APP 2023: The Non-Piercers’ Perspective

Earlier this summer, many of our crew attended the 26th Annual Association of Professional Piercers Conference and Exposition in Las Vegas, June 11-16. It was a busy week per usual, especially with so many of us there from the shop: from our Baltimore studio we had Kookie, Zia, Caitlin, Portia, and James; from our Philly team, it was John, Zach, Amelia, Ursula, Noorann, Maddie, Beatrice, and me. This was my seventh year attending, and while last year’s event felt a little strange for many of us—with it being the first major gathering since the start of the pandemic—this year’s conference was comfortingly familiar in many ways. But what felt quite a bit different this time, and sparked many conversations internally in our studio, was the overwhelming focus throughout the week on a part of the industry that has traditionally been out of the spotlight: the non-piercer. With thirteen of our crew in attendance this year, only six of which were piercers, we wanted to offer a few different viewpoints of the experience. Join us in reflecting on APP 2023, the non-piercers’ perspective.

Portia started at our Baltimore studio just over a year ago. Originally brought on as part of our counter staff team, she was soon promoted to our office staff as well and now works both behind the counter and behind the scenes in Baltimore, working on everything from web order fulfillment and inventory management to jewelry ordering and more. Since the time that Portia started, we have changed the official job title of our front-of-house position at both studios from “counter staff” to “jewelry specialist,” a title we feel much more accurately reflects the unique expertise required of this role, from a robust knowledge base to special skills and a knack for creativity.

“I went into my Conference experience excited but also a bit daunted. I’ve never attended anything like this and I expected to be overwhelmed, but the experience was so much more exciting and comfortable than I anticipated. I got so much out of the classes I attended! Being relatively new not only to Infinite but to the body piercing industry as a whole—I’m only a little over a year in—I have so much to learn, and Conference has made me even more excited to do so.

“Overall, I left this year’s conference feeling empowered! I learned a lot of new things in many different areas. From jewelry specifications and surface finish to communication, styling and custom orders, there were a lot of bases covered and it was great to have classes I could take as a front-of-house staff member. I learned about some history of the industry as well as contemporary struggles and victories of people working within it. I got a lot of valuable insight from my career as front of house and operations staff. They shared stories of mistreatment and disrespect and how big of a difference it makes to have people around you who value your work and invest in your development—all of which I can relate to. I spent so much time with my Philadelphia counterparts whom I don’t work with on the daily. We swapped stories of success and heartbreak at work and learned just how much we have in common and how deeply our experiences mirror each other. I got a lot of confirmation that I’m on the right track, and I’m so excited to continue participating in and exploring this industry. I spoke at length with many jewelry manufacturers, learning about their products and process. I also got to give many of them invaluable feedback about what items our clients are excited about. I’m incredibly grateful for my experience this year.”

Beatrice has been part of our Philadelphia crew for just over five years and is the first to hold the newly created position of assistant counter manager of our Philadelphia jewelry specialist team. With years of experience at front of house, plus some time on our office staff as well, she knows the ins and outs of this studio like the back of her hand. Like Portia, it was Beatrice’s first time attending the conference in Vegas, and, being a writer and poet, they were one of the first people that came to mind when I thought about putting this multi-perspective post together. When Beatrice and I were first brainstorming ideas for how to structure the post, they came up with a series of questions to reflect on and responded to the three that resonated with them the most.

How do you feel changed by Conference?

“I arrived in Vegas expecting to feel a little out of sorts because of how unfamiliar I was and how rarely I am a social bird. I think I’ve also spent most of my little piercing industry career feeling very much the imposter. So even though knowing I was going to APP 2023 helped a bit to erode that feeling, I was intimidated by how many people would be there that had been attending for decades. “What I discovered was a place where everyone’s varied experiences and backgrounds meshed pretty naturally. For all of the moment’s where I felt like I wasn’t one of the cool kids, I’d sit down in a class, chock full of people I haven’t met, and leave with something that I was so excited to add to our life back at Infinite. The most transformative and moving experiences for me had to do with piercing history and ancestors. I saw myself and people I love in this industry so vividly within the stories of people living and modifying in the ‘50s and ‘60s. It still brings tears to my eyes (I did cry in a class a smidge) thinking about how I can clearly place myself within the timeline of this beautiful history. I believe I also have a much clearer understanding of how I can contribute to piercing as a whole and no longer have any doubts on whether I belong; I definitely do, and so do you.”

Which jewelry companies fed your sense of imagination or beauty?

“Too many to list to be honest. So the personal short list goes: Namaste Jewelry, High Noon Handmade, Diablo Organics, and Oracle Jewelry. Broadly I was most impressed by Tawapa. I think Tawapa had to me more designs that felt surprising and new, as well as hanging designs, chokers, standard earrings, etc. that all felt as if they were given the same amount of thought and creativity. That being said, there’s no way I saw all the amazing jewelry there, so I’m just as excited as our clients to see what lovely things we’ve brought home.”

When did you feel most supported by your piercing community?

“I struggle to place a single anecdote but my answer is basically: by the end of day one! I felt most worried about how my social battery would hold up surrounded by people, especially people that I maybe wanted to impress. I was happy to find that there was basically always someone willing to talk to the shy girl walking by or sitting in my little corner. After a while I also felt some pleasure in being that person for other people that I saw by their lonesome. I briefly popped into one of the mixers held by the APP, specifically for the queers. I felt such a restorative energy in that room and the excitement to see even just a glimpse of all of us in the same room. It’s moments like this that will sustain me until next year’s conference.”