A phone call on a Sunday night
One of your resident artists rings on Sunday evening. She has hurt her hand and will not be able to tattoo for at least six weeks. Her diary is full for the next two months, with a mix of full-day projects, small pieces and consultations. The bookings are in her own booking app; the conversations are in her Instagram DMs. She is in pain and does not want to message forty clients from her phone.
The owner wants to help, but cannot see her diary, does not know which clients have paid deposits or had designs drawn, and does not know which of them might be happy to see another artist.
Everyone wants to do right by the clients, and nobody quite knows where to start.
The studio cannot see what it needs to act
An absence like this tests how much the studio actually knows about each artist's book. In many studios, the answer is very little.
- Bookings are in the artist's personal app or calendar.
- Deposits were paid to the artist or the studio, with no single list.
- Designs in progress are on the artist's tablet.
- Client contact details are in DMs.
- Nobody knows which other artists could take which pieces.
Clients left in the dark
Clients who hear nothing turn up to a closed station, or hear from a friend. Deposits are questioned. Projects stall. Clients who might have been happy to move to another artist are not asked in time, and some leave the studio altogether. The injured artist is left feeling guilty on top of everything else, and the owner spends days piecing things together.
How we build an absence plan
- With the artist's agreement, their sessions for the absence period are read from their booking app or calendar, or from the studio diary if they use it, into a single list.
- Each session shows the client, type of work, deposit status and whether a design has been drawn.
- The owner chooses what to offer each client, for example: wait for the artist with a new date later, move to a named artist whose style suits the piece, or have their deposit handled as your policy says.
- Messages go to each client in the studio's words, with a link to choose their option and pick a new date where relevant.
- Each client's choice is tracked, with deposits moved, held or returned as your policy and the owner decide.
- The artist gets a single summary of what happened to her book, so she can pick up where things stand when she returns.
| Client situation | Options offered | What is tracked |
|---|---|---|
| Full-day project, design drawn | Wait for the artist with new dates | New dates, deposit held |
| Small flash piece | Another artist, same week | New artist, deposit moved |
| Consultation only | Rebook when the artist returns | Place held on the waiting list |
What happens to deposits and whether clients can move is the studio's and artist's decision. The plan makes sure every client is contacted and their choice is recorded.
A difficult week, handled calmly
Every affected client hears from the studio within a day or two, with clear options. Most choose quickly through the link. The owner sees a list that goes from all red to mostly green. The artist can rest, knowing her clients are looked after, and returns to an organised book rather than a pile of unanswered messages.
The same plan works for planned absences, such as parental leave or a long convention tour, with more notice and fewer surprises.
Could your studio handle this tomorrow?
- Artists' bookings are in their personal apps or calendars.
- The owner cannot see which clients have paid deposits.
- Client contact details are in artists' DMs.
- Nobody knows which artist could take over which pieces.
- An artist's absence would mean days of messages.