By 8 a.m. on Friday, September 13th, a line had already formed outside C.R. Ink in Columbia. People laugh and talk as they ponder the designs displayed in the shop’s front window.
On the other side of the glass, artists are preparing for their biggest event of the year. C.R. Ink is one of countless tattoo shops across the world taking part in the tradition of Friday the 13th flash tattoos.
Tattoo artist Scott Murk came all the way from South Haven, Michigan to work at the event in Columbia.
“I get to meet all these new people, make all these new connections, and give everybody a memory for a lifetime,” Murk said.
Dallas, Texas tattoo artist Oliver Peck started celebrating Friday the 13th in the mid-90s by tattooing the number 13 on his friends. He popularized the deal of a $13 tattoo with a $7 tip for the lucky number seven.
Artists travelled to Dallas to get in on the tradition and help with increased demand. As the event got bigger, so did Peck’s aspirations. Peck set the record for most tattoos done in one day on July 13, 2001, and set it again on June 13, 2008.
Peck’s mark on tattoo culture is one of the focal points of an upcoming documentary called “The Number 13: A Tattoo History.”
Justin Wilson, the director of the film, says the documentary explores the unlucky omen of 13 and how it shows up in other parts of society like tarot cards and gang culture.
Wilson said in tattoo culture the number 13 is seen as protection against bad luck.
“If bad luck comes, and it sees that there's a 13 on you, it says, ‘Oh, bad luck's already here,’ and I'm going to go off to the next person,” he said.
It’s that unconventional superstition in the good of the number 13 that keeps the tradition of Friday the 13th flash alive. That, Wilson said, and the human desire to participate.
“We love being a part of phenomenon,” he said. “Everyone likes to tell a story that you went there to the tattoo shop at two in the morning, and the tattoo artist was almost passed out because he was so tired, because he's been doing tattoos all day, and that's why your line is a little bit messed up.”
At C.R. Ink, community is at the forefront of Friday the 13th tattoos.
Berenice Derreza attended C.R. Ink’s last Friday the 13th flash event in October. She said the event offers a chance to develop a unique bond with strangers.
“Sometimes, you see other people that have the same tattoo, and you say, ‘oh my god, were you at this other Friday the 13th event?’” she said.
Jackie Keely came to the shop to celebrate her 40th birthday with her sister. The pair coincidentally left with matching tattoos after picking the same design.
For Keely, it’s a reminder to keep some room in life for whimsy.
“Friday the 13th tattoos are just something fun that don't necessarily have to have a deeper meaning, but that just reminds me that it's not that serious,” she said.
Friday the 13ths come and go, but the stories will be etched in memories — and skin — for years to come.
Pop up flash events are happening today at tattoo shops throughout the KBIA listening area, including Living Canvas in Columbia, The Gilded Lily Tattoo and Piercing in Moberly, Century Tattoo in Ashland, Why Not Tat2’s in Kirksville and more.