matter of personal opinion. I've been on many competition
juries, and I can tell you, it's very very hard to decide which
one out of 20 or 30 is the best. Especially if the level is high.
Even more so if the level is garbage. That makes it impossible.
So I don't think we should assign too much significance to the
results of competitions. On the other hand, it's a massive deal
to enter the competition. For the artist, who has put in
innumerable hours of hard work to
produce their best, and for the victim
who has had to sit and suffer those
countless hours of pain, blood and
sweat – and now they have to get
naked and go on stage in blinding
lights in front of cameras and an army
of strangers to be judged. It's not to
be taken lightly. It can be a soul-
destroying nerve-wracking
experience. And if by some
mysterious divine intervention you
happen to win, it shouldn't just be a
gigantic boost for your ego;
primarily, it should be an incentive to
work even harder, rather than resting
on your laurels. Winning competitions
is nice, but it's not everything. For me,
winning the Black and Grey category
at last year's London Tattoo
Convention – out of all those stellar
works – was the most humbling
experience. I decided that I will not
be taking part in competitions
anymore. It can't get any better than
that.