“When will you reply?”

A question I get pretty frequently, and one you might be asking currently; “When is this artist going to reply to my email?”

Or maybe, “Why is it taking so long to get a reply from this weirdo?” I mean, you want a tattoo and I want to tattoo you — what’s taking me so long?

It’s not a very interesting answer, but basically…

I just can’t do booking / email replies every single day.

That’s kind of it.

And I get it — that’s probably kind of annoying to hear, especially if you’re already frustrated that I haven’t emailed you back yet, which I’m sorry about… really.

Honestly, I just don’t have a lot of time.

During my work week, I’m generally busy tattooing and drawing. When I’m not at work, I have a life and responsibilities outside of tattooing.

I try to reply to clients within 3-5 weeks. That’s my goal but there are variables that can effect that timeline, like if there is a holiday or if I get sick, or something.

I’m just one person doing all of this. If you don’t read any further than this, that’s totally cool. Please at least know know that I want to reply to your email, and I always reply to every email I get.

Eventually!

✦

A more of an in-depth explanation, if you’re curious —

Generally, I set time aside to reply to email and do booking in bulk or in batches. If I replied to every email (I am using this interchangeably with appointment requests) as they come in, I would be on my phone doing work stuff basically 24/7, which I’m not willing to do.

There is also some waiting on my end for replies. I need to know who is accepting or declining appointment days and times before I can get you the soonest date available. It is always my goal to reply to emails within 3-5 weeks, but life can be unpredictable and sometimes I fall behind.

It is also worth mentioning that there is no such thing as a tattoo emergency.

The closest thing would be an infection, but I can’t help you with that. I am so very appreciative when clients are very excited to get tattooed and want to come in as soon as possible (meaning you want to hear from me as soon as possible) but repeatedly emailing me / sending me forms will not make me reply faster.

Emails are generally replied to in the order they are received, oldest to newest. Repeatedly emailing me will likely put your original email (request) at the back of the queue by accident as it will change the send date in our inbox — this happens automatically. 

You do not need to reach out and ask if I got your email. If you think you experienced some kind of error with the request form, please just try sending it again. I haven’t had issues with emails being sent to us through the form, but receiving multiple “Did you get my email?” messages is not helpful for either of us.

There is always a chance your project is something that I don’t feel comfortable taking on, possibly due to the style you’re looking for, subject matter, or requested placement. If that’s the case, I will reply and let you know so you’re not left hanging – I may even refer you to another shop or tattoo artist that I think might be a better fit for you! 

Also, fair warning — if I find your behavior disrespectful or inappropriate, I will not tattoo you.

Ashlee V / Ashlee V Tattoo always reserves the right to deny or refuse service.

I often get asked, “Why don’t you hire an assistant or receptionist to handle emails / scheduling?” and while I understand this line of thinking, it’s just not a feasible option for my needs.

All tattoo artists work at a different pace and in a different way, so it would be extremely difficult to communicate this to another person / non-tattoo artist well enough that they would be able to properly estimate or schedule for me.

Even if I had an assistant who just answered questions for me, I’d still need to pay them, so my tattoo fee would basically double to cover that, which would be a burden on my clients.

It is always my goal to reply to every email, no matter how long it’s been, but I know waiting can be frustrating. It is with absolute sincerity that I thank all of my wonderful clients and soon-to-be clients for their continued patience and understanding! I am grateful to you all! 💜