This is the 931st real person we tell
I am Master Li, born in 1985, from Weifang, Shandong, and now Dubai is seeking development.
I am from a rural area. My father sells peaches for me to go to school. However, for the entire 8 years after graduation, I almost accomplished nothing.
I have opened a clothing store, video game city, and wedding company, but I have been defeated repeatedly and lost all my money. By chance, I became a tattoo artist and once opened a studio in Philippines with a monthly income of 30,000 yuan.
Unexpectedly, an epidemic has put all my efforts into vain and I can only make a living by delivering food.
But life is a long road. You can choose to turn or move forward, but you must not stay. At the beginning of this year, I came to Dubai. I planned to try my luck, but I didn't expect the business to be good.
(photos of me when I was working)
My family is a family of four. In addition to my parents, there is also an older brother who is 9 years older than me. Both parents are authentic farmers. Although the family is poor, it is happy and warm.
When I was a child, I looked very well-behaved on the surface, but I was naughty behind my back.
When I was in elementary school, like many children, I always didn’t want to go to school because of the fierce teacher and bullied by my classmates. Once, my father was unfortunately discovered by me when I skipped school, and he dragged me to school.
Actually, my parents are very tolerant and have never had too many constraints on me. The only requirement is to go to school.
Although I don’t like studying, my academic performance has always been among the top three in the class throughout elementary school. But when I was in junior high school, my grades began to plummet.
Because many students start to tutor in junior high school in advance after graduating from elementary school, but I don’t have it, so it’s very difficult for me to learn from the beginning of school. Especially in English and chemistry, I basically haven't passed the exam.
(I looked like when I was in my junior year)
When I arrived in the third year of junior high school, my grades still did not improve, and I can be said to have no chance of high school. However, my parents don’t have high requirements for me, and they think it’s good for me to go to vocational technical secondary school .
I had already accepted reality, but later I learned that I could apply for high school as a specialty student. After seeing hope, I was ready to give it a try.
Sports Special Admissions requires running every day. I feel too tired and it is not suitable for me. But I have a strong ability to learn skills, so I chose art.
The choices in life are always full of wonders. It allowed me to meet Teacher Wang and took me into the world of art.
Because art classes in junior high schools are often occupied by the main courses, at first I just felt that Teacher Wang was different from other teachers. Later I realized that it was a temperament similar to literary youth, a bit rebellious, but it was like a clear stream.
I never dreamed that I could watch movies in class, but Teacher Wang really did this.
(I especially liked playing football when I was in college)
He likes to play science fiction movies for us, such as " Day 6 " starring Schwarzenegger , which wants to use this to inspire our imagination and creativity.
We didn’t have many painting tools at that time, and there were only a dozen types of paints at most. We all rely on adjusting the colors ourselves, unlike the current painting tools.
I remember an art class. Teacher Wang picked up the dried paint box in the corner, rinsed it with water, picked up the already brittle brush and started drawing.
What surprised me was that this not only did not affect his performance, but instead gave the painting a different texture. That scene made me feel that tools are just means of painting, and love is the true soul of art
I have to say that I am very talented in art. After only 3 months of study, I was admitted to a key high school in the city. In my specialty class in high school, I continued to study art for 3 years, so my painting skills are particularly solid. This is the 931st real person we tell I am Master Li, born in 1985, from Weifang, Shandong, and now Dubai is seeking development. I am from a rural area. My father sells peaches for me to go to school. However, for the entire 8 years after graduation, I almost accomplished nothing. I have opened a clothing store, video game city, and wedding company, but I have been defeated repeatedly and lost all my money. By chance, I became a tattoo artist and once opened a studio in Philippines with a monthly income of 30,000 yuan. Unexpectedly, an epidemic has put all my efforts into vain and I can only make a living by delivering food. But life is a long road. You can choose to turn or move forward, but you must not stay. At the beginning of this year, I came to Dubai. I planned to try my luck, but I didn't expect the business to be good. (photos of me when I was working)
My family is a family of four. In addition to my parents, there is also an older brother who is 9 years older than me. Both parents are authentic farmers. Although the family is poor, it is happy and warm.
When I was a child, I looked very well-behaved on the surface, but I was naughty behind my back.
When I was in elementary school, like many children, I always didn’t want to go to school because of the fierce teacher and bullied by my classmates. Once, my father was unfortunately discovered by me when I skipped school, and he dragged me to school.
Actually, my parents are very tolerant and have never had too many constraints on me. The only requirement is to go to school.
Although I don’t like studying, my academic performance has always been among the top three in the class throughout elementary school. But when I was in junior high school, my grades began to plummet.
Because many students start to tutor in junior high school in advance after graduating from elementary school, but I don’t have it, so it’s very difficult for me to learn from the beginning of school. Especially in English and chemistry, I basically haven't passed the exam.
(I looked like when I was in my junior year)
When I arrived in the third year of junior high school, my grades still did not improve, and I can be said to have no chance of high school. However, my parents don’t have high requirements for me, and they think it’s good for me to go to vocational technical secondary school .
I had already accepted reality, but later I learned that I could apply for high school as a specialty student. After seeing hope, I was ready to give it a try.
Sports Special Admissions requires running every day. I feel too tired and it is not suitable for me. But I have a strong ability to learn skills, so I chose art.
The choices in life are always full of wonders. It allowed me to meet Teacher Wang and took me into the world of art.
Because art classes in junior high schools are often occupied by the main courses, at first I just felt that Teacher Wang was different from other teachers. Later I realized that it was a temperament similar to literary youth, a bit rebellious, but it was like a clear stream.
I never dreamed that I could watch movies in class, but Teacher Wang really did this.
(I especially liked playing football when I was in college)
He likes to play science fiction movies for us, such as " Day 6 " starring Schwarzenegger , which wants to use this to inspire our imagination and creativity.
We didn’t have many painting tools at that time, and there were only a dozen types of paints at most. We all rely on adjusting the colors ourselves, unlike the current painting tools.
I remember an art class. Teacher Wang picked up the dried paint box in the corner, rinsed it with water, picked up the already brittle brush and started drawing.
What surprised me was that this not only did not affect his performance, but instead gave the painting a different texture. That scene made me feel that tools are just means of painting, and love is the true soul of art
I have to say that I am very talented in art. After only 3 months of study, I was admitted to a key high school in the city. In my specialty class in high school, I continued to study art for 3 years, so my painting skills are particularly solid.
In 2004, I was admitted to a 985 university with the 11th place in the professional exam.
(Dogs raised by my lover and I, sunny)
This good news made the family livelier than during the Chinese New Year. My father ran to the aquatic market and bought more than a dozen big catfish , preparing to hold a banquet to celebrate me.
But before the catfishes were on the table, they jumped out of the bucket and ran away overnight, so our family began to look for fish overnight. Fortunately, they didn't get far and were all "taken to justice".
The happiness and joy at that time were so simple and so unforgettable to me.
My family is not rich, and my university tuition and living expenses are all collected by my father selling peaches.
Qingzhou is rich in winter snow peach . Its ripening period is in winter, so it is named. Since many local families plant peach trees, the competition is too great and they cannot sell at a price, my father goes to other markets to sell peaches.
When winter is the coldest, the temperature is below zero. In order to catch up with the early market, my father got up at four or five o'clock every day, simply had breakfast, wrapped himself in a thick cotton jacket, and rode a tricycle and set off.
Every peach carries the expectations of my parents for me.
(I am in Beijing, visiting the motorcycle show)
When I applied for the major, I saw two big posters hanging on a registration point with the conceived robot and future transportation on it. It looked very sci-fi and attracted me instantly.
at that time, I didn’t have any application guides, and I didn’t understand it myself. Moreover, I had been painting for 4 years and was a little tired of it, so I wanted to try something different, so I chose industrial design.
I am full of longing for university life, but after entering the school, I realized that although my school is on the list nationwide, it is not the best choice for art students.
Because besides my major, there is only art. Industrial design is actually affiliated with the School of Mechanical Engineering, so as an art student, I got an engineering degree after graduation.
I applied here just to get closer to home. If I were given another chance to choose, I would apply to the Academy of Fine Arts without hesitation, but unfortunately there is no medicine for regret in the world.
In 2008, I graduated and fell into confusion.
(My work photo in Beijing)
After graduation, students who are in their own business can count with one hand, and most people choose the civil service exam.
In fact, as a graduate of 985 universities, it is not difficult to find a job, but I didn’t care to find it.
I don’t know what industry I want to work in, nor do I want to follow the crowd and take the civil service exam. even feels that it would be such a terrible thing to do just one job in my life.
During college, I met a big brother from a company, so I followed him in a confused manner, just saving me the trouble of finding a job.
I am responsible for recruiting new software in various schools in Jinan, helping some brands to conduct campus tours and ground promotions, and sometimes also taking photos and photography.
It was also at that time that my girlfriend quit her job in Guangzhou and returned to Shandong to reunite with me.
We were high school classmates, but we were just classmates at that time. After graduating from high school, she went to Jiangxi to study, and we broke off contact since then. It was not until the senior year that a campus dating website became popular that we had contact.
(work photo of my tattoos to customers)
Because I am a classmate, I don’t feel "out of my opinion" when chatting. I didn’t expect that the more we chatted, we became more and more acquainted, so after graduating from college, we decided to have a romantic relationship.
At that time, my monthly salary was less than 1,000 yuan, and I lived in the company dormitory. I admire myself. I even worked for more than a year without any complaints.
In order to save money, we only spent more than ten yuan per meal. When we first fell in love, we let her suffer with me, and we felt very guilty.
However, my girlfriend's company gave me motivation to live and work, and I also began to plan my future.
In 2009, we opened a clothing store next to the school.
At that time, we purchased goods from Beijing Zoo . We had to go twice a month, but we never went to the zoo before. When we purchased goods in winter, we were so cold that we were crying, but with a bright future, we felt warm.
is just that the business has always been lukewarm. Although it is profitable, it is only enough to have enough food and clothing.
(night view of Dubai International City)
In 2010, I went to work in an online company introduced by a friend, and the clothing store was continued by my girlfriend.
I mainly do web page maintenance in an online company, which is to post posts, attract netizens to comment, and activate the atmosphere of the company forum, with a monthly salary of 3,000 yuan.
At the same time, my brother opened an video game city in his hometown, and he earned 30,000 yuan a month, which is 10 times my salary. The number
has a great impact on me. After all, in the company, even my colleagues who work to fish have made more money than me, and I was immediately moved.
So, I resigned after only 3 months. I transferred the clothing store with my girlfriend at a low price and returned to my hometown together.
resulted in poor management and the video game city was only opened for 1 year and 3 months. Apart from the expenses, I only have 30,000 yuan left, which happened to be the money I invested in.
(I celebrate New Year's Day in the Philippines, and I made dumplings myself)
Internet company went public after I left my job, but the video game city was also in a difficult situation, and I couldn't catch up with the good times.
Fortunately, my girlfriend and I took a big step forward in love. In 2011, we got married.
At that time, I had neither money nor house, and only had a domestic car, but she still married me without hesitation.
I have been in love for 3 years, and I have never been able to let her live a good life. Now the responsibility on my shoulders is heavier, and I have to make money well.
My brother and I heard that the wedding industry was very popular, so we immediately started to organize and jointly opened a wedding company.
We get up early and go to bed late, but at the end of the month, we can earn more money than we earn when we get it.
plus we did not plan in the early stage and did not have a clear distribution of income, which made everything feel like a mess, so half a year later, the wedding company could not continue to operate.
made it worse. Not only did I return empty-handed again, but I didn’t even get back the previous investment.
(street view of the Philippines)
But I don’t want to hurt my relationship because of money, so I don’t care about gains and losses. But this experience made me understand that brothers really have to settle the score clearly. So I plan to do it alone and don’t want to work with anyone anymore.
Wedding industry is a small circle, so I started to work among various companies and started working on wedding photography.
This work is very simple for me. I can complete it by myself by camera and post-production. Although I am very tired, I am free from the messy things.
My camera work has been working until 2016.
Once I saw my sister-in-law (my lover's sister) had a tattoo on her body. She was very small, but it cost 700 yuan. She suggested that I could try it, too.
I thought about it and it is indeed a way out, and it is consistent with my profession. Tattoos and paintings are similar, but they are just changing to a painting carrier.
Having a goal, I began to look for places to learn tattoos online.
(Philippines under the setting sun)
My lover does not support this idea. Because the public did not have a high acceptance of tattoos at that time, especially in small places like our hometown, she thought there was no market.
And learning tattoos cost more than 20,000 yuan per month, and we didn’t have that much money at that time.
But so many years of experience have made me realize how important it is to have a clear direction.
"Only obsession at one glance, obsession at one thought." This sentence perfectly interprets my feeling about tattoos. Once the fire in my heart is burned, it cannot be easily extinguished.
So, I paid the tuition with my credit card and went to Beijing to study. After the study, I returned to my hometown to open a tattoo studio.
The first tattoo customer was my classmate. Although it was my first time painting on the human body, I was not nervous, which also increased my confidence in being a tattoo artist.
can be slapped in the face again, and it also confirms the lover's idea.
(I came to the Philippines to do tattoos for customers)
studio opened for a year, but I didn’t even make any rent. As a result, I started my old career in camera, and I was able to make a living.
also led to a bad result, that is, people in the tattoo circle think that my tattoo is not professional, and people in the camera circle think that my photography is not professional.
Just as a friend learned that I was doing a tattoo, he suggested that I go to the Philippines to develop it. He has worked in the Philippines for many years and has many friends who like tattoos around him, so the market prospects should be good.
So, in 2017, I took my lover to the Philippines, and while I was inspecting, I also wanted her to relax. I really like the Philippines. The environment is good, the consumption is not high, and the street food is also very delicious.
In 2018, I came to the Philippines alone. Everything was difficult at the beginning. When I first arrived in the Philippines, my friend provided me with a place to stay, and the client also introduced me to me. Because there is no fixed place, I always bring my equipment to do tattoos.
Fortunately, the customers are all Chinese who work in the Philippines, which saves communication troubles.
(Scenery outside the studio window)
I have done tattoos with the largest area, and the total working hours are nearly 70 hours. Because I always believe that slow work produces meticulous work, customers trust me very much.
As my reputation gets better and better, old customers start to introduce new customers to me, and their business gradually improves. After I got a good income from
, I rented a room and opened a studio.
In order to have more customers, I posted posts and works on some tattooed websites, and would also stuff business cards in apartments where Chinese people are more concentrated. As a result, I was almost sent to the police station by the security guard.
Because I didn't carry the ID with me, they thought I was planning to be ill. I explained for a long time, but in the end I was fined 4,000 pesos , which was almost 500 yuan.
In the Philippines, you may be fined if you are not careful. For example, if you smoke on the street, you will be fined 500 pesos. But if it were Chinese, it might turn out to be 3,000 pesos. Perhaps in the impression of locals, Chinese people are relatively rich.
(Black Jesus Day in the Philippines is very lively)
In my spare time, I not only look for customers, but also draw some manuscripts. What I am best at is European and American realistic styles, but most customers still like traditional styles. For example, people or things from Chinese myths and legends.
In fact, there is a certain difference between tattoos and art, because tattoos are not OK for any pattern you want, so it is more inclined to the service industry. But tattoos can make money, and they are what I am good at and like. My original persistence was not in vain.
I thought I would take my lover over when it stabilized, but we had a dog, sunny, in 2013.
We were reluctant to give it to others, and our lover was worried that there would be problems during the plane check-in, so we stayed at home. Fortunately, the round-trip air tickets are cheap, and I will basically go home once every three months.
At the end of 2019, I returned to China for the New Year, but the epidemic broke out suddenly, which caused me to never return to the Philippines.
studio was forced to recover because it was unable to renew the room payment. Fortunately, my friend helped me bring the tattoo machine back to China.
(Kids on Black Jesus Day in the Philippines)
When I was the best business in the Philippines, I made more than 30,000 yuan a month, and my monthly income was about 20,000 yuan.
finally saw the dawn, but an epidemic brought my life back to its original point.
In the first half of 2020, I spent almost all of them at home with the isolation and nothing to do. Later, as all walks of life returned to normal, I went to help my friend’s restaurant deliver food.
Delivery food is just a helpless choice now, and what I am thinking about is tattoos. So in 2021, I came to Beijing again and worked as a tattoo artist in a tattoo shop located in the store.
The monthly salary at that time was 7,000 or 8,000, which was pretty good. But the boss always owes wages, so I went to a well-known tattoo shop again.
The owner of this store is very skilled, but he is not good at operating, so my monthly salary is only one or two thousand yuan.
The salary is very small, and renting a house in Beijing is not enough. So after get off work, I went to deliver express delivery part-time. The most ridiculous thing is that the money I earn from delivering express delivery in my spare time is higher than my salary. But I did not leave the job in a hurry because of my low salary.
(I slept in the store when I first came to work in Beijing)
There is a saying that goes: "If my heart is in one skill, my art will be craftsmanship; if my heart is in one position, my job will be exquisite."
I learned a lot here. When I focused on polishing tattoo techniques, my tattoo technology has made great progress.
In the tattoo industry, like me, I am 35 years old and still struggling on the front line of tattoos. There are few people working for others, so I have to find a new way out.
If you want to stay in Beijing to develop, you either become your own boss or be very famous in the tattoo circle. But I didn't take any of them, so I decided to go back to my hometown before making plans.
Fortunately, I chose to leave Beijing. As soon as I left, Beijing was locked down again due to the epidemic, and many tattoo shops were struggling to support it.
I originally planned to go to the Philippines again, but my friend said that the situation there was not optimistic. Not only was the visa fee very expensive, but it was also very troublesome to apply for it, so I gave up this idea.
(In Dubai, I was very excited to see Chinese-branded cars)
In fact, when the epidemic in Asia was severe in 2020, many Chinese people went to Dubai to seek development, so I also became interested in going to Dubai.
has lost the "good time" in the Philippines, so I will create another one. After making up my mind, I came to Dubai after the New Year this year.
I rented a studio in the International City in Dubai. It is not next to the old city. There are very few locals, most of them are migrant workers from India and Pakistani .
However, the rent is really expensive. A dozen square meters of places cost 3,500 Dhh a month, equivalent to RMB 6,000.
Excluding various expenses every month, I can earn more than 10,000 yuan. Compared with China, I am very satisfied.
In Dubai, most locals are indeed very rich. Because they (we call it white robes) can enjoy the government's generous welfare policies even if they don't work.
But those migrant workers from poor countries don’t make much money. For example, an ordinary Indian and Pakistani worker only earns 2,000-3,000 Dhs per month (2,000 Dhs is less than 4,000 yuan).
(my studio)
There were rumors online that begging in Dubai can make money, but that is not the case. Beggars in Dubai are limited to believers in Islam . When an ordinary person begging, not only will no one give alms, but it is also an illegal act.
Speaking of Dubai's laws, I feel that it is a bit almost strict, especially traffic regulations .
Ordinary speeding ticket starts at Dh400, while illegal parking costs Dh1,000 (about RMB 2,000), so when you come to Dubai, you must be familiar with basic laws and regulations to avoid trouble.
Although I am currently developing well in Dubai, I still plan to return to China at the end of the year.
My mother is 70 years old this year, her father suffers from cardiovascular disease, and her lover is not in good health. Since 2018, I have been separated from my family and I can no longer ignore my family.
Although it is a pity to give up your current business, there are no absolute gains and losses in the world. Being able to be with your family is also a rare joy in the world.
(photos when I was drawing)
Looking back on the experience of these 14 years, although there are many ups and downs, I have never regretted it.
As Su Shi said: "Life is like a journey against the road, and I am also a traveler." Life has only been tens of years, and after experiencing and working hard, it will be worthwhile to have this life.
[Oral: Master Li]
[Editor: Huohuo]
We cannot go through different lives, but we can feel the real stories of others here, and each story has real photos! If you like such a true story, please follow us! @Real Person Interview
However, my girlfriend's company gave me motivation to live and work, and I also began to plan my future.
In 2009, we opened a clothing store next to the school.
At that time, we purchased goods from Beijing Zoo . We had to go twice a month, but we never went to the zoo before. When we purchased goods in winter, we were so cold that we were crying, but with a bright future, we felt warm.
is just that the business has always been lukewarm. Although it is profitable, it is only enough to have enough food and clothing.
(night view of Dubai International City)
In 2010, I went to work in an online company introduced by a friend, and the clothing store was continued by my girlfriend.
I mainly do web page maintenance in an online company, which is to post posts, attract netizens to comment, and activate the atmosphere of the company forum, with a monthly salary of 3,000 yuan.
At the same time, my brother opened an video game city in his hometown, and he earned 30,000 yuan a month, which is 10 times my salary. The number
has a great impact on me. After all, in the company, even my colleagues who work to fish have made more money than me, and I was immediately moved.
So, I resigned after only 3 months. I transferred the clothing store with my girlfriend at a low price and returned to my hometown together.
resulted in poor management and the video game city was only opened for 1 year and 3 months. Apart from the expenses, I only have 30,000 yuan left, which happened to be the money I invested in.
(I celebrate New Year's Day in the Philippines, and I made dumplings myself)
Internet company went public after I left my job, but the video game city was also in a difficult situation, and I couldn't catch up with the good times.
Fortunately, my girlfriend and I took a big step forward in love. In 2011, we got married.
At that time, I had neither money nor house, and only had a domestic car, but she still married me without hesitation.
I have been in love for 3 years, and I have never been able to let her live a good life. Now the responsibility on my shoulders is heavier, and I have to make money well.
My brother and I heard that the wedding industry was very popular, so we immediately started to organize and jointly opened a wedding company.
We get up early and go to bed late, but at the end of the month, we can earn more money than we earn when we get it.
plus we did not plan in the early stage and did not have a clear distribution of income, which made everything feel like a mess, so half a year later, the wedding company could not continue to operate.
made it worse. Not only did I return empty-handed again, but I didn’t even get back the previous investment.
(street view of the Philippines)
But I don’t want to hurt my relationship because of money, so I don’t care about gains and losses. But this experience made me understand that brothers really have to settle the score clearly. So I plan to do it alone and don’t want to work with anyone anymore.
Wedding industry is a small circle, so I started to work among various companies and started working on wedding photography.
This work is very simple for me. I can complete it by myself by camera and post-production. Although I am very tired, I am free from the messy things.
My camera work has been working until 2016.
Once I saw my sister-in-law (my lover's sister) had a tattoo on her body. She was very small, but it cost 700 yuan. She suggested that I could try it, too.
I thought about it and it is indeed a way out, and it is consistent with my profession. Tattoos and paintings are similar, but they are just changing to a painting carrier.
Having a goal, I began to look for places to learn tattoos online.
(Philippines under the setting sun)
My lover does not support this idea. Because the public did not have a high acceptance of tattoos at that time, especially in small places like our hometown, she thought there was no market.
And learning tattoos cost more than 20,000 yuan per month, and we didn’t have that much money at that time.
But so many years of experience have made me realize how important it is to have a clear direction.
"Only obsession at one glance, obsession at one thought." This sentence perfectly interprets my feeling about tattoos. Once the fire in my heart is burned, it cannot be easily extinguished.
So, I paid the tuition with my credit card and went to Beijing to study. After the study, I returned to my hometown to open a tattoo studio.
The first tattoo customer was my classmate. Although it was my first time painting on the human body, I was not nervous, which also increased my confidence in being a tattoo artist.
can be slapped in the face again, and it also confirms the lover's idea.
(I came to the Philippines to do tattoos for customers)
studio opened for a year, but I didn’t even make any rent. As a result, I started my old career in camera, and I was able to make a living.
also led to a bad result, that is, people in the tattoo circle think that my tattoo is not professional, and people in the camera circle think that my photography is not professional.
Just as a friend learned that I was doing a tattoo, he suggested that I go to the Philippines to develop it. He has worked in the Philippines for many years and has many friends who like tattoos around him, so the market prospects should be good.
So, in 2017, I took my lover to the Philippines, and while I was inspecting, I also wanted her to relax. I really like the Philippines. The environment is good, the consumption is not high, and the street food is also very delicious.
In 2018, I came to the Philippines alone. Everything was difficult at the beginning. When I first arrived in the Philippines, my friend provided me with a place to stay, and the client also introduced me to me. Because there is no fixed place, I always bring my equipment to do tattoos.
Fortunately, the customers are all Chinese who work in the Philippines, which saves communication troubles.
(Scenery outside the studio window)
I have done tattoos with the largest area, and the total working hours are nearly 70 hours. Because I always believe that slow work produces meticulous work, customers trust me very much.
As my reputation gets better and better, old customers start to introduce new customers to me, and their business gradually improves. After I got a good income from
, I rented a room and opened a studio.
In order to have more customers, I posted posts and works on some tattooed websites, and would also stuff business cards in apartments where Chinese people are more concentrated. As a result, I was almost sent to the police station by the security guard.
Because I didn't carry the ID with me, they thought I was planning to be ill. I explained for a long time, but in the end I was fined 4,000 pesos , which was almost 500 yuan.
In the Philippines, you may be fined if you are not careful. For example, if you smoke on the street, you will be fined 500 pesos. But if it were Chinese, it might turn out to be 3,000 pesos. Perhaps in the impression of locals, Chinese people are relatively rich.
(Black Jesus Day in the Philippines is very lively)
In my spare time, I not only look for customers, but also draw some manuscripts. What I am best at is European and American realistic styles, but most customers still like traditional styles. For example, people or things from Chinese myths and legends.
In fact, there is a certain difference between tattoos and art, because tattoos are not OK for any pattern you want, so it is more inclined to the service industry. But tattoos can make money, and they are what I am good at and like. My original persistence was not in vain.
I thought I would take my lover over when it stabilized, but we had a dog, sunny, in 2013.
We were reluctant to give it to others, and our lover was worried that there would be problems during the plane check-in, so we stayed at home. Fortunately, the round-trip air tickets are cheap, and I will basically go home once every three months.
At the end of 2019, I returned to China for the New Year, but the epidemic broke out suddenly, which caused me to never return to the Philippines.
studio was forced to recover because it was unable to renew the room payment. Fortunately, my friend helped me bring the tattoo machine back to China.
(Kids on Black Jesus Day in the Philippines)
When I was the best business in the Philippines, I made more than 30,000 yuan a month, and my monthly income was about 20,000 yuan.
finally saw the dawn, but an epidemic brought my life back to its original point.
In the first half of 2020, I spent almost all of them at home with the isolation and nothing to do. Later, as all walks of life returned to normal, I went to help my friend’s restaurant deliver food.
Delivery food is just a helpless choice now, and what I am thinking about is tattoos. So in 2021, I came to Beijing again and worked as a tattoo artist in a tattoo shop located in the store.
The monthly salary at that time was 7,000 or 8,000, which was pretty good. But the boss always owes wages, so I went to a well-known tattoo shop again.
The owner of this store is very skilled, but he is not good at operating, so my monthly salary is only one or two thousand yuan.
The salary is very small, and renting a house in Beijing is not enough. So after get off work, I went to deliver express delivery part-time. The most ridiculous thing is that the money I earn from delivering express delivery in my spare time is higher than my salary. But I did not leave the job in a hurry because of my low salary.
(I slept in the store when I first came to work in Beijing)
There is a saying that goes: "If my heart is in one skill, my art will be craftsmanship; if my heart is in one position, my job will be exquisite."
I learned a lot here. When I focused on polishing tattoo techniques, my tattoo technology has made great progress.
In the tattoo industry, like me, I am 35 years old and still struggling on the front line of tattoos. There are few people working for others, so I have to find a new way out.
If you want to stay in Beijing to develop, you either become your own boss or be very famous in the tattoo circle. But I didn't take any of them, so I decided to go back to my hometown before making plans.
Fortunately, I chose to leave Beijing. As soon as I left, Beijing was locked down again due to the epidemic, and many tattoo shops were struggling to support it.
I originally planned to go to the Philippines again, but my friend said that the situation there was not optimistic. Not only was the visa fee very expensive, but it was also very troublesome to apply for it, so I gave up this idea.
(In Dubai, I was very excited to see Chinese-branded cars)
In fact, when the epidemic in Asia was severe in 2020, many Chinese people went to Dubai to seek development, so I also became interested in going to Dubai.
has lost the "good time" in the Philippines, so I will create another one. After making up my mind, I came to Dubai after the New Year this year.
I rented a studio in the International City in Dubai. It is not next to the old city. There are very few locals, most of them are migrant workers from India and Pakistani .
However, the rent is really expensive. A dozen square meters of places cost 3,500 Dhh a month, equivalent to RMB 6,000.
Excluding various expenses every month, I can earn more than 10,000 yuan. Compared with China, I am very satisfied.
In Dubai, most locals are indeed very rich. Because they (we call it white robes) can enjoy the government's generous welfare policies even if they don't work.
But those migrant workers from poor countries don’t make much money. For example, an ordinary Indian and Pakistani worker only earns 2,000-3,000 Dhs per month (2,000 Dhs is less than 4,000 yuan).
(my studio)
There were rumors online that begging in Dubai can make money, but that is not the case. Beggars in Dubai are limited to believers in Islam . When an ordinary person begging, not only will no one give alms, but it is also an illegal act.
Speaking of Dubai's laws, I feel that it is a bit almost strict, especially traffic regulations .
Ordinary speeding ticket starts at Dh400, while illegal parking costs Dh1,000 (about RMB 2,000), so when you come to Dubai, you must be familiar with basic laws and regulations to avoid trouble.
Although I am currently developing well in Dubai, I still plan to return to China at the end of the year.
My mother is 70 years old this year, her father suffers from cardiovascular disease, and her lover is not in good health. Since 2018, I have been separated from my family and I can no longer ignore my family.
Although it is a pity to give up your current business, there are no absolute gains and losses in the world. Being able to be with your family is also a rare joy in the world.
(photos when I was drawing)
Looking back on the experience of these 14 years, although there are many ups and downs, I have never regretted it.
As Su Shi said: "Life is like a journey against the road, and I am also a traveler." Life has only been tens of years, and after experiencing and working hard, it will be worthwhile to have this life.
[Oral: Master Li]
[Editor: Huohuo]
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