Getting to know Shayna

Jessica: Hello friends! Today, we have the wonderful Shayna also known as @piercings_by_twiggy on Instagram. I got to meet you in person actually the week before lockdown and we were talking about having you come into the studio for a while, which is now postponed because the world is on a pause but yeah, it's been a whirlwind since then, how are you today?

Jessica: I am just so starved to help somebody that I'm like, yeah, let me see. Let me see what I can do to help. It's been kind of cool to be able to do more of the customer care stuff then I think there was time for before so at least there's that but-

Shayna: Yeah.

Jessica: I miss the transformation part.

Shayna: I didn't realize how much I rely on that customer or client interaction. I've had a couple of people messaged me from Fort Collins, they're like, hey, you pierced me or I got pierced after you left and this is happening. And I'm like, hiii~

Jessica: Right? Stop crying like, Oh you called?

Shayna: Yeah, because it's like, you develop such a relationship with your clients. I feel like if you're doing things right, they're your friend, they're your work friend and not being able to have that interaction is more detrimental than I think I was prepared for but here we are.

Jessica: Yeah, I agree entirely! Being a manager, I don't get to be out on the floor very often, but when I do, I'm the happiest.

Shayna: Yeah.

Jessica: Happiest I ever am because I love talking to the customers. And I didn't even realize that. As much as I felt like I wasn't on the floor, I missed it so much when it went completely away.

Shayna: Yeah.

Jessica: Yeah, it's like that. I have such a deep desire for someone to come in so I can help them like so much of a desire.

Shayna: Yeah.

Jessica: I never even realized that was probably I think what I like most about the whole thing!

Shayna: People.

Jessica: Yeah.

Shayna: I always try to put on this facade like I'm an introvert. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.

Jessica: Right?

Shayna: But no, I just want to talk to people. I just want to put pretty things in them and just ask them about their day and then tell me about whatever the heck they're getting pierced for like-

Jessica: Like straight up. Yeah, I've also always thought I was an introvert. Well, I thought it was ambivalent. The one who's exactly in the middle but no, I'm pretty sure more extroverted. I've never talked to myself so much than I have recently. My animals, they know everything about me now, I just talk to them like people and they're like, oh my gosh stop talking to me.

Shayna: Yeah, I'm starting to get to know what my internal voice sounds like because I'm just talking to myself. When I was driving here from Colorado, I stopped at a gas station right at the border and I was putting oil in the Prius and I was like scolding myself for something and this woman, she works at the gas station and she's walking in and we just make eye contact. Don't worry about me. I'm just talking to myself. It's fine!

Jessica: It's okay.

Shayna: It's great. Everything's fine.

Jessica: I'm joking with random sales. I'll go to the gas station before the Oregonians got to start pumping their own gas, which has been the funniest thing in the world to see. As I went to Fred Meyer and there's a line of people and they're getting out of their car and they're looking at their car and then they look at the gas attendant, and they're like --- I don't know and then I hold it and I am like, I don't know what to do with this like at all.

Shayna: Yeah, I was super excited to not have to pump my own gas and then everything happened and I've been pumping my own gas but yeah, watching other people just holding this gas pump like what? What is this?

Jessica: Right? What is this? I'm still not really sure how much of the difference us pumping our own gas makes for the pandemic. I feel like it causes an issue because now everyone's touching the gas pumps but-

Shayna: Yeah, no, I think it makes it worse if anything ---fine. Yeah

Jessica: It's okay, I don't gas that often. You know, maybe it's because we shouldn't be leaving our house. No one has to touch the gas pump if no one leaves their house. That was just them telling you know, the world telling us Okay, enough about gas.

Shayna: Yeah. Well, I mean, honestly, we're supposed to be staying in the house so we shouldn't be needing to go get gas anyway, but-

Jessica: Exactly! I was like, maybe we wouldn't have to touch the gas pump if we didn't leave.

Shayna: Yeah. You want to leave? Touch the gas pump!

Jessica: That's your punishment!

Shayna: Yeah, that's what you get.

Jessica: You ruin everyone else who's leaving.

Shayna: Right? Well, then those people who still are working or having to touch it and then what if like some---Yeah. This way.

Jessica: I know, my inner OCD is like oh no, that's a mistake!

How to use PPE correctly? 

Shayna: Yeah, I'm sure there's people using gloves to pump their gas just like those people using gloves to the grocery store but they're not using the gloves correctly so it's just like the whole thing. It's just---

Jessica: Which actually I was thinking, it would be really great because I know that we probably have audience members who know that gloves are a good idea but they don't necessarily know correct PPE. If you want to just touch on that a little bit for our audience, so they could maybe use the gloves that they have a little bit more safely.

Shayna: Well, I think first of all, we shouldn't be going out any more than we need to be but people realizing that when you put your gloves on and then you're touching your phone with your gloves on and then you're touching the produce, your cross-contamination, so whatever you were touching with your bare hand, with your phone, that you're now touching with your glove, you're getting that on your glove. Now, that's on the produce that you just touched. It's trying to kind of figure out a way that's going to be more condensed and I feel there's should be a full-on video made to kind of help people and maybe demonstrate that.

Jessica: Great idea!

Shayna: Yeah! There's so many ways that people are learning. I think having a list put out, something that they can see and then someone talking about it and then someone who is visually showing them - that way, all types of learners can kind of absorb that knowledge.

Jessica: Yeah, that's a great idea! I was thinking that too because me using gloves free my PPE course, my bloodborne pathogens course versus me using gloves after completely different person.

Shayna: Yeah!

Jessica: Yeah!

Shayna: I did that guest spot over at Brand X and they use sterile gloves and getting to kind of incorporate that and learn how to use that in my setup was like---whaat!

Jessica: Yeah, we have some sterile gloves there. They're kind of cool.

Shayna: I love them so much!

Jessica: Yeah, it's something about putting on clean gloves that just really nice.

Shayna: Have you noticed all the gloves that are in parking lots?

Jessica: Yeah, so I think just for the purpose of this video, then to anyone who's listening who's curious, the best way to go about until we release a full video actually explaining all of this a little bit easier would be to change your gloves after every time you touch something and then at least you touch your piercing, so you can get more nuanced from there, but that'll be the first step for a little bit more safety as if you're going to touch something you don't touch your glasses, you don't touch your face, you don't touch your hair. That's actually why the CDC is recommending masks. It's not from transmission of germs. It's because people are touching things and then touching their face. So by covering your face, you kind of like decreasing the chance of really getting those germs up in the target zones and then by changing your gloves between your personal and what you're picking out will do wonders and then the correct way to change your glove is from the inside.

Shayna: I actually have a glove. I do like resin. I use resin and I have one glove.

Jessica: Oh, perfect! Yeah, let's the one gloves!

Shayna: Yeah, because I've just been using it like stir resonance stuff so I'm just gonna keep reusing it but I'm not using it for like me.

Shayna: All right, glove on, finger underneath the lip.

Jessica: Perfect! Exactly and that will help us greatly and then one of the perks of grocery stores is, even if they don't have the PURELL wipes still in stock, they do have that trash receptacle there and so just drop your glove in when before you leave the store and then if you are lucky enough to have any hand sanitizer in your purse, pop it on your hands before the car keys.

Shayna: Remember when I showed you my hand sanitizer when I came to visit and I think it was you that was like-

Jessica: Yes!

Shayna: Can you keep that in there?

Jessica: Someone's gonna take your hand sanitizer! They will sell it again at the grocery store. I was like, yes, I bought one bottle because I'm not going to hoard it. I'm going to save it for everybody else and I'm making Shawn take it to work with him because he's considered essential because he is a food service.

Shayna: Okay.

Jessica: I'm like, just use it, please.

Shayna: Yeah. I am glad that they've been able to keep as many businesses open as they have. I went to the pet store the other day, and they had it set up so that you could you went to the door, and then you told them what you wanted and then they brought it to you and everything because I mean, so many businesses are struggling right now but yeah.

Jessica: Don't litter. Keep working green.

Shayna’s tips when going for a grocery

Shayna: Yeah, well, and I think also like, making a list before you go and knowing what you're getting and not picking everything up and looking at it and then putting it back down and picking something else, knowing what you're going to get, grab your box, put it in your cart, call it good because the last word touching everything, the better.

Jessica: Yeah, I think it comes down to obviously you can't 100% eliminate any risk, but anything you can do will do wonders for the chances of you contracting what's going on right now.

Shayna: Yeah, well, there's also a lot of videos that go over, setting up a clean and dirty side in your kitchen and being able to clean off your groceries. I thought that was super cool. At least the video that I saw.

Jessica: Yeah, that's super cool! Would you send that to me? I love to shout out people.

Shayna: Yeah.

Jessica: Also it's kind of cool to see everything that we practice in the studio out in real life. It's a great way to keep up on it and so that when we do go in the studio, we're in practice for good hygiene habits.

Shayna: I've trained for this my whole life.

Jessica: I feel when quarantine happens, I was like yes! I've been ready for this since day one. Past almost year of my life, I've been training for you know, keeping everything sterile.

Shayna: Yeah. I think it almost makes it hurt more though when you do see people because trying to find a way to kind of like be like, hey, maybe do this instead, can be taken the wrong way.

Jessica: Yeah. No, I agree. I saw a gentleman in store last week, and he had his gloves on and I was like, sweet and then I was watching him and he was on his phone the whole time. All I could think was like, Oh, no, I know you're trying to be careful but the general public doesn't have the same training, so they don't really understand and I was too afraid to say anything to him.

Shayna: And how do you word it too, because that's like some feedback that I've gotten before is that sometimes I can be a little bit too wordy, and it can come out as kind of aggressive and so finding a way to communicate that without it being taken as an attack.

Jessica: Yeah! No, I totally understand that too. Your heart's not to like, criticize, but you want to help and yeah, I definitely have a hard time with that sometimes to like, Oh, that's why I didn't say anything. I was like, I don't know what to do about this so much. It is like, I don't know but I guess we've gotten sidetracked. So I'll get us back. Okay, what's going on?

Shayna: Every time that we talk like---

Jessica: I know I am like doo-doo-doo.

Shayna: Love it!

Jessica: So, I guess let's say, kind of rewind a little bit so you moved to Oregon. We learned why you thought about Oregon so what I really loved when you first came in, is I asked you what your work style and at first you're like, what do you mean? I realized it sounds like a job interview, which kind of was but I was like, I just wanted to get to know you a little bit better and what you said was just resonated with me a lot and it's what made me know that you were just going to be a perfect fit in our studio and I think that our guests will really like to hear it so you wanted to touch in on that again, your work style and how you like to engage with customers and what that whole process means to you personally.

How’s Shayna’s flow in a studio?

Shayna: Yeah, because I remember you asked me how I kind of flow in a studio and I think, the studio that I started at, there wasn't a front desk or counter staff or anything so you're like greeter, you do everything and so you go out there and you get them started on paperwork and you set up and you help them pick out jewelry, you do everything and so when you asked me that, I was like thrown off, because I feel like that's part of what creates that bond between a piercer and a client is because you're the one helping them pick out what's going to look great in that

conch piercing or that whatever piercings they're getting, and you're getting hyped up with them and they'll pick a piece of jewelry that you really like, and you're like, Oh my god, I can't wait to put this and you're like, freaking out, and then they're getting excited because you're excited and it makes the experience a lot better in my opinion but being able to observe studios that do have counter staff, I think that's kind of a cool thing for those staff members to do. I've seen a girl talk to a client about all the different pieces of BVLA and knowing precisely what name of each stone in each setting, and I'm like what?! That's something I definitely need to learn.

Jessica: -to feel more like themselves, you actually have to start to know them in order to help them be themselves.

Piercing is spiritual

Shayna: Yeah something that Cherish and I were talking about the other day is how much of a ritual piercing is, whether you see it as one or not because you're getting ready to do this piercing and you're breathing with this person, you're counting with this person, you are having such a different level of communication during this experience and in my opinion, I view it as a ritual whether it's spiritual or not.

Shayna: Yeah. I think I brought it up to you when I came in, but nipple piercings. I think they're so cool because of that. I mean, I remember that's part of why I got mind on these insecurities and the feeling that just two little barbells can give you as far as like, just making you feel so much better about yourself. Nobody else can see them but I'm walking around like I'm hot shit! You saying that made me finally accept a part of my body that I like struggled with really badly.

Jessica: Yeah, I see that on so many women especially, or female-identified. So many faces when they go in that room to get their nipples pierced and they're afraid and you can see them in their shell, and then they come out and they're like, I'm a goddess! It's like an institution for me.

Shayna: They look in the mirror and they're like---ooh!

Jessica: They're like, I know what I'm doing. Look at me! Obviously, you can't see it but that just level of joy and confidence. It just light beams off of them and you can see it every single time you see them again.

Shayna: Oh yeah.

Jessica: In like three years and they might not even have them anymore, only have one and they're still beaming. They're like, I fully accepted a part of my body that society has so many opinions on.

Shayna: Yeah. God forbid you have two smaller boobs, two bigger boobs, medium normal boobs like how dare you?

Jessica: It's amazing so every time someone comes in, they ask me, does it hurt? And I was like, Well, you know, I can't speak for myself, but that smile that I see every single time someone leaves that room tells me that even if it hurts, it's worth it.

Shayna: Oh yeah. I live for that face!

Shayna: It was my mom and dad, he's like, I get to just be right on his shoulder: what are you doing? What'd you do? What'd you do? Why'd you do that? How do you do that?

Jessica: Right?

Shayna: Yeah. And then I mean, Jojo and Shane have very different piercing styles and so I got lucky in kind of having two mentors and getting to learn how both of them do it and kind of form my own way of doing things that's like a mesh of these two men.

Jessica: That's awesome!

Jessica: I know, I said that was my last question, but apparently it's not. You've been guesting right?

Shayna: Yeah.

Jessica: So how has been learning from other piercers beyond those two? How has that shaped you now?

How has been learning from other piercers? 

Shayna: Oh my gosh! You just opened up a can of excitement worms.

Jessica: Excited.

Shayna: So Brand X was my first Guest spot ever and it was terrifying. So Ryan Ouellette had just done a podcast that went over, Guest spotting and he interviewed Brook Britons and they were talking about like, yeah, start by guesting in your town or in your state and I'm like- I am going to Washington.

Shayna: Yeah, no, I was absolutely terrified and that first day was scary and then the second day, I was hanging out with Alexander that works there and I was doing the same thing. I was like, over his shoulder, I was like, what are you doing? How'd you do that? And we were talking about septum piercings and how he does them, which is just like super clunky and awesome and he was watching me piercing kind of giving me feedback and I got to learn so much while I was there, from both him and Brian. They're both really awesome people. I really want to go back at some point and hang out with them some more but being able to talk to them, and then come back to my mentors and be like, Hey, here's this thing. That's really cool. What about this? Or Denise powers over, Inksmith, she's in Colorado. She's been huge in my growth as a piercer. I reached out to Piercer Babes and I was like, Hey, who can I come shadow? And she said, message me and I started going there once a month. I didn't get to go there too many times, but she's taking me in under her wing and so I can call her. I am like, Hey! I'm freaking out. How about this thing? I think before I came to see you, I was like, what would I do? What would I say?

Shayna: I just want to be a sponge and travel and meet everybody and be right over their shoulder for a day.

Jessica: I hear you! The longer I've been working in this industry. The more I'm like now I want to pierce. Everybody come in and they do it and they have so much joy and I've also just intrigued in the process. Like it's just so interesting and there's so many different opinions and so many ways of doing things.

Shayna: Yeah.

Jessica: It's so cool.

Shayna: Yeah, I didn't realize how much I love piercing until I was a little bit into my apprenticeship. I want to say once I was after the hanging out stage where they knew that I was gonna actually stay. I realized more and more just how much I live and breathe piercing. It's not a job. It's a lifestyle and that's something that Shane taught me from the beginning.

Jessica: Yeah, I mean, it's gone as far as even though I'm not a piercer, I see people's ears and I imagine how I would decorate it.

Shayna: Oh, yeah!

Jessica: Like random people. I watch TV, and I am like they couldn't do an industrial, they could do an industrial , they couldn't, they could.

Shayna: Yeah. I was at a bar in Fort Collins and I saw this person that had enough room for a double Industrial, I was like you have so much ear. Yes!

Jessica: I compliment people's ears now. I tell them they have cute ears and they always are like, Oh. It's never like, Oh, I like your outfit. I was like, Oh, your ears are so cute.

Shayna: You can compliment someone's jewelry and it's totally fine but as soon as you're like, Hey, I love your ears, that's a nice conch, like who are you?

Jessica: That's why I like going to work. It's nice to go to a job where you're liked for who you are.

Shayna: Oh, yeah, not having to worry about blank. Right now, I've been thinking about what to do until all of this is over and I applied it both the grocery stores around here, and I'm sitting here like, Okay, what am I gonna have to take out in order to be able to work during all of this because you got to look a certain way, you have to be approachable and---

Jessica: We are lucky with Oregon that a lot of places are okay with it.

Shayna: Yeah.

Jessica: Yeah, you actually might be surprised.

Shayna: Good to know! I love my bridge piercing but I know if I take it out, it's a goner and I'm like, I don't want to [inaudible 46:16] it.

Jessica: Check out a coffee shop.

Shayna: Okay!

Jessica: Like the drive-throughs. I would ask them questions about how they're doing they're distancing because sometimes it's a little too cramped to fit more than one person in at a time.

Shayna: Yeah.

Jessica: I worked at BlackRock. I could have any piercing I wanted.

Shayna: Good to know!

Jessica: Restaurants are a little whatever.

Shayna: Yeah. Anything, honestly to get through this though?

Jessica: Yeah.

Shayna: Yeah. I'm really glad that you're able to still go into the shop and take orders and get them ready and everything because at least it's keeping you active and I feel like a lot of people it's easy to just kind of, I'm gonna stay in bed all day or?

Jessica: Yeah and I mean for a little bit, when we didn't really know what was going to happen with the store, it was a lot of that was like, What do you do? You wake up and you don't know what day it is and ---

Shayna: Oh God, no.

Jessica: Right? Your whole entire day or at least for mine was like, I got up and I would just eat all day, and sleep all day and it sounds fun, but it wasn't.

Shayna: Yeah, I have been getting better about not buying snacks at the grocery store because I will fly through them.

Jessica: I eat three boxes of donuts.

Shayna: You what?

Jessica: I eat three boxes of donuts. Once a week since the shut down.

Shayna: It's fine!

Wrapping it all up   

Jessica: It's okay. I'm going to end this really quick do a quick outro and then I'll keep talking to you. So thank you so much, Shayna, for your time. It's been great getting to catch up and I'm really looking forward to having you in the studio when we're finally up and running.

Shayna: Thank you for having me. It's been fun being derailed in conversations and I'm excited for this to be over so I can come physically hang out in the shop and be back in all of this.

Jessica: Yes, me too!

Shayna: Cool. All right!