What are guest spots and how do they work?

There are things about the tattoo industry you might be unaware of. Guest spots might be one of them. Our artists do a lot of guest spots and the studio welcomes lots of guest artists, so if you’ve ever wondered how this all works - you’re in the right place!

WHAT ARE GUEST SPOTS?

Guest spots are when artists visit another studio for a temporary period of time to work. It can be with studios in other areas of the country they reside in, or can be studios abroad. There are also ‘recurring guest spots’ which is where an artist may stay at a studio more frequently but still on a temporary basis. Most guest spots range between a couple of days and a week in length, but for spots further afield they may stretch over multiple weeks.

WHY DO ARTISTS DO GUEST SPOTS?

Guest spots are a great way for artists to incorporate travel into their work. It allows them to visit other cities and countries and still work at the same time - which is great due to holiday pay not existing for self-employed artists. It also allows them to build a bigger client base, by making it possible for people who may not be able to travel to where they are a resident to get tattooed. It can additionally strengthen friendships and relationships between artists from different studios and can be a form of networking with other people in the industry.

HOW DO GUEST SPOTS GET ARRANGED?

Guest spots are usually arranged one of two ways:

1. The artist reaches out to a studio that they want to guest at. They’ll get in touch to see if the studio has space for guests and when they might be able to spend some time there.
2. The studio may reach out to an artist they’d like to host in the studio and see if that artist is interested. Sometimes studios will host their friends from the industry too.

Some studios will also post about having space for guests and this acts as a sort of ‘open call’ for artists to get in touch and put themselves forward for the guest spot.

WHAT IS THE BENEFIT FOR CLIENTS?

Have you ever stumbled across the perfect artist for you - only to realise they live further away than you’re willing to travel? Guest spots make it easier for clients to be tattooed by artists outside of their local area which opens up the styles you have access to.

WILL AN ARTIST GUEST NEAR ME?

Some artists ask clients where they’d like to see them guest as an idea of where in the world they have a client base. This can make it much easier for them and more stress-free as they already know they’ll have people interested in booking in during their stay at a different location. Guest spots can sometimes be a risk for an artist financially as there’s less security in bookings, so knowing where their clients are based can be a huge help.

HOW DO I BOOK WITH AN ARTIST WHO’S ON A GUEST SPOT?

Every artist books guest spots differently so it’s always worth looking at any information they share about their guest spot as it will usually tell you how they’re accepting bookings for it. Some studios take on the admin side of things for guests, so you may be directed to the studio’s process. Do note, that as guest spots come with extra costs such as travel and accommodation, an artist’s rates might be higher than usual to account for this. You may only notice this if you’re visiting an artist you’ve previously been tattooed by on one of their guest spots.