Everyone's Getting Zapped
Q&A's with friends about why they're getting tattooed.
It feels like everyone in my friend circles is actively looking to get tattooed right now. Our 3sixteen NY team routinely rolls in with fresh ink and talks about who they’re trying to get an appointment with next. A close friend just started getting tattooed in 2025 when he hit a milestone year and now he cannot be stopped. Tattoo artists who are friends of the brand come into the shop and tell us that they are booked out for months. Viv Chen even posted a video about how she currently sees getting tattoos like having kids, i.e. “I’m not actively trying to get tattoos, but if it happens it happens” - a sentiment I vibe with heavy.
What is it about our current climate that makes us want to get zapped? Is it the social and political instability of the time that we’re living in leading to a desire for something permanent and stable? Maybe it’s because in this economy, so many can’t afford anything of major substance so they are just gonna say yes to the things that make them happy? Is it just cuz we want to feel something? Perhaps this is anecdotal and what I’m seeing isn’t actually there. Please sound off in the comments if what I am sensing is true in your circles, and if so, why you think it’s the case.
I decided to poll a few good friends about their tattoos: what they’ve gotten recently, what they want to get next, and what their outlook and philosophy is on getting blasted. Before we get into it, though, I know what you’re going to ask: what did you get recently? 3sixteen had a holiday market a few weeks back and we invited our good friend Daniel Strauss of R&D Tattooing to come to the shop and do some classic American flash during the event. The next day he came back and tattooed our staff. I got a pair of walking jeans and a bouquet on my left arm.
Ray Spears
I remember the first time I saw your tattoos, I felt there was a bit of a different approach you were taking to them.
It was me not knowing what I was doing truthfully, haha! Placements were kinda odd a few tats in. I had an idea of what I liked which was American traditional but went into it a little too sentimental, thinking EVERY piece needed to be a one of one.
With distance, I still see the value in it but now I live for something off an artist’s flash sheet. I look at it like collecting pieces from my favorite painters.
You have a few tattoos that I’ve never seen on any flash sheet though. Can you talk a little bit about your most recent one?
Assuming you’re referring to the one that was posted on Instagram the other day, it’s actually a few tats ago. That one is by Aaron Davis. My sister in law, knowing me well, shared his work with me. I DM’d to book a session almost immediately. A quick scroll through his feed which had his flash sheets, customs, and artist statement was all I needed.
His niche is Afro-Americana which is foundationally American trad with Black culture and sensibilities baked in. He’s not the first (all praises due to Jacci Gresham), but he’s loud about it. Otherwise I probably wouldn’t have heard of him. I got his bonnet flash as a sort of companion piece to the durag portrait on my forearm.
Yes, Afro-Americana is the term I was looking for. Like I said, I’ve never really seen anything like it before yours which really makes them stand out. Do you have any traditional Americana tattoos?
I do! But no traditional flash like a revolver or a skull cowboy with a handkerchief. My traditional ink is from the artists’ flash or a custom banger done with traditional line work, shading, etc.
What’s the connective thread throughout all the ink you’ve gotten thus far? Are there any pieces you have that feel like they don’t belong?
No connective thread truthfully. Man oh man, there are definitely a couple that don’t belong. The durag piece I mentioned earlier borders neo-traditional. And there’s another on my forearm that has traditional lines but black work shading. Oh well, can’t change a player’s game in the 9th inning.
Ok last question - what are you trying to get next?
Either a gap filler near my wrist to bring my arm to 90% completion or a tribute to my dog. He was the realest.
Jeremy Kirkland
Of all my friends, I feel like you’re the one who fell down the rabbit hole most recently with tattoos. What stopped you from getting more before?
I always wanted to get “cool tattoos” since I was a kid. The desire to get ink was rooted in my love of cool musicians and guitar players. I would see them on stage, shredding, just being dope with a Les Paul or Telecaster, and I was like, I NEED THIS!
I got my first tattoo when I was 18, but I abruptly stopped until I was 40. I had always wanted to get more in my 20s, but I couldn’t afford it, nor did I really know what I wanted. Many of my friends had tattoos, and most of them regretted them. So that kept me at bay for a long time.
The change came right before my Dad died. He got a tattoo on his chest that said, “God Will Not Waste Anything.” I absolutely hated it. I hated the font, I hated the design, but most of all, every time I saw it, I thought, “...but he did, Dad. You’re dying.” But something about seeing it on him all the time – when I would help him get dressed, or take care of him – began to set deeper in my mind. What was my Dad thinking? Is this tattoo for him? Is it for me? I still don’t really know, but what I do know is that I’m not sure my brain can process it all. I now openly admit how wrong I was, that I know his life was not wasted even though he left us so early. That stupid tattoo helped me process and still does today. Can you believe it? A tattoo.
I thought, “Well, I guess it’s time for me to get something to remember him.” So I did.
What about getting tattooed do you really enjoy?
It’s forever. It keeps me from forgetting and honestly, they just look cool as hell. Yes, they hurt, but man, what doesn’t hurt these days?!
Everything you’ve gotten this year has been from the same local artist. Tell me about him.
One thing that held me back, and I now get, is the importance of working with a great artist. A good tattoo artist will help frame your thoughts and also restrain you a bit. I met Chris Boyle through a few friends in St Louis who have worked with him and would rave about his designs and dialogue. He used to be a guitar tech for The Cure and really respects and values the art of tattooing. He will tell you what will look good and what won’t, and not make you feel stupid for asking. He’s just a great dude.
What’s the most recent tattoo you got?
My old dog Peggy, playing guitar.
I feel like the bug has really hit. What do you think you’ll get next?
I feel like a good tattoo doesn’t look like means much to others, but means everything to you. Having said that, my next is a hot dog in a cowboy hat. Trust me, it makes perfect sense.
(Editor’s note: Jeremy has since gotten 4 tattoos after doing this Q&A but none of them were of the aforementioned hot dog)
Chris Gayomali
You mentioned recently that you’re trying to get tattooed more. I’ve been hearing that from quite a few friends as well; why do you think that is?
Tattoos are untariffable. (Just kidding.) For me, at least, tattoos are a shock to the system: the horrendous pain is a reminder that I’m still alive in this body when so many other external forces would rather I slog through the days numb, dumb, and comfortable. I think I’ve gotten five in the past year alone.
What is it about getting zapped that brings some balance to your universe?
I often have a hard time making decisions. I'll drag my feet and belabor all potential outcomes. With tattoos, I feel like the best ink is a little impulsive. You're committing in a brash decision in the strictest possible terms.
Tell me about your most recent tattoo.
I got my first neck tattoo last week—sorry mom. It's by @e.p.alexanderssssss and it's of a little pegasus. I had originally wanted to get an angel, but flipping through his flash, the little winged horse called my name.
How do you think your approach to choosing what you want has changed from when you were younger?
I used to have ideas but now I mostly just defer to the artist and try to get what they're good at or like doing. I have all sorts of different styles—traditional, stick and poke, single needle fine line, etc.—and I have grown to appreciate how they all exist in tension with one another.
What do you want to get next?
I have some gaps I’d love to get filled in on my right arm. Next, I’m hoping for something from New York legend Tony Polito’s flash sheet by Rich Fie in Queens; I talked to Tony’s widow, Sugar, for a story many years ago, and Rich is basically one of his sons. I’d love to get something in that lineage.
Sean Dunnevant
You’re pretty heavily tatted. How old were you when you got your first tattoo and what did you choose?
I got my first tattoo when I was 21. At the time I was obsessed with Phish and thought that tattoos had to be justified with “meaning” so I got a Phish song zapped on me permanently in a script on my left rib.
What’s your weirdest one?
I got a can of beans tattooed on my left shin below my knee. I’m not really the biggest bean fan but I’m not “against” beans per se but I saw the flash and I liked it so it had to be done.
How did you find your way into the tattoo world as a shop manager?
I got zapped by an apprentice at the time and I told him how I wanted to be a shop guy and he said — do you wanna work here?
Working at a tattoo shop probably gave you a different look at the craft than people who just get them. What are some observations you made of how people approached getting tattoos?
People in 2017 had a lot of ideas that just wouldn’t work. Instagram optimized tattoo content between 2014 - 2020 so people were flooded with tattoos that look good on your phone, but would invariably heal terribly 10 years later. So oftentimes I would have to explain why their idea wouldn’t work, which would sometimes set some people off. A lot of people truly don’t grasp that a tattoo is forever, so they don’t think about how it’ll age over time.
What did you get most recently? Who did it?
I got GLOM WORLD tattooed on my wrists. My friend Jason Ochoa did one afternoon a year or two ago and then afterwards we played pool.
What do you want to get next?
I think I might be done HAHAHAHA
Johan Lam
Of everyone I know, I feel like your collection of tattoos is the most cohesive.
Thank you? Haha. I recently saw a reel where the guy said you’re not trustworthy if you don’t have any bad tattoos so I guess everyone should watch out...
You started getting tattooed a little bit later than others too, I’m sure that contributed to having a clearer vision of what you like and don’t like.
I started getting tattooed when I was 30. It had gotten to the point where I was obsessed with the idea of getting tattooed and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I was constantly saving photos, buying books, and looking through artists’ online galleries and tumblr’s, specifically the style of blackwork pioneered by Thomas Hooper and the woodcut tattoo style that became synonymous with Maxime Büchi. I was in New York for work and went to the opening of an art show that Nepenthes hosted for Thomas. He knew I had been wanting to get tattooed and pulled me aside. “I have a cancellation on Monday, it’s yours if you want it” and that was the start of my journey. After getting tattooed by Thomas for a few years, I asked him to introduce me to Maxime and started getting tattooed by him. I added a few pieces from my friend Dr. Woo early on in his career and in recent years have met and added a lot of work from Henric Neilsen.
What do you enjoy most about getting tattooed?
I enjoy the feeling of accomplishment of enduring hours of pain to achieve something that you really want. I often get a sense of elation on the drive or flight home after a tattoo session. I also enjoy the sense of ownership that it gives over one’s body. But most of all, I love the art. I love the way it looks. It’s like getting to carry around your favorite painting or sculpture with you wherever you go.
What style of tattoo do you personally really like but won’t get at this point?
I like and admire a lot of styles of tattooing. I only have blackwork on my body, so I love looking at anything with color, especially traditional American. I’m also awed by the hyper realistic stuff or super photo-like portraits. That stuff breaks my brain.
Tell me about your most recent ink. What is it of, and who did it?
I got tattooed A LOT this year, 12 pieces in total. I have often traveled to the city of the artist to get tattooed, but both Maxime and Henric made trips to LA this year. From Maxime, I got a rose breaking through a skull on the right side of my stomach. From Henric, I got a big snake intertwined with a dove to fill my right calf, referencing an old t-shirt design that we did many years ago.
What do you want to get next, and by who?
I think 2026 is the year that I start on my back...
Beans can is 💯
At my most recent studio visit, a lot of the appointment chat was about how bookings are slow and the rise of conservatism + financial strain is putting people off of tattoos right now. I loved this piece & the tattoos featured. It's refreshing in the wave of people being outspoken on tattoo regret and removal. Live with your decisions - they're part of you now! (& bold will hold!!!)