At some point in your tattoo career, you’re going to want to break out from your studio routine and find a guest spot.

Whether you’re heading to the place where all your fans live, or making the most of a holiday by getting some work on the side, here’s how you can find a guest spot and make the most of it!

Why do a guest spot?

There are loads of reasons why you should stretch your legs and find another studio to temporarily work in!

Guesting with other artists gives you exposure to other tattoo styles and techniques, allows you to learn from tattoo artists outside of your usual sphere, and introduces your work to a whole new audience. Plus, you might be able to earn more than usual by guesting in a country where tattoos generally cost more.

How do tattoo guest spots work?

Guest spots are like snowflakes - no two are alike.

The format of your guest spot will depend on the studio and their terms. In some places, you’ll pay to rent the chair for a set period of time; at others they’ll take a cut of your earnings while you’re with them.

Most studios will be looking for guest artists who have their own clientele and can book up in advance. They’ll probably check your social media for the quality of your work and your overall attitude - if you’re constantly complaining about other studios, they might not want you at theirs!

At some studios you’ll have to bring all your own supplies, and at others they’ll help you out with the disposable goods. If your chosen studio is sponsored, you might even get some freebies from their sponsor!

How to find your perfect guest spot

First of all, think about your reasons for travel. Do you have a holiday booked, and want to make some money while you’re there? That gives you an easy starting point for finding studios as you’ll be limited to an area. For instance, our sponsored artist Daria Stahp puts all of her guest spot invitations on a list, and then picks where she wants to visit!

Most guest spots are found by networking. You might get chatting to another artist and feel like you’d work well together, so sort out a guest spot. Maybe it’s a studio you’ve been to for a tattoo, or seen on social media and love the look of it. Tattoo conventions are some of the best ways to make these connections.

A more tactical approach is to look at your social media and/or website analytics to see if you have a cluster of fans anywhere in particular. Then all you need to do is promote yourself!

One thing to be aware of when guest spotting in a different country or state is that licences and legal requirements may vary - make sure that you are legally able to tattoo at your chosen location before making any big decision!

Making the most out of your spot

It’s not much good heading to a different country for a guest spot if you’ll spend the whole time waiting for customers to walk in!

Ideally, you should start promoting your guest spot as soon as you know it’s going to happen to give your potential customers the chance. The studio you’re guesting at should also do some promotion on your behalf so that their customers know you’re coming - it’s not good publicity for them if you’re sitting there doing nothing.

One way to easily get new clients is by offering flash that both you and the studio are promoting - you could even do a cheeky discount if you’re not getting as many requests as you’d hoped.

You can also try a paid ad campaign targeted to the local area around the studio - it’s an investment, but can help you to be spotted by customers who don’t know you yet!

Guest spots are an exciting way to break up your routine, improve your skills and experience as an artist, and get a whole new fan base for your work - so what are you waiting for?!