Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.15378/1848-9540.2022.45.07
“It’s actually a job you are married to”. Work Experiences of Tattoo Artists in Croatia
Željka Tonković
orcid.org/0000-0002-5972-9491
; Department of Sociology, University of Zadar
Ema Bašić
orcid.org/0000-0002-8024-3605
; Institute of Social Sciences Ivo Pilar, Regional Centre Gospić
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.
Keywords
tattooing; creative industries; social networks; cultural capital; work experience
Hrčak ID:
287977
URI
Publication date:
21.12.2022.
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