August → December: Catching Up

It’s mid-December now. The year just flew by.

It’s been a nonstop few months, and I fell behind on posting. Between two international business trips, failures, successes, and wrapping up another record-breaking month, I haven’t had much time to write a blog. I’ll be more consistent in the upcoming year. This is me attempting to prepare for that consistency.

Here’s a quick update on what’s been going on 👇

August – Berlin

Raven and I flew to Berlin for BMXnet, one of our favorite international body art events. Berlin will always be special to us — it’s where we started dating, and the trip landed right on our anniversary.

It was the perfect mix of business and celebration. We met up with friends and colleagues, collaborated with artists, and took a lot of body art classes. Raven modeled for a scarification collaboration with Ron Garza and Kevin Jump, two artists I’ve admired for years and consider friends.

A little full-circle moment: I met Ron back in 2013 during a scarification class he taught. That’s where I met my friend Harley — who ended up being the reason I met Raven. We joke that if we ever get married, Ron Garza has to officiate. We told him, and he actually agreed 😂 (turns out he’s married people before).

Outside the event, we explored museums, ate amazing food (late-night döner and a beer always win for me), went out to a few clubs (yes, we got into Berghain), and revisited the city that started it all for us.

September – Busy Season, Successes, and Failures

September was intense — longer days, packed schedules, and several side projects that came with both wins and lessons.

Failure first:

We were in the process of expanding into a 1,800 sq. ft. building, and it felt like the perfect fit… but we weren’t selected. We even tried for another space across the street, about the same size. Same story. Not chosen. Twice.

The goal was to move away from multiple small spaces and focus on one large, purpose-built studio. It didn’t go as planned, but that’s okay. Business is full of successes and failures. Maybe it just wasn’t the right time — so I’m trusting the process (for now). Back to the original plan. We’ll get there when we’re meant to.

We are, however, working on a new project for next year, so stay tuned.

Now the success:

I had an interview for Leadership SLO through the Chamber of Commerce — and I got accepted. Last month, in early November, I attended the leadership ceremony where I met former alumni, graduates, and my future colleagues.

Getting into this program isn’t easy; it’s selective and taken seriously. I’m excited to represent our industry in a new space and learn from others doing meaningful work in our community. Leadership is something I’ve been especially passionate about lately — what it means, what it looks like, and how it grows. I’m looking forward to being surrounded by other like-minded people and learning together.

October – Japan

In October, Raven and I traveled to Tokyo for JPPA (Japan Professional Piercers Association). It was my first time in Asia and another milestone — I celebrated 15 years as a piercer right after the conference.

After the event, we spent a few days in Kyoto to celebrate Raven’s birthday. Kyoto was incredible — beautiful, peaceful, and full of history. We’re already planning to return next year.

I definitely need to work on my Japanese, though. Not many people know this, but Raven speaks Japanese, and without her, this trip wouldn’t have gone as smoothly. She made navigating, translating, and connecting with locals way easier (and way more fun).

November – Back Home

After months of traveling, teaching, learning, and networking, it felt good to be home.

This is our busiest season, and November 2025 went down as another record-breaking month. Even though we’ll be home for a while, we’re not slowing down.

We’ve been working locally to educate our community about piercing safety and professional standards. Raven was recently accepted into the Social Media Committee for the Association of Professional Piercers, where she’ll help create educational content. It’s something we’ve already been working on within the business, and the organization reached out for her to join the committee. We’re incredibly proud of her.

Education and community have always been part of what we do. One of our core company values is:

“We contribute to our industry and community.”

That doesn’t just mean financially — it means sharing knowledge, time, and experience to help others grow.

Lastly, we were both nominated to be on the Association of Professional Piercers Board of Directors, and we accepted our nominations. Elections ended December 9th, and we should be finding out whether we were elected soon.

December – Big News

I have a good feeling about this month, and based on previous years, I predict it will be record-breaking once again.

I don’t know how many people actually read this, so I’m just going to say it here… and if you happen to be one of the few reading this blog, here’s your inside scoop:

We just received news that our original location at 963 Monterey Street in downtown SLO will be complete soon. Which means we will be reopening in late January or February.

And no — we don’t plan to close our current location on Marsh.

Over the last year, I’ve asked returning clients for feedback, and many of you love our current location because of the free, accessible parking. Others prefer the vibe of historic downtown and the proximity to restaurants and shops.

So, we plan on keeping both.

There will now be:

SLO Piercing — 963 Monterey Street

and

SLO Body Arts — 474 Marsh Street

We have big plans for both locations, and I’m excited to finally bring two projects to life that I’ve been secretly working on over the last few years.

That’s the quick catch-up for the last few months.

Now that I’m not constantly on planes or running between meetings, I’ll be more consistent with this blog… probably 😅

Thanks for reading — and as always, thank you for the continued support.

Dec 18 The Last Four Months