MY FIRST BOOK
After working in busy studios for the first 7 years of my tattoo career, I gathered a lot of stress (who f*cken doesn’t, right?) - and that stress turned into resentment - because, trauma do what trauma does. Thanks to my therapist, I eventually learned how to effectively navigate and process my emotions through writing/journaling.
In August 2023, it appeared there could be a great deal of value amongst my writing that would benefit my peers. I knew a handful of artists suffering in the same ways I did, and they seemed hungrier for guidance than I was. Henceforth, I decided to channel all my bitterness and took the writing (relatively) seriously.
Initially I thought “hey, I could make a useful little document here that people could download, maybe it could help them identify their own stress factors and encourage them to take action, that seems do-able.” to which I unknowingly opened a Pandoras box revealing a forgotten world of potentially useful material.
Originally I had around 30-50 individual topics for expansion but I eventually boiled it down to 15, with each topic having a variety of subtopics and add-on material. I knew if I presented young Jack a 500 page book he would’ve said “fucccccc THAT”, even if it claimed to cure him of his misery.
In light of these lessons, I knew I wasn’t capable of single-handedly producing a book to the quality I envisioned, and so I contacted a company by the name of Scribe to see if they could help me.
After my first call with a project manager named “Maggie” (also my late nana’s name), I was committed. Her excitement to help publish a book that was the first of it’s kind really confirmed there was a lot of potential here.
Cut to September 2024, I’m still amidst the publishing process, working hard to pay Scribe for their service. There have been times I wanted to walk away, but I quickly imagined all the people who NEED these words on paper. I imagined my young self, misunderstood, lost and frustrated that nothing made sense, and that no-one at that time had provided nutrition the way I’m about to provide.
Most of us are extremely malnourished in all ways but physical, yet we continue to grind in the physical and completely neglect the emotional, mental and spiritual realms that govern us too. I’m doing everything in my power to bring something to the cookout that’ll leave you all satiated for years to come. This book is just a way to get my foot in the door so we can open up some much needed and healing conversations.
Stay tuned and thank you for checking in.
-Jack
