EP017: A Positive Insanity

Jessica: Hello friends! I'm here with our piercer, Jasper today. For those of you who have not met him, Jasper is our main piercer at Avanti. He's been piercing at our studio since December but he has been a part of the world of piercing for 19 years as of February so before we get to all my questions, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Jasper: Where do you want me to start?

Jessica: I want you to start at the beginning, Jasper. Tell me everything about you.

Photo by Just Jessica June LLC

Jasper: Okay.

Jessica: -so I guess some of the quick follow ups on the past interview that you did, for anyone who's listening, we did an interview with you, Jasper, and then Endy, Kara, and Silas so these are some follow up questions to that if you guys want to check out that podcast we have a link there. So my first question for you is that you said in past interviews that you never saw yourself piercings, but I'm curious as to why. So what did you see yourself doing before piercing found you? If you were to put yourself in your shoes back then and you're like okay, well what am I gonna do with my life, you know?

Jasper: Okay.

Jasper: No idea, Jess.

Jessica: You just didn't know what?

Jasper: No, I was 24 years old and I was in one of the worst places in the world, there's nothing there except for an amusement park. What I meant is I did everything you can think of. I worked in factories, I worked in loading docks that were in warehouses, I worked in restaurants-tried that once, it was horrible.

Jessica: I like [inaudible 5:01]

Jasper: Well I just -, for you again, you know, so you didn't work, you know?

Jessica: I worked in one for three years.

Jasper: I know but what you management though?

Jessica: No.

Jasper: No, okay, I thought you work. I'm sorry.

Jessica: No, we were talking about it, but then I came and worked here.

Jasper: Good choice, good choice, but yeah, I was still in that stage of trying to figure it out if that makes sense.

Jessica: Yeah.

Jasper talks about what it was like to start his piercing Journey at 24

Jasper: I could have went to college, when I got high school, but I decided not to so I went right to work. I actually didn't go to college. I got into the army, there is no paperwork. I just didn't notice and then I was getting tattooed on Valentine's Day 2001 and my mentor, at that time didn't have a piercer and he's---I was friends with him, you've heard the story, man. I was sitting and getting tattooed and all these people came in want piercings and [inaudible 5:58-6:00] away and then just out of the blue, he was like man, you should let me teach you, do this man, you can make a lot money and he was like you're somebody I trust like I said we were friends. I'm still friends to this day. I saw him two weeks ago but yeah, when he first asked me I told him "You're crazy dude, no" but he kept on it and we started that day when I was done getting tattooed.

Jessica: That's cool.

Jasper: That's how it happened right there and I took the ball and I ran with him.

Jessica: Yeah.

Jasper: Took the ball and ran with it. When his shop closed down, I founded Alabama. We're in Alabama for five months and in Birmingham and like I said, I've been all over. I like traveling more than anything with back in, found a good shop, ready to go back, stuff going.

Jessica: Did it take some getting used to piercing people?

Jasper: Yeah. Oh, yeah.

Jessica: Is it like, especially if it's not something you're like, yeah, they drew me about doing this my whole life.

Jasper talks about overcoming mental blocks when he started piercing

Jasper: Whole concept of hurting people took a mentee, you know, but eventually this got to where I at [inaudible 7:18] like, they're coming to me for those, obviously they know, at least somewhere in their head that this is not going to be a totally pleasant experience but the outcome is what it's all about.

Jessica: Yeah, definitely overshadows the fear of it and-

Jasper: For sure.

Jessica: A unique perspective then, because your first interactions with piercings were having to deal with calming people down.

Jasper: Yeah.

Jessica: Oh, you can do it.

Jasper: And the needles got a stigma, it does. A needle is designed to hurt people. It is what it is but like I said, many people know what they're getting into, and what they're looking for is the outcome. It's not the actual -

Jessica: Poke.

Jasper: Right, it's not the actual poke that they're going for. Well, actually, some people do talking -

Jessica: That's true and it's not funny.

Jasper: Right. There's some people that like this. I'm being honest, you know?

Jessica: Yeah, it's true. Was it like the first day that you're like, yeah, this is actually what I want to do with my life or was it like a couple years?

Jasper: Probably a good year or so. I wanted to quit a lot during that first little bit [inaudible 8:50] for me, man,

Jessica: Was it because of the hazing?

Jasper: What that is?

Jessica: Was it because of the hazing or was it just like the whole -

Jasper: The hazing one went bad or well, it was bad, but that didn't bother me, I knew what was going to go on. I got answer to our tattoo artists that I was friends with them during their apprenticeship and some of them got it better than me, some of them got to worsen. I've said before that I've been through an apprenticeship like that, and I've been to old schools, basic army boot camp. I went to boot camp, and they were still allowed it, put their hands on you.

Jessica: Yeah.

Jasper: And if I had to do one of them over again, I'd go to boot camp.

Jessica: Oh my gosh!

Jasper: And I'll tell you why. Because the hazing during an apprenticeship like that is meant to embarrass you, but they're testing your mental, they're trying to see if you really want to be there and embarrassing you as a way to see if you can take it or not.

Jessica: Yeah, emotional butcher.

Jasper: Yeah. I mean, not saying that the basic training in the military doesn't try to break you mentally because they do.

Jessica: Yeah.

Jasper: If they can't break you physically they tried to break your mental. They couldn't break me mentally so they broke me physically. They did. you know, just like we were saying before I knew what I was getting into in both instances. I knew what I was going to do.

Jessica: Yeah.

Jasper: And to be honest, man, when I went to basic training, it was harsh, but that was one of the best times of my life. I loved it. It was great. There's only a certain percentage of people that have ever done that. It's way different now, these kids that are going out, they don't have to [inaudiblle 11:03] it's totally different, but [inaudible 10:59]

Jessica: Oh, really?

Jasper: Yeah, I am not sure they do whether or not you know, it's not a guarantee. It's not like it used to be.

Jessica: That's true. My cousin went through basic for the Navy and at the end of it, he was the healthiest I've ever seen him like -

Jasper: Oh, me too. Yeah.

Jessica: You don't look like you had a hard time. You look like you went to a very nice vacation where you got three meals a day.

Jasper: And I've heard that Navy Basic Training is worse than all of them.

Jessica: Oh, really?

Jasper: Yeah, except for Marines. Their boot camp is on a hole.

Jessica: Yeah.

Jasper: It's on a whole another level.

Jessica: I know some marines. It's pretty intense.

Jasper: Yes. Yeah, I almost joined the Marines too when I was trying to do my thing. They wouldn't take me, I was too old.

Jessica: Yeah, I think they only take people who are like 21 I think is the cutoff for the Marines?

Jasper: I think the Marines is 27.

Jessica: Okay.

Jasper: The army is 42.

Jessica: Oh, really?

Jasper: Yeah. Well, it was at one point then.

Jessica: Okay.

Jasper: When I joined, we were in war. We were actively at war and they were laxing up their requirements but the Marines didn't do that, you know what I'm saying?

Jessica: Yeah.

Jasper: Back where I went when I was in basic training, I was the oldest soldier there. No, I was older than all my drill sergeants, and some of them took that into consideration other ones, so getting the consideration for the wrong reasons.

Jessica: Yeah.

Jasper: It was great. It was fun.

Jessica: Back to piercing, what is your favorite part of the procedure, the whole thing?

Jasper explains what his favorite part of piercing is

Jasper: I guess it depends on how the client is reacting. If they're scared, I love calming down and getting them there.

Jessica: Yeah.

Jasper: Other than that, I would say that when it's done and they're happy, and they're looking in the mirror and they're just "Yeah!" I love that.

Jessica: What if they were scared?

Jasper: That's true. Yeah, then you get to say, hey, look, dude, you did it! Look at it. You were so freaked out and now look at you have a big smile on your face, man. Show that off to all your buddies. Too cool. I love it.

Jessica: And you're really good at calming down, you pierced my tongue twice. I remember, I was a scared as I've ever been. That was absolutely terrifying to me.

Jasper: I think so, you were shaking a little bit, you were a little but you were hiding [inaudible 13:47] if you were freaking out.

Jessica: Oh, I was freaking out but you [inaudible 13:50-13:53].

Jasper: It's awesome, right?

Jessica: Yeah, I was like, I went home afterwards I was talking to my fiance and I was like, that was so scary but Jasper really helped.

Jasper: That's great, dude. Speaking of, I'm glad I got to meet him before I left my house. Pretty cool.

Jessica: Yeah.

Jasper: I can talk music with him, but maybe that day will come.

Jessica: Well, yeah, eventually, this pandemic will be over and people will be back in the studio. Sean will be my husband at that time and yeah.

Jasper: Congratulations by the way, that's awesome.

Jessica: Thank you.

Jasper: It was just, that's great, man. Congratulations on it.

Jessica: Thank you. Okay, so I know you like traveling around to do guest spots. What makes the experience so awesome? What do you love most about it?

Jasper talks about his experience with being a guest artist

Jasper: Different places, different people.

Jessica: Okay.

Jasper: That's the biggest thing. I'm going to use Las Vegas as an example, and I went there twice to work for the same company, just different shops, Club Tattoo. Let's get them a shout out in Las Vegas, they're awesome people for real, Sean Dowdell along those places. He's a cool guy. When I went to Las Vegas, I got to work in that cool shop. I'm working on some awesome people and it was in Vegas so there's melting pot, all these people, these tourists there. I was piercing people from different countries, piercing people from all over our country. It was cool and they had a cool setup there, they have various piercings there, so each piercer would work 6,7,8 maybe eight hours a day, you do your shift, and you were done. So I didn't work all day there, so when I got done, I would go to the casinos or I'd go walk around the strip, every day I did that, that was great.

Jessica: Yeah.

Jasper: A buddy of mine that I was in the army with, he lived in Vegas so the second time I went there, he met up with me at the shop and took me out. we spent out one night and you know, I had a good time. He showed me a lot cool stuff.

Jessica: That's fun.

Jasper: Right, and it was neat, man. We met up in the parking garage of the LINQ Casino.

Jessica: Nice.

Jasper: And then took off and he showed me all the cool stuff that was away from the strip.

Jessica: Yeah.

Jasper: He took me to Fremont Street, he took me downtown. It was awesome but other than that, I'd leave the shop and both shops were in a casino.

Jessica: Yeah.

Jasper: So I leave and I go right to the roulette table. I turn 20 bucks into 100 and walk away and go out with that.

Jessica: It's like the carnival for piercers.

Jasper: Right? Yeah.

Jessica: Yeah, that's fun.

Jasper: It was awesome.

Jessica: So, you know when you serve-

Jasper: It was a cool thing though.

Jessica: Oh yeah.

After traveling so many places, Jasper explains what he loves about Avanti

Jasper: This is honest, the coolest job and the prettiest place I've ever been isn't there--it's in Oregon, absolutely. Coolest crew, coolest---No, I'm being honest, coolest crew, most awesome bosses. It's fantastic, the shop is beautiful, yeah, love it.

Photo by Just Jessica June LLC

Jessica: It is a very special place, that's the one thing that I've been talking you about, really with all of our other team members as I've been interviewing them, and really anybody who listen to me. I miss our customers, I really miss -

Jasper: Yes, I agree.

Jessica: I've had a couple of---what I've started doing is troubleshooting piercings with them over video camera.

Jasper: Okay.

Jessica: It's really cool to have people come in, they're like, hey, I got pierced right before the closure and I ran out of my aftercare spray, or I don't remember what the instructions are, I lost the paper to just wrote that with them has been really cool.

Jasper: Awesome and you're learning while you're doing that too, Jess, that's awesome.

Jessica: Yeah, and then I interviewed Kara, and she's been studying and so it was fun to talk like, she's like been studying ear stretching this entire time and so she's got all this information on it.

Jasper: I love that stuff, man.

Jessica: I know she's like [inaudible 18:15]

Jasper: Yeah, that's cool.

Jessica: Yeah. So first, I wanted to thank you for your service in the military.

Jasper: Thank you, Miss Jessica. I appreciate that.

Jasper discusses the impact the army had in his life, serving during wartime

Jessica: Yeah, and then my question about that is it takes a lot of care, courage and selflessness to put your person on the line for a whole country of people you don't know and I had some questions like, that was about if you're okay sharing whatever you're comfortable with but I guess the first question I had was, what did the army teach you about life?

Jasper: Okay. Do you remember when you and Tyler were interviewing me over the phone before I came? And I used that little saying: Improvise, Adapt and Overcome.

Jessica: Yes.

Jasper: Okay, that comes from Murphy's Law, which is whatever can go wrong will go wrong and in the army, that is every day, so when it happens and it happens every day, you take a second, you think, you improvise, and you make it happen and that has helped me even in piercing, that attitude that I gained from the military, that helped me in everyday life. It's helped me in work, that's one thing that I will never forget that the army gave to me, it kind of changed my attitude a little bit. There's a time when things go wrong, forget it. Done. Quit. I don't do that no more, and I was an engineer in the army and our motto was "Make it happen" "Let me try" was another one "To Do All Things Well" that was another one of our mottos. Just make it happen, when something goes wrong, fix it.

Jessica: Yeah.

Jasper: And there's a million ways to fix anything that's broke. Does that make sense?

Jessica: Yeah. I think that from running the shop here, it's definitely been, my mentality like, Okay, well, that didn't work. What's next?

Jasper: Exactly. What's next? You can always figure something out, there's really no wrong way to do things, just like, okay, let's take piercing for an example on that. I don't pierce like everybody else does. I pierce like Jasper does.

Jessica: Yeah.

Jasper: I was taught by somebody who learned in the early '90s when it was brand new, and it was completely different then and I still use some of that stuff. I use a lot of the new stuff that I've learned from all the different places that worked, all the different piecers I work with, so just take that for example. There's no wrong way to do it as long as the outcome you know what I'm saying?

Jessica: Yeah.

Jasper: There's a million ways to get to where you want to go, just make it happen.

Jessica: Yeah.

Jasper: That's my outlook.

Jessica: That's been one thing that I've learned talking to so many piercers over these Zoom interviews is there really is so many different approaches to things because I've asked all them like, okay, so what's your favorite part of the procedure? Where'd you learn? How long have you been doing it and it's really interesting, and just to see how much has changed over the years, I was talking to Annie weeks ago, and she's been piercing about as long as you and so I asked her, how is the world changed since you started piercing? And she's like, well, it's changed a lot. First off [inaudible 22:08] big chunky jewelry and now, it's [inaudible 22:12].

Jasper explains how piercing has changed since he started piercing in 2001

Jasper: Yeah, I mean, 15 years ago, dude, we'd never been piercing these little things, man. Never. Never and there's also a lot of techniques that we used back in the day, that would not fly at all.

Jessica: Yeah.

Jasper: You just can't, they weren't clean. We thought they were at that time but they weren't, and that right there just makes them unsafe. It's not clean. It's not safe.

Jessica: Yep.

Jasper: But we learned, we move, we improvise with that.

Jessica: What I thought was interesting is that she talked about the culture of piercers has changed too. She said that she started piercing like, I think it was 20 years ago.

Jasper: Right.

Jessica: I think it was actually around 1995 when I was born.

Jasper: You were born in '95?

Jessica: I was born in '95.

Jasper: I graduated high school in '95. Thanks for bringing that up, Jessica. Now I feel old. Great!

Jessica: She was telling me that when she started, it was a lot of street fights. She's like, piercers would just fight.

Jasper: Oh, man, you seeing people coming into a tattoo shop now with attitudes.

Jessica: Yeah.

Jasper: And they're just asked to leave.

Jessica: Yeah.

Jasper: Back in the day, you came in and you start it, you're getting beat up by everybody and you're getting drugged out. I've seen that happen many times. I can remember a guy threatened me once because he didn't like how I was hurting his girlfriend when she was getting pierced and I was working in old school shop and this was three years ago, two years ago in Georgia, and I remember looking at that kid, it's first time, he'd been in tattoo shop aren't you and he said, yeah, what's that mean? The tattoo was hurting and here they come. Who are you talking to, dude?

Jessica: The tattooers.

Jasper: One of my buddies was there. George, he's like, dude, there's you and your pal over there, dude. There's six of us and you're making----that was the end of that conversation. He shut up. but luckily, it didn't go so far and the kid was like, 19 years old. He was both full of bravado and testosterone.

Jessica: It's crazy.

Jasper: It happens, man. My mentor told me how competitive he used to be back in the day he said, he's had bricks, Molotov cocktails from the windows the shop he's worked at and from shop competitor. Shops burnt down, he said it was holding all of it, like the late '80s, early '90s, he was telling me it was like that. It was horrible.

Jessica: Yeah.

Jasper: It was like gang warfare back in the day.

Jessica: Well, and that's she started piercing around that time so when she got out of it, they asked her to come back she's like, no, I'm a mom now like, I can't [inaudible 25:33].

Jasper: But it's so different now.

Jessica: Yeah.

Jasper: Which is a good thing.

Jessica: Yeah.

Jasper: I think.

Jessica: I mean, being in it now, almost 20 years later from when you started.

Jasper: Things happen though sometimes where old school can come out like when that guy was talking to Miss Gigi.

Jessica: Yeah. Which is unappropriate time for that to come out.

Jasper: Right, and I would have got old school had I been there. Trust me.

Jessica: We have Jasper The Bodyguard.

Jasper: And I'm no tough guy by any means, but I love you guys. Do mess with my girls man, I'm gonna get creative.

Jessica: When Silas, gonna come out of left field.

Jasper: All right, my buddy back me up there, alright?

Jessica: Yeah.

Jasper: I love it.

Jessica: So I think that you might have an interesting perspective being in so many places and being a veteran and so I was curious, circling back to the army questions. What misconceptions do you think there are about veterans? I mean, I know you don't speak for every veteran, but in your experience, are there any misconceptions that you think just aren't founded on any truth?

Jasper talks about his perspective on misconceptions about those who have served

Jasper: One, I really don't know about misconceptions but I will say that I've seen, okay. A lot of people think if you've never been to battle, you don't deserve that. I've never been into the battle. I never wanted anywhere, I was always working for a school or stuff like that, but one thing I had to do in the army, I had the little, joke secret name that the soldiers had for it. It was called Combat Father. When soldiers remains come back, they'd have a crew of people that would present the remains of the family and I did that for a long time and I'd rather been get shut up, trust me. I hate to having to mention this, but I had to give a friend of mines remains to this mother in a box about this big. It was smaller than a shoe box and that was all they found of him and I had to give that to his mother and I'd rather be getting shot at but those things that we do even here that are mentally taxing, man. Emotionally taxing.

Jessica: My opinion on it is growing up in sports and growing up as a granddaughter of someone in the Navy, if you're on a team, it doesn't really matter if you're the person who made the goal, you're still as much a part of it as anybody else.

Jasper: Yes, you were a part of the machine.

Jessica: So whether or not you're the stereotypical definition of a soldier, you're still fighting the battle, you know?

Jasper: Right.

Jessica: A lot of people can sit at home and say, Oh, you should do this, or you should do that, but you actually got up and did something about it.

Jasper: For sure. Even though I didn't go over there, I spent a lot of my time training guys how to do what they had to do when they get over there.

Jessica: Yeah, which they never could have done like, you save lives by showing them the correct way to do it.

Jasper: Right.

Jessica: You took care of hearts, when you -

Jasper: And I worked for a division of the army called Psychological Operations.

Jessica: Yeah.

Jasper: That was after I was an engineer and what we did was we put literature together to kind of try to change the enemy's mind.

Jessica: That's interesting.

Jasper: Well, yeah or we put loads together to scare them, to frighten and it's mind games. It's what it is and that was a really cool thing. That was really fun.

Jessica: That is super interesting and not a lot of people talk about that either.

Jasper: Right and some of the things that we will you know, we make these things called pamphlet bombs, they are about the size of the milk crate and it's 10,000 little pamphlets about a big with messages pictures on them, trying to-

Jessica: Scare them?

Jasper: Right. One of them, I don't know if this one got used, but one of them when we put together. It said that, how people were fighting, we're fighting at the time were predominantly Muslim.

Jessica: Yeah.

Jasper: They got a thing against pork. This pamphlet that was brought up, we made them, I don't know if they ever got used. They might not or they might have but they said that American soldiers were dipping their bullets in pigs blood.

Jessica: Oh my gosh. Yeah.

Jasper: So pretty much I know, if you get shot by an American soldier and you're not going to be cleaned. I was not gonna wash your hand, that's dirty. That's what they call the propaganda, where we were just - no one dip in their bullets in pigs blood.

Jessica: No.

Jasper: They didn't know that but I highly doubt that one got used for you know.

Jessica: Like, oh that sucks, that's me.

Jasper: I got told one that did get used this is one of our higher ups told us that there was a pamphlet made that's said that a United States Marines are not allowed to get tattoos unless they kill and eat one of their enemies and Marines, their uniform are short sleeves.

Jessica: Yeah.

Jasper: So there's probably people out there thinking, man, you're always a tattoo guys, man like they know they're [inaudible 32:06]

Jessica: [inaudible 32:07] Americans.

Jasper: Right?

Jessica: Oh, that one's actually funny. I've heard that from Marines.

Jasper: Right? But you look back, man. Look at all the propaganda that the Nazis used in World War II. It was horrible, that was all black propaganda, which is just basically lying to the public. There's great propaganda, which is twisting the truth a little bit.

Jessica: Yeah.

Jasper: And the white propaganda is where you just straight up tell them the truth, trying to get somebody to believe what's right, and we use all of them, whichever one's going to work and those are used to save not only our lives but to keep our enemy from having to -

Jessica: Well, yeah, as terrible and awful as it sounds, but you know, dipping your bullets in pig's blood, it would save someone because they wouldn't want to go into battle [inaudible 33:07-33:09] They wouldn't want to fight that and even though, you like a really good like gut reaction you'd be like, Oh, that's terrible. I couldn't believe it would save someone's life, you know?

Jasper: Yeah, that might have, you know, stop these guys from trying to shoot at us because they know when they shoot at us, we're gonna shoot back.

Jessica: Yeah.

Jasper: That's just the American way.

Jessica: It's life way. If someone's trying to kill you, you should stand up for yourself.

Jasper: Mistakes man, that can go a different way.

Jessica: Yeah.

Jasper: Unfortunately.

Jessica: Unfortunately, so I guess this would be a really good time for my next question so I think you have another perspective on this, what does bravery mean to you?

Jasper talks about what bravery means to him

Jasper: Facing a battle, you're not gonna win whether it be physical, mental whatever. If you have the sack to step up for what you believe in, that's brave, man.

Jessica: Yeah.

Jasper: I know big tough guys that aren't brave. Bravery is a mentality. It's not a physical trait.

Jessica: Yeah.

Jasper: Yeah, that's how I would answer that.

Jessica: Well, I will define you is brave, because you faced a lot of uncertainty in your life. You have faced uncertainty with the military, you faced uncertainty with like, okay, I'll guess I'll become a piercer, you face uncertainty when we're like, hey, you want to move to Oregon next weekend?

Jasper: Yeah what would I say?

Jessica: Yes.

Jasper: Yeah, let's go.

Jessica: Like yeah, alright. I'll be there, I'm on my way right now.

Jasper: Yeah, man, just stepping up to the plate pretty much not knowing the outcome.

Jessica: Yeah.

Jasper: That makes me think of I don't know doesn't pertain but it makes me think of it. What's the definition of insanity?

Jessica: Doing the same thing twice expecting a different outcome?

Jasper: Doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different outcome. Dear Jasper, look at you. I don't know why but [inaudible 35:34].

Jessica: I think you could just describe bravery. It does actually sound like insanity now, which is interesting, because I think that it's like with dating someone's only creepy if their advances are on you don't want them-

Jasper: That you're attracted to, for lack of a better term like Oh, hey, all right.

Jessica: Right. It's no longer creepy. Now, it's sweet and endearing like -

Jasper: But the last time I tried to, you're like digging away from me.

Jessica: You're like, oh my gosh. Bravery, it uncertain you to do the same thing like well, it turned out good or was for a good cause.

Jasper: Right?

Jessica: What you deemed to be a good cause.

Jasper: Well, I like that a how you put that masquerade.

Jessica: That's interesting.

Jasper: That is so true. I've never heard it put that way but that is so true. That's awesome.

Jessica: Well, you reminded me when you're like insanity, I'm like, Oh, yeah, some people would probably say it was absolutely insane that you just became a piercer.

Jasper: My mother thought that. My father thought about them. My dad still to this day, asked me, when will you stop doing that shit? When you can get a real job?

Jessica: It's not a phase. No, dad. It's real life.

Jasper: Hey, and especially when I was working in Oregon. How much does make last [inaudible 36:57]

Jasper and Jessica discuss how success is being redefined in light of current events

Jessica: [inaudible 36:59] I've actually, I know that's well, anywhere in the creative industry, there's all this stigma like, oh, in order to have a good job, you---it's almost like with COVID it's like success has been flipped on its head.

Jasper: Right.

Jessica: In order to be successful before, it was you had to have a job that has some sort of society value that is deemed appropriate by the masses like, you're a doctor, you're a lawyer, you're for whatever reason, this never makes sense to me, but you're reign like a multi billion dollar company like, those are success but -

Jasper: You know what? Most of those people that do those jobs, they hate getting up in the morning they hate it. I love what I do.

Jessica: Exactly. I know nurses who became nurses only because that was what was defined a success in their family, but they don't love it.

Jasper: And they hate going to work.

Jessica: Yeah and they hate going to work and you know, and here we are, like, poking people and creating art with art with strangers really is what it is. They come in here we create art together.

Jasper: I get a human canvas.

Jessica: Exactly! It's so cool.

Jasper: I steal that from a tattoo artist friend of mine but you know what? I do the same thing, seriously. I do the same thing.

Jessica: Yeah.

Jasper: I'm altering their image to their liking.

Jessica: Yeah.

Jasper: I'm making them like theirself a little bit more.

Jessica: Which is so cool.

Jasper: I'm helping them decorate the walls of their temple. If that makes sense.

Jessica: No, it's true. I talked to Anastasia about this because I was asking her because she's like, she had piercings before but she's like, well, I kind of came and worked here. I thought it'd be interesting. She's like, I've always wanted to be a creative artist, but I didn't really have the toolset or the availability to do that ad then here and people come in, and they're, she's like, it fulfills that need for me-that need to create.

Jasper: And y'all are part of the process, man. You are.

Jessica: Yeah.

Jasper: Like I said before, the best crew I've ever worked with. It's fantastic.

Jessica: We just don't get so into it.

Jasper: What's that?

Jessica: We all get so into it.

Jasper: Yeah. I couldn't ask for better people who are good, man.

Jessica: Well, I am either.

Jasper: It's fantastic. I get along with everybody that I work with there and every shop I've been to, there was at least one, most time more people that I just couldn't stand.

Jessica: Yeah.

Jasper: And I try to get along to everybody but everybody don't try to get along me. If that makes sense.

Jessica: Well, I get it. I was actually talking to my best friend the other day. I'm like, I'm not everyone's kind of person, you know?

Jasper: I feel young.

Jessica: Yeah. [inaudible 40:17] kind of people.

Jasper: I know. I don't think like the normal person. I don't do things normal person does but you know what, I make and being me has kept me alive for 43 years.

Jessica: It's true.

Jasper: So, I'm gonna keep on being me.

Jessica: Exactly. Silas says, I don't understand the point of being a person if you can't be yourself.

Jasper: Dude. Yeah, that's it. That's it and I'm not gonna put anybody on blast but look how Silas is doing what he's doing to make himself him.

Jessica: Yeah.

Jasper: And I have so much respect for that.

Jessica: So much respect.

Jasper: Yeah

Jessica: Yeah. Talk about bravery, like talking about what [inaudible 41:04]

Jasper: Shit! you have---pardon my language, you have no idea.

Jessica: Yeah, I don't. I'm like I can't. The amount of bravery-

Jasper: The things he's facing, and he's all about it. He's said eff it. I'm going.

Jessica: Yeah.

Jasper: That takes testicular fortitude.

Jessica: How many ways Jess can say grow some balls?

Jasper: I'm trying. I'm trying to be professional, man. It's cigarette but my dude is doing his thing and I love it.

Jessica: Yeah.

Jasper: I don't want to put him on blast but he's doing what he has to do, and that makes me respect him all that much more.

Jessica: Yeah.

Jasper: Seriously and yeah, I don't want to get into his business.

Jessica: Perfect! So one more question before I let you go about your day so I'm asking everybody, what piercing are you most excited to do when this is all over?

Jasper: You know that.

Jessica: The conch. What? Is it not the conch?

Jasper: Septum.

Jessica: Oh! septum.

Jasper wraps up the conversation by explaining what piercing he is looking most forward to doing when Avanti opens back up and why

Jasper: Oh I love conch but septum is my go-to, man.

Jessica: I was like I feel like we'd also talked about conch before.

Jasper: The conch is one of my favorite ones. The tragus is one of my top ones, too. I love tragus. I think that one looks good on everybody, seriously.

Jessica: Yeah.

Jasper: And I think the reason why I like septum so much is because it is right there.

Jessica: Yeah.

Jasper: Yeah, it's in your face, to everybody, it looks at you, it's right there. Boom.

Jessica: Yeah.

Jasper: That takes a set too, it does. That's a huge alteration to your identity and I don't know why, I just love that one. I don't know. It's right there. I think it looks good on everybody.

Jessica: I love my septum piercing. Anyway, when it comes [inaudible 43:30] I'm like yeah.

Jasper: I'm gonna tell Gigi to change your jewelry one day but it still looks good.

Jessica: Yeah.

Jasper: I like the tighter jewelry on that one, man.

Jessica: They do rock it though. I've always liked the tight jewelry too but they rock that piece that they have.

Jasper: Gigi got that big half inch in there, man and she loves it.

Jessica: Yeah.

Jasper: She's like I want a small one, I can't play it.

Jessica: On her lips, though.

Jasper: She's like, I don't want a small one. I can't play with a small one. Alright, that's what you like, man. Boom.

Jessica: I [inaudible 44:12] because when I had my philtrum, it kept snagging and then my lip would get stuck to my nose.

Jasper: Really?

Jessica: I mean, oh no!

Jasper: I had to be aggravating.

Jessica: It was aggravated. I do this.

Jasper: You should took it out.

Jessica: Yeah, I took it out.

Jasper: Good.