Welcome

November. Cold snaps that foreshadow the impending winter. Jackets and scarves retrieved from the top corners of closets. Pumpkin-spiced lattes. Beards gone awry.

It’s the kickoff of the Holiday season, that time of year when though the air grows colder, our hearts grow warmer in anticipation of the coming new year and the sun’s rebirth—or, if you’re the religious type, the Son’s birth.

This month’s portion of that annual celebration centers around gratitude for the things we have, immediately followed by naked, unabashed obsession for the things we want. For anyone who ponders the reality of our existence for more than a minute, it’s a struggle not to fall prey to cynicism here. Why? Let us review.

Thanksgiving, the day set aside for us to recognize the blessings bestowed on us by the higher power, has all but merged with Black Friday, the closest real-life equivalent to The Purge, a day half the country trades in their decency for gratuitous materialism and stampedes like mindless cattle for a slightly larger television. Meanwhile, the rest of us grab a bag of popcorn, watch it all unfold like it’s a pro wrestling event and then reduce evidence of society’s unraveling to shareable memes and gifs we laugh at with our coworkers the following Monday.

But as the cliché goes, let’s not throw out the baby with the bathwater. You can acknowledge the hypocrisy and still benefit from a day of reflection on the good things in your life. And if you’re reading this publication, you probably have a lot for which to be thankful. Besides a roof over your head, a full belly and a well-clothed body, you have the joy of doing what you love . . . AS A PROFESSION. You are literally living your dream. It’s easy to for that notion to get lost in the daily grind, but don’t let it. Keep that perspective in check.

So, take a moment and say a prayer of thanks to the god of your choice for the amazing life you’ve forged—or If you’re atheist, pat yourself on the back. But whoever you are, keep reading PAIN so we can help you have even more to celebrate next year.

ABOUT US

PAIN Magazine is the undisputed standard-bearer of all things body modification; the advocate, advisor, confidant and documentarian of a once marginalized trade, now on the cusp of cultural ubiquity. As a publication, we stand alone — peerless within our market sector for nearly 20 years. As fellow operators within the space, we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with those whom we serve, wholly invested in the continued success of our industry. We are the guide to help you walk the tightrope between the intangibles of the trade—art, integrity and community—and the cold hard facts of your bottom line. With a monthly circulation of 12,000 copies that go out across the U.S. and Canada and a reader base of over 36,000 industry professionals, it’s easy to understand why our professional, informative and artistic format offers the best buy per advertising dollar.