Today we’d like to introduce you to Nathan Bucher.

Hi Nathan, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Nathan Bucher and I have been involved in the tattoo Industry a little over 20 years, actively tattooing around 8 years. Things were in a way going well; a lot of ups and downs with scheduling, but I was given the freedom of handling most of my scheduling and pricing.
I figured out a pretty good price point for how long the average people tolerate pain wise and can afford.
Things started to change though, my brother was the shop owner and his appearances there became less and less and the surrounding staff for some reason just didn’t seem to like me
Several times I brought scheduling issues up to the owner, but I was informed I was a “paranoid conspiracy theorist”
One of the times it was exposed to me a friend of mine sent a friend of theirs into the shop bc my page had posted tattoo availability the following week.
The guy came in to schedule but also get a piercing, the piercing stall was on the other side of mine with an open ceiling
All conversations are heard.
This guy asked to schedule with Nathan but was told no availability for like three months, then asked what he wanted tattooed, he said he wanted to get something American flag related.
He was told his tattoo idea is overdone and he doesn’t want that.
This guy was pissed, turns out he was a vet who served in Afghanistan.
It didn’t take long to get back to me with him messaging me directly about his experience, which I then relayed to the owner, he said, “no way would that ever happen. That employee would sooner suck the dick of a vet. Stop being paranoid, nobody is pushing you out or messing with your scheduling.”
I managed to smooth things over with the client but my radar was up.
A few weeks after that another occurrence took place. I was cleaning my stall preparing for my appointment. I knew she was on her way because we were communicating. One of the other artists switched scheduling that he was no longer tattooing Tuesdays and the other working artist had just started a session. I hear the door open and go out to greet them and it wasn’t my appointment, but it was someone saying they there for Nathan. I was thinking that’s interesting because my appointment was a repeat client and nobody else has a similar name to me. I asked several times who he was scheduled with and when he made the appointment. He insisted it was with Nathan and the appointment was made months ago. I apologized for the confusion and offered to come jn the following day; my day off. After he left the other artist working asked what was going on and I relayed the story, he says that was supposed to be his appointment. I grabbed his book and sure enough there was the guy’s name and phone number and even a deposit. He stopped the tattoo he was doing and called that other guy in. I was livid. This was now two confirmed occurrences within a month of looking. I took my day off and when I came in Thursday my brother was actually there working on a painting. He asks me how I’m doing and I said to be completely honest, I’m pissed about all this schedule nonsense going on and you being alright with it. He slams his brush down claiming he’s “sick of my whiney bitch attitude” and he wound up putting me in a choke hold and pushing me to the ground. I got free and said under no realm of self respect could I return to this work environment, I was told I wasn’t welcome.
I managed to locate a great starting studio. It was a local State Farm agent who claimed he had an ice cream shop he ran over the summer that might work out for a place to start given the situation that nothing was planned. Things were going pretty good for a few months but that ended up changing when State Farm decided to move their office and ownership changed.
Initially things were good and I was told to carry on, business as usual
This changed after a few months getting idle threats I’ll have to leave in two weeks because she doesn’t think a daycare can be in the same building as a tattoo studio
So the reactional hunt begins again
I manage to find a place where I knew it would be a challenge going from $350 rent to $1k with him wanting $2k down
I managed to attain this goal and in the course of setting up the studio, I developed a blister that led to hospitalization and two toes amputated
The landlord ended up serving a two week notice for being late
He was informed I was in the hospital but didn’t really care
He was paid within the first weekend of getting out
We carry on a few months with me admittedly being late but always paying before the end of the month
Generally by the 15th with the lease having a $5/day late written
He was always paid
At one point I notice another blister, I wasn’t playing games with that one so I did get it looked at immediately
I was hospitalized just a few days for infection
The day I was released I got back to my studio not feeling right at all
I was nauseous the entire way back, when I got there I wound up losing all body control collapsing to the ground
I thought I was having a stroke, an ambulance was called and within a few hours of being discharged, I was right back in the hospital experiencing a TIA
We learned both my carotid arteries are blocked
There’s only three blood vessels supplying the brain, I just learned two are blocked and getting complicated with all this unnecessary stress
While I was hospitalized I was told yet again my medical situation isn’t his problem
I get out and yet again I’m sacrificing health to keep the grind going for my doors to remain open
Well, he wound up taking things a step further and filed eviction while i was in the hospital
I didn’t think it was real and that like all other times he said he was just going through the motions
I tattooed so I could cover rent
There was a month I was given no notice because I made rent on time
The following month however there was a notice on my door the first of the month to vacate
All checks were cashed to this point I reached out to him on the validity of the notice, he read the message but never responded
I carried on with business and went in to pay my August rent, I was told it was being declined
I instead needed to be out of the premises the following Monday by 9am
I’m currently conducting this survey shut down because my sterile environment was ripped from me
Being on my feet moving everything yet again has led to another blister that I need hospital care but kinda can’t do anything about because my entire world was legit just rippped away from me
My tattoo studio is Spot of Ink
Part of that is I don’t need a large area to conduct my craft, just a little spot

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been smooth at all. Everytime something starts to look up, negativity comes balancing the success for whatever reason.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a tattooist with a very strong passion in art Things that set me apart is the compassion I put into creating the right design for someone
I’m not a tattooist who is out to do the stupid stuff just to make a dollar.
I care about what I’m doing and the time and things I’ve sacrificed
Other things that set me apart is variety of styles available, as long as am allowed to make the design in a way I understand it.
I’m also a little different in that I have and ASB in Marketing & Management
I don’t know if there’s a better way to utilize my schooling

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
My answer is the sort of the same I live in a small town population 9,000
Lots of people know one another
So word of mouth carries a lot of weight what I wanted to do was travel across the country doing shows but still returning to maintain my hometown appeal

Pricing:

• Most sessions are kept around a budget of $250-350.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.spotofinktattoos.com/
• Instagram: Spot_of_ink_tattoos
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100077659322134