10/31/2016
I’d like to tell you about my friend Steve Joyner. Some of you are fortunate enough to already know Steve. Those of you that do, already know what a wonderful friend and peer he is. Many of you however have never had the opportunity to cross paths with him. You may be familiar with who he is or what he does, but I’d really like to try to let you know more about him and why I (and other who love him) are asking for you for your help to help Steve. The reality is I can only begin to scratch the surface of how important Steve is to me, and how important he is to you, whether you know it or not.
2 1/2 years ago Steve unfortunately walked off of the stage setting up for a CoRE show in Dallas.
His injury was miss-diagnosed which led to further problems and eventually led him to the orthopedic surgeon. He was informed that he will be having surgery November 9. It'll be 8-12 weeks recovery and I've been informed that the first two weeks will be miserable. Obviously he is not looking forward to going through this; however, Steve is really looking forward to his knee being healed.
Because Steve will not able to put pressure on his leg for eight weeks, he will be bed ridden. That means he could use some help with basic stuff such as laundry, cleaning up around the house, grocery shopping, and just some plain old company. If you live near Steve, Please reach out and ask if he could use some help. Unfortunately, bedrest also means no work. Many of us have had problems with bills at some point in our lives. It would be great if Steve could focus on his recovery and rehabilitation and not have to worry how his rent and other bills are going to be paid
So let me tell you a little about Steve. I think if you knew more about him and what he does to help us (piercers, tattooers, scarification artist, suspension practitioners and enthusiast, and even the general public), and who he is as a person, you would really want to lesson his burden a bit.
Steve is a man of friendship and loyalty. His compassion an insight affects those he comes into contact with. His gentle tone and calm demeanor helps to calm weary friends from the military and the piercing, modifications, and suspension communities. If you pay attention, you might learn something about how to help a friend, center yourself, or calm down a customer. You can also learn to be a better steward of your communities by following Steve’s lead. Steve has spent decades serving others in all aspects of his life. The man spent 8 years in the Army as a Drill Sergeant and as a member of Special Operations in Desert Storm and Central America.
In his 29 years of piercing, Steve has served in several positions on the Board of Directors of the A.P.P. including Vice President. He has also received the Al D. Memorial Award and the President's Award. Currently, and for the last several years, he serves as the Legislation and Regulatory Affairs Committee Chair. This is where Steve helps most of you. He helps you for hundreds of hours a year. He travels for hours on end (he’s a large dude; planes do not fit him well). He reads through hundreds of pages of legislation, regulations, and definitions to make sure that we can keep doing our jobs. He spends those hours making sure your customers are safe. He spends those hours making sure you are safe. He makes sure needles are called needles so we can use them. He has hours long conversations about the definition of words everyone assumes they know but don’t. He takes all the jumbled thoughts in our brains about legislation and forms them in to comprehendible sentences that Senators, Congresspersons, and Health Care Workers actually listen to. He is and has been one of our strongest voices of reason in the industry for thorough and thoughtful legislation.
In addition to the Legislation and Regulatory Affairs Committee, Steve also works with the Association of Food and Drug Official, as well as the National Environmental Health Association on their Model Body Art Code. Steve is an international instructor, specializing in Aftercare, Aseptic Techniques, Freehand Techniques, Legislation/Regulations, Studio Set-up, Sterilization, and Body Suspension. He has assisted 31states and 8 countries in regulating body piercing and the art of public suspensions. Speaking of suspension, Steve has been involved with suspensions and performance art for over 20 years, first performing with Traumatic Stress Discipline (TSD) for 5 years and then as the Founder and Director of the internationally acclaimed Constructs of Ritual Evolution (CoRE), based in Los Angeles and Oakland/San Francisco, CA. Steve is also the co-creator of the suspension manual The Art of Suspension.
Even if you aren’t a member of the A.P.P., he is still helping to preserve and better your industry.
If you don’t know Steve, send him a message. Ask him a question about what’s going on in your area with regulations. Ask him about the history of the modern suspension community. Ask him a question about technique. Ask him about being crammed into the back of a van on tour. Start a dialog with him about anything, you will not be disappointed. He’ll impress you with and share with you his knowledge of the subject. If he doesn’t know, he’ll tell you honestly and offer insightful thoughts. He’ll be laid up for a while, so this would be a good time to bombard him with messages.
More than once now, the piercing community has taken the time to publicly thank the people that have influence us. Steve Joyner appears on several of those lists. I’m going to list as many people as I can that listed Steve as a major influence. I’m doing this for a reason, I’d like to point out, through our own lineage how Steve has help you. If the people on this list helped or inspired you, Steve Joyner in some ways is responsible for that. Now take a look at the people that you have helped and inspired, Steve helped them too. These of the names of people that directly claim Steve has influenced them:
Mike C***s Christopher Glunt Lee Ballesteros Dallas Belden Maria Pinto Mic Rawls Dustin Jackson Cauliflower Jones Mercedes Lincoln Brent Hedgespeth Matt Bavougian Dave Kelso Nick Aconite Tanner Bennett Rivka Chavi Luis Garcia
I know he as touched the lives and careers of many other. If Steve has helped you out over the years, please leave a comment about what he passed on to you. That way people can see their degrees of separation from Steve and how many routes his knowledge and dedications has taken to reach you.
People that might want to help Steve during his recovery both with physical help and financial support.
1. Piercers
2. APP members past and present
3. Piercers who don’t want to or can’t join the APP (he helps you too)
4. Pierces who care about the safety and future of the piercing industry
5. Hookers (Piercers, Bio, Riggers, and enthusiasts)
6. People who like Veterans
7. People who like music
8. People who like theatre
9. People who like art
10. People who like good people.
I know this letter is long and I appreciate you taking the time to read it Please help Steve out. I and several others could go on all day and tell you why you should donate a little money. But trust me when I say, any money you can give will not be wasted. That money will come back in time and energy dedicated to passions that we hold dear. Please take the time to donate directly to Steve by donating money to his PayPal account [email protected]. You can also donate through Courtney Jane Maxwell via PayPal @ [email protected] if you wish to remain anonymous. If you live in the area, please consider donating some time to help him around the house or with chores. Calling to talk to someone and having conversations with them online can really do a lot to help someone recover from physical injuries
I told Steve I was writing this public letter. The only thing he asked me to include is that he “is the father of five amazing children”. He might not tell you everything he has done and does to help us, but I sure will.
I love Steve Joyner and I hope you do too.
Matt Bavougian
