“It’s actually a job you are married to”. Work Experiences of Tattoo Artists in Croatia Cover Image

“It’s actually a job you are married to”. Work Experiences of Tattoo Artists in Croatia
“It’s actually a job you are married to”. Work Experiences of Tattoo Artists in Croatia

Author(s): Željka Tonković, Ema Bašić
Subject(s): Media studies, Sociology, Labor relations, Sociology of Culture, Sociology of the arts, business, education
Published by: Hrvatsko etnološko društvo
Keywords: tattooing; creative industries; social networks; cultural capital; work experience;

Summary/Abstract: The tattoo, once an indicator of belonging to subculture, deviant, and marginalized groups, or specific occupations, has become mainstream. Given that their social world has not yet been studied in much detail, this research aimed to explore the work experiences of tattoo artists. For the purposes of the research, semi-structured interviews with tattoo artists were conducted. The results show that for tattoo artists, tattooing is more than just a job – rather, it is integral to their lifestyle. Tattoo artists give particular importance to family and friends and support and belonging in both tattoo-specific and broader alternative scenes. With regard to cultural capital, a specific type of cultural capital, “alternative cultural capital,” proved to be important.

  • Issue Year: 52/2022
  • Issue No: 45
  • Page Range: 157-176
  • Page Count: 20
  • Language: English