Inkmania in Belgium: Second Place, Judging the Competition, and a Big Trip Through Europe
This story happened at the Inkmania convention in Hasselt, Belgium.
At the time, I was living in St. Petersburg, and a big group of us decided to travel to the convention together. There were 13 of us. But the trip did not actually start in Belgium, or even in St. Petersburg.
I was in Wels, Austria, at the time. The plan was simple: I would travel to Amsterdam, meet up with my friends there, spend a few days walking around the city, and then we would all head to Belgium together for the convention.
It sounded like a great plan.
Until my train stopped somewhere in the middle of Germany.
13 Hours on a Train Platform in Germany
Something happened on the railway, and all the passengers were dropped off in a small town I had never heard of. I ended up spending around 13 hours waiting on the platform.
Meanwhile, my friends were already in Amsterdam, having fun, relaxing, and waiting for me.
And I was standing on a platform.
There was not much I could do. The nearest airport was far away, changing the whole route would have been expensive, and nobody really knew when the trains would start moving again.
But we had a good plan, and I was not going to give up on it.
Eventually, the train started moving again, and I finally made it to Amsterdam. I met up with my friends, and we spent a few days there together. We went to museums and restaurants, walked around the city, relaxed, talked, and enjoyed ourselves.
Then all of us headed to Hasselt.
Hasselt and My First Impressions of Belgium
In Hasselt, we checked into a small European hotel.
I remember the atmosphere really well. It was simple, comfortable, friendly, and surprisingly affordable. And the breakfasts were insane, in the best possible way. Really, really good.
Hasselt itself felt like a pleasant and fairly wealthy city, but the hotel prices were much more reasonable than what you would expect in a place like Brussels.
On the first day, we met the other participants and started getting ready for the convention.
At that time, I was supported by several industry brands, including World Famous Tattoo Ink, Quadra Needles, Hustle Butter Deluxe, and manufacturers of professional tattoo machines.
I was given my own booth, and that is where I worked throughout the convention.
Finding a Model for the Competition Was Harder Than It Sounds
I did several pieces during Inkmania, and I decided to enter one of them into the competition.
Back then, European conventions came with one particular challenge for me.
If I wanted to compete with a large healed piece, I somehow had to bring the model with me. I was living in Russia at the time, and convincing someone to travel to another country just for a convention was not always easy.
I already had clients in Europe with healed work, but some of them did not have the time to travel, some simply could not make it, and I was not a regular visitor to Belgium. I had come specifically for this convention.
So I did not have many models available.
Still, I was grateful to every person who came to me for a session.
And we decided to submit one of those pieces to the judges.
Second Place and an Unexpected Invitation to Join the Jury
We entered the piece into the competition and won second place.
That felt great.
But the most interesting part happened the next day.
The organizers came up to me and asked if I wanted to join the jury. They told me they liked my work, my attitude, and my energy.
They basically said:
“Want to judge with us?”
I said:
“Sure.”
So for the next few hours, I found myself on the other side of the competition, sitting with the judges.
We looked at the work, discussed it, argued about it, compared different pieces. Everyone had their own experience and their own way of looking at the work.
But that is usually how you arrive at a good decision.
In the end, we chose first, second, and third place and tried to make sure the strongest work received the recognition it deserved.
For me, it was a really interesting experience. One day, you are standing there as a competitor, and the next day, you are sitting with the judges evaluating other artists.
Three Days Surrounded by Artists From Across Europe
Inkmania lasted three days, and all three days were packed with people and talented artists.
After the convention, my friends, colleagues, and I would get together every evening and go somewhere for dinner.
We had one friend who was always determined to find the best place possible. Something special, something delicious, something more interesting than the last place.
The first night, we spent so much time searching for the perfect restaurant that by the time we made a decision, almost everything was closed.
So we ended up eating kebab.
The second night, we decided not to listen to him quite as much.
I still appreciate the effort, of course, but that time we just picked a nearby restaurant, sat down, and ate.
The restaurant itself was never really the important part anyway.
The conversations were.
These Conversations Are One of the Best Parts of International Conventions
We talked about everything.
Of course, we talked about life. But sooner or later, the conversation always came back to our work.
What everyone was working on. How their style was developing. New machines, needles, inks, materials. What worked better, what did not. Which manufacturers were doing something interesting.
We were constantly exchanging experience and constantly arguing about something.
And while we were arguing, we were learning from each other.
That is probably one of the things I love most about international conventions.
You do not go there only for an award. You end up surrounded by people who do the same kind of work you do, but everyone approaches it differently.
You can study someone else's work, show your own, learn something, disagree with something, and go home with new ideas.
Why This Convention Was Especially Important to Me
Belgium is right in the heart of Europe, so taking part in an international convention there was especially important to me.
A huge number of strong artists from different countries came together in one place.
The competition was tough.
I looked around and saw beautiful, technically complex work everywhere, and I understood how high the level was.
That made second place feel even better.
I was able to show my work, earn recognition from the judges, and then, the very next day, become part of the judging team myself.
That is why I still remember Inkmania so well.
And Then Real Life Happened
Of course, not everything during those three days was fun.
One of my colleagues was bitten by an insect and had a severe allergic reaction that developed into anaphylactic shock.
We had to call an ambulance.
Fortunately, everything turned out okay. Even more surprisingly, he came back to the convention on the third day and managed to work a little, even though he was still having a hard time.
So that was the trip.
Thirteen people, Amsterdam, 13 hours on a German train platform, Belgium, three days at a convention, second place, a few hours on the jury, endless professional arguments, restaurants, kebab, and a huge number of talented people around us.
The weather was great. It was June, warm and pleasant. The hotels were clean, the food was good, and the company was even better.
But the convention itself was still the most important part.
I came there to show my work, earned second place, had the chance to join the jury, and once again realized how valuable it is to get outside your usual environment and see what artists in other countries are doing.
Trips like that always give me new energy for the work ahead.
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