To know that some of these kids will never be able to do that is kind of a shame." There's integrity and power in knowing a design is hand drawn and the needle and ink is handmade. "There's less of that complete creative process now. "After the internet became prominent, all those trade secrets like building machines and needles were kind of lost," Reid told the San Antonio Current. He understands veterans' frustration with new artists coming in like they know everything, yet they're mostly clueless about what it all entails. He said he came into the business about 15 years ago, when premade ink and needles weren't readily available. Owner Jedidia Reid, 36, seems to strike a balance between old and new school mind-sets. "Because of that, the quality across the board is not what it used to be."Ī local tattoo shop whose quality is usually unquestioned is Element Tattoo Studio in northwest San Antonio. "There are some really good tattooers here in town, but there are also some really bad tattooers," Snap said. Now, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services, there are currently 104 registered in Bexar County. When he opened in 1995, Snap said there were less than 10 local shops in San Antonio. They're like, 'Come over to my house and I'll show you how good I am.' Then, after getting their tattoo, they end up coming over here and paying me a whole lot of money to fix that shit." "Today, everybody thinks they're a tattooer. "When I entered the tattoo business, it was a closed society," Snap said. Nowadays, Snap lamented, people call themselves tattooists just by getting online and buying a cheap tattoo starter kit – likely made in China – and then learning the hard way that it's actually not that easy. Apprentices had to pay their dues learning under a master tattooist for a few years before breaking out on their own. Back then, it was mandatory to know how to build tattoo machines and needles and etch out stencils. Snap's "craftsman first, artist second" mentality stems from the way he was taught during his time as an apprentice. It's a distinct difference in philosophy that's quite noticeable for those who have seen San Antonio tattoo culture evolve. The "art versus craft" debate may seem irrelevant to someone just looking to get marked up, but it's actually much more than skin deep for industry insiders. "Well, if you're just in it for the art, then you're fucked up because tattooing isn't an art, it's a craft." "A lot of these young people who are in this business today, the first thing that comes out of their mouth is, 'I'm just in it for the art,'" Snap, 68, told the San Antonio Current at his shop this month. But Snap is sincere and straightforward when he speaks about the plethora of changes he has witnessed during his long tenure in the industry, which includes 20 years as the owner of Phantasy Tattoos on the city's northeast side. In business since 1971, the self-described elder statesman of the San Antonio tattoo community might sound like a curmudgeon amid a new generation of artists. James "Snapper" Snap carefully sketches an outline on the calf of a young woman getting ready for her latest tattoo, an elegant arrangement of lilies and stars.
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