of imagery they wanted to see. Tattooing was changing, tastes were changing and the internet was making it easier and easier to see work from all over the world, instantly. 

The genre that was about to emerge would be the first of the digital age. The Graphic Style, Art Brut, Photoshop Style, Avant Garde, call it whatever you like, it didn’t (and doesn’t) matter to me. All I knew was that – for the first time since I stepped into a record studio – I felt like I’d found a place for my art – even if they didn’t want me or my peers, just yet.

So I got to work. I knew how to tattoo but I needed to learn how to tattoo (believe me, there’s a difference) and that’s exactly what I did. 5 years later I called my ‘mentor’ from my booth at The London Tattoo Convention purely to say “I fucking told you I’d be here in 5 years” – but that’s another story.

If anything, my life so far is a testament to the transformative power of unconventional influences. My identity is woven from the threads of absent parents, coloured by the vivid hues of pulp culture and shaped by the digital age as a substitute for traditional education. In this unorthodox journey, I’ve learned that wisdom and enlightenment can emerge from unexpected sources and the mosaic of my education is not confined to the traditional classroom but extends into vast, uncharted digital territories. Where passion, curiosity, and the ceaseless quest for knowledge are well rewarded.

You’re born, you take shit. You get out in the world, you take more shit. You climb a little higher, you take less shit. Till one day you’re up in the rarefied atmosphere and you’ve forgotten what shit even looks like. Welcome to the layer cake, son. – Eddie Temple

Embracing personal growth and navigating life’s transitions often requires a mental state characterised by liminality. Liminality refers to the transitional phase between two distinct stages, where individuals find themselves in a state of ambiguity and uncertainty. In the context of moving forward in life, being prepared to exist in this mental liminal space becomes a crucial element of the transformative journey.

The takeaway is that, that idea also expands to your tattoo career. And, as you progress through your career, you’ll find yourself ‘between the layers’ more than once.

‘The Layer Cake Speech’ has become one of the ‘speeches’ that I now tell to all my apprentices. It’s based loosely on two quotes. One from the movie Layer Cake & the other from Bono talking about the difficult transition U2 had to endure to get from The Joshua Tree to Achtung Baby.

It goes something like this; ‘The right clients are part of the Layer Cake. As you progress through your career you’ll travel up through the layers. Between each layer is some jam and the jam is the weird part when you’re no longer what you were, but not yet what you will become. You’re in a liminal space called ‘the jam’ and that’s a sticky spot. 

The liminal space mentally is not a passive state; rather, it is an active engagement with the process of change. It demands a certain openness to learning, a receptivity to new ideas, and a willingness to embrace the inherent challenges that come with transitions. It involves navigating the ambiguity with curiosity rather than fear, seeing it as an opportunity for self-renewal rather than a threat to stability.

You’ll have to be prepared to leave some clients behind but, eventually, you’ll move up a layer, get new, more suitable clients for the next phase of your career and then you’ll start climbing all over again. 

That is the layer cake of all business BUT BEWARE because if you’re not careful you’ll climb too far and you’ll be in the icing. The icing is pretty and it looks good and everything but – after a while – you’ll find that it doesn’t nourish you, it’ll rot your teeth & make you fat!”But that’s another story.

Its ok to change direction a any point in your life but you have to accept that it will be scary and uncomfortable at first. Especially if you’re older because you’ll likely have more responsibilities and more to lose.

We only get one crack at life so why you should you settle for anything less than exactly what you want? Most do because getting it is hard. It’s hard mentally and physically. Know that and accept that hard work is coming. Be prepared and get to work. Your life is waiting for you.

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