EP004: Ursula & Jasper Interviews! 20+ Yrs Piercing Experience With Two of Avanti's Awesome Piercers!
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Episode Highlights
0:09 - Getting to know Ursula
1:26 - “That's the most rewarding when you can do a really cute piercing but you're also really helping someone at the same time” - Ursula
2:47- "When the person picks a piece of jewelry and then they're really super happy with the results. That's always really fun." - Ursula
3:39- What piercings do you want or do you right have?
4:28 - Getting to know Jasper and his piercing career
6:45 - "She was like the coolest old lady in the world. She'd never had her ears pierced and she wanted it done before she died” - Jasper
7:08 - Favorite and least piercings to do
8:31 - What would you describe as your dream client?
9:35 - What are some things that clients should know before coming in to get a piercing?
12:35 - What is the piercing that you have?
13:21 - Differences between clients from then versus now
14:30 - Where do you see the industry going in the next few years?
Getting to know Ursula
Endy: Hi, everyone! We're back with another episode of the #iamAvanti podcast. Today, I am joined with Ursula, one of our guests piercers. How are you doing?
Ursula: Hi! I am good.
Endy: Awesome! So how long have you been piercing?
Ursula: So including my apprenticeship, it's been just over two years.
Endy: Awesome! Cool! And what made you want to become a piercer?
Ursula: It's one of those things that I've kind of always been interested in. Ever since I was a young child, I've always had a passion for both body adornment and spiritual transformation and I feel like being a piercer kind of marries those two interests together in a really cool way.
Endy: Right on right on! What are some of your favorite client experiences that you've had so far?
Ursula: I always get really excited when somebody comes in for that transformative experience. I've had a lot of clients who tell me that a previous partner or a job or a family member didn't want them to have a piercing and now they're in a place, where they can get that piercing. I've also had clients who come and get piercings because they've had a medical condition or some sort of bodily trauma, and they're trying to reclaim their body and to me, that's the most rewarding when you can do a really cute piercing but you're also really helping someone at the same time.
"That's the most rewarding when you can do a really cute piercing but you're also really helping someone at the same time"- Ursula
Photo by @urzula_wizard
Favorite and least piercings to do
Endy: That's really really cool! What are some of your favorite piercings to do?
Ursula: I mean, it's gonna sound kind of cheesy, but I love doing all piercings. I wouldn't say that I have one specific piercing that is a favorite, but I do kind of like doing something like a conch piercing because there's just so many options with jewelry styles and placement but really, I like doing all of them.
Piercing by @ursula_wizard
Endy: So I'm guessing, you don't have a least favorite one?
Ursula: I mean, not really. It really more depends on the client if the client is being really difficult or in a really bad mood or something that can make it not so fun, but I wouldn't say that there's a piercing I hate.
Endy: Okay, that's good to know.
Ursula: Right?
Endy: Describe your dream client, like someone that comes in and you're like yes, I want to stab you.
Ursula: I mean, dream client is kind of a weird one as well because I wouldn't say there's one specific thing that makes someone the best client but it is always kind of fun, when the person picks a piece of jewelry that I also really like a lot or if they come in just knowing exactly what they want and then they're really super happy with the results. That's always really fun!
"When the person picks a piece of jewelry that I also really like lot or if they come in just knowing exactly what they want and then they're really super happy with the results. That's always really fun."- Endy
Endy: Awesome! What was the process of becoming a piercer for you?
Ursula: So for me, was a little bit different than a lot of people. My husband was working at a tattoo shop that had not done piercing for a number of years and then eventually hired a piercer and needed a second piercer, so it was kind of just randomly offered to me and because it was something that I had always loved and wanted to do, I just jumped on that opportunity and took it for what it was.
Endy: Divine Intervention right place, right time. I love it.
Ursula: Yup.
What piercings do you want or do you right have?
Endy: What piercings do you want or do you already have?
Ursula: I definitely have a bunch. I have a lot of piercings on both my ears, I have my septum, I have my tongue, I have my nipples, my hood. Thinking about getting some more stuff in my ears. I might get a vertical bridge which is a surface piercing, but I mean, I love them all and I'm kind of down for whatever.
Piercing by @ursula_wizard
Endy: Awesome. Sweet! Thank you so much for talking to us, Ursula, and thank you all for listening. See you soon!
Ursula: Alright.
Getting to know Jasper and his piercing career
Endy: Hey y'all! We are back and today I have Jasper with us. How are you doing, Jasper?
Jasper: I am good!
Endy: Good!
Jasper: Are you doing okay?
Endy: Yeah, I'm doing great. You just pierced my ear!
Jasper: I did!
Endy: It's doing well actually.
Jasper: It looks fantastic.
Endy: Yeah, I'm really excited. You did it like a job, it didn't hurt very at all because you know what you're doing because you've been piercing for how many years now?
Jasper: 18. It will be 19 in three weeks.
Buddha Jewelry | Muse Hoops
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:|~|:prdimgtp:--:variant:|~|:prdimgsrcset:--::|~|:prdimgclass:--:zpa-mobile-align--center zpa-align--center pia-23023488:|~|:prdimgalt:--:Straight Barbell 14g:|~|:prdimg:--:https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0338/6305/products/31P3YZ60GFL._UY395_0564979b-b0b0-471a-bd7c-a584c1953e33.jpg?v=1585761886:|~|:prdclass:--:ba-23023488:|~|:prdbtnltp:--:cart:|~|:prdbtnelt:--:_self:|~|:prdbtncpt:--:BUY NOW!:|~|:prdbtnclass:--:zpa-button-padding-medium bcss-23023488:|~|:prdbtnalign:--:zpa-button-alignment-center:|~|:handle:--:14g-straight-barbell-post-only:|~|:dcrt2class:--:ba-23023479:|~|:dcrt1class:--:ba-23023482:|~|:crtmsgclass:--:pcma-23023488:|~|:brdclass:--:ba-23023485:|~|:addcrtmsg:--:Product has been added to cartTether Jewelry | 'Chevronelle' Septum Cuff
:|~|:prdimgtp:--:variant:|~|:prdimgsrcset:--::|~|:prdimgclass:--:zpa-mobile-align--center zpa-align--center pia-23023487:|~|:prdimgalt:--:Tether Jewelry | 'Chevronelle' Septum Cuff:|~|:prdimg:--:https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0338/6305/products/IMG_1793.jpg?v=1589225896:|~|:prdclass:--:ba-23023487:|~|:prdbtnltp:--:cart:|~|:prdbtnelt:--:_self:|~|:prdbtncpt:--:BUY NOW!:|~|:prdbtnclass:--:zpa-button-padding-medium bcss-23023487:|~|:prdbtnalign:--:zpa-button-alignment-center:|~|:handle:--:tether-jewelry-chevronelle-septum-clicker:|~|:dcrt2class:--:ba-23023478:|~|:dcrt1class:--:ba-23023481:|~|:crtmsgclass:--:pcma-23023487:|~|:brdclass:--:ba-23023484:|~|:addcrtmsg:--:Product has been added to cartEndy: See, there you go! 19 years and what made you want to become a piercer?
Jasper: That's a good question. Never once did I ever say, [inaudible 5:04] but a very, very good friend of mine with a tattoo shop from my hometown and nobody knew how to do it. He just didn't want to do it. He wanted to take away from his dad doing them. His wife did it, but his wife was at college. Yeah, he kind of pressured me until here, "Let me teach you". I was [inaudible 5:32] finally on Valentine's Day, 2001, I started my apprenticeship. I wasn't really given a choice, it's kind of talked into it by a good friend of mine
Endy: It was just thrusted into your life.
Jasper: Yeah.
Endy: Okay, and it just like Jasper, get in here, come help me stab you.
Jasper: Yeah!
Endy: That's so cool!
Jasper: When I was young, impressionable, he was tattooing me, one time in like seven or eight came in and want pierce and so I can't do it, man. You're tattooing me.
Endy: Right. Yeah!
Jasper: And after six, seven people came in and got turned away [inaudible 06:05] without that money.
Endy: Yeah.
Jasper: Unfortunately, money was the one of the deciding factors. I said, hey, but it's much more than that now.
Endy: Awesome!
Jasper: That's the story of how I got started.
Endy: Cool! So, what are some of your favorite client experiences that you've been doing this for such a long time? Do you have any standout customers, or your standout experience that really stuck with you?
Jasper: When I did my kids, it's always cool. Last year, I pierced my oldest client, she's an 84-year-old woman, she's from the United Kingdom. She just happened to walk into the shop, I was working at in Augusta, Georgia.
"She was like the coolest old lady in the world. She'd never had her ears pierced and she wanted it done before she died" - Jasper
Photo by Just Jessica June LLC
Endy: Okay.
Jasper: She was like the coolest old lady in the world. She'd never had her ears pierced and she wanted it done before she died.
Endy: Nice! Cool.
Jasper: It's awesome, that's pretty cool, that's one of my favorites!
Endy: Yeah, that's a pretty standout time. You got to be a part of a really [inaudible 7:00] for her.
Jasper: Absolutely.
Endy: Yeah, it's never too late you, guys. Whether you're two or 92.
Jasper: There's no such thing as too old.
Favorite and least piercings to do
Endy: No. So what are some of your favorite piercings to do?
Jasper: The septum is my favorite one.
Endy: Okay.
Jasper: No question.
Endy: What do you like about it?
Jasper: It's so hard to perfect.
Endy: Okay.
Jasper: Because it's like really one of the only 360 degree piercings on the body. It can be crooked and incorrect in so many ways and I love it.
Endy: You get excited.
Jasper: Yes! I love it and you know what, man? Nobody does a perfect septum every time. I don't care how good you think you are.
Endy: Right.
Jasper: Or what people try to tell you. Nobody does a perfect septum every time. It's you know, hey men. No, it's just getting it's just making them look good, man.
Endy: Right! Yeah. What about your least favorite piercings?
Jasper: Anything in the mouth.
Endy: Yeah.
Jasper: But you know, it's not I hate doing them
Endy: Yeah.
Jasper: But it would be about the fingers.
Endy: Just the risk. Yeah.
Jasper: Yeah, I've done it before. Had to take up two weeks off work one time. I can't work for two weeks cause I got bit on my finger. I pierced the tongue [inaudible 8:14] the mouth is the dirtiest thing on the planet.
Endy: Yeah.
Jasper: Yeah. I mean yeah, but every piercing is so fast. So do it: get in there, get it done, make it look cool, make your client happy, go on.
Photo by Just Jessica June LLC
What would you describe as your dream client?
Endy: Cool! Yeah. So speaking of clients, what would you describe as your dream client or do you even have one?
Jasper: There's so many.
Endy: Yeah.
Jasper: We could have this conversation for hours.
Endy: Let's do it.
Jasper: I really like people who haven't been pierced yet.
Endy: Okay.
Jasper: Virgin ears are cool. That's a rarity anymore for so many people are into it.
Endy: Right!
Jasper: You get them every once in a while. I like doing kids.
Endy: Yeah.
Jasper: Because kids are afraid of it and I like easing their minds a little bit and making them not afraid of the process.
Endy: Okay.
Jasper: Making them understand that it's okay.
Endy: Yeah.
Jasper: And it's "Cool", you know?
Endy: Right.
Jasper: But you know, the needle has a stigma. It does.
Endy: Yeah.
Jasper: But I'm a dad, and I like to think I'm good with kids. I can talk them through it. I can be cool with them and speak their language a little bit. Get them in there and get done and then they're not afraid of anymore right now.
Endy: Right.
Jasper: For sure!
Endy: You help them conquer their fears.
Jasper: Right.
What are some things that clients should know before coming in to get a piercing?
Endy: Cool! What are some things that clients should know before coming in to get a piercing?
Jasper: Okay, that's an awesome question. Number 1, no matter what, it's gonna hurt.
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