It all started back in 1986 on a family summer vacation to Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. While waiting in line for the Gemini with his father, James Raimar saw one of his first memorable piercing, a skull dangling from the ear of a man with red spiked hair. Little did James realized that his life was about to change. One year later his parents finally let him get his ear pierced. The rest is history. He started playing around with needles on himself along with experimenting on his body to try to figure out what would happen and what methods worked. More times than he can recall James was defeated by his body, but he pressed on.

In 1993 a desire for hitchhiking ran though his mind. Once high school was finished, with some money saved up, he decided he wanted to hit the road. Further discussions with his mother lead James to persue a skill that he could take on the road with him. In case, he got hungry, he could at least trade work for food. Hippie-tastick in nature, all he knew was that he wanted to travel. Shortly after a 1993 visit to the Amulet in Grand Rapids to get his first genital piercing, James inquired about learning to pierce. Shortly after this visit plans were made for James to apprentice under Kimmy Gordon.

James struggled for about two years to make piercing work in the area of Saginaw, MI as all the money for his travels was now gone. The tattoo industry in the area wanted nothing to do with him, nor body piercing. James started putting flyers around town and worked out of his house in a separate room for about one month, while holding down two other jobs at the same time. James finally caught a break from Jason Clayton at Old Town Tattoo. Shortly after talking with Jason, he was working at the shop in a back room.

The piercing industry in Saginaw was not booming by any means. Still holding down two other jobs, his goal was to have at least one piece of jewelry to do every piercing that would walk through the door, so he saved and worked his ass off.

It would not be until 1995 that business picked up and body piercing would be all that James had time for. That same year, James was going through a period of wondering if everything that he had learned and if all of the methods he was providing were the correct methods of the industry. So in November of 1996, James decided to improve on his abilities as a piercer and decided to attend the Gauntlet five-day Basic Piercing Techniques Seminar and Piercer Health and Safety Seminar with Sky Renfro. After these seminars James felt more positive about what he was doing for his clients and the piercing industry.

Old Town Tattoo was closed on Sundays and Mondays, so in 1997 he found a second position to work in in Flint, MI. He had many friends in the Flint area that desired holes to be placed but no one of good experience to do them. James shortly worked at Jinx Proof with Matt Rinks and Brady Duncan. When Jinx Proof moved away, many were still looking to get pierced and James needed a place to do it. He then ran into Glenn Botwright and soon he was back in Flint working Mondays at the shop X-pressions. James also dabbled with tattoo shows and biker shows through the years but conditions were less than he felt his clients deserved.

The year of 2001 opened James's eyes to a whole new excitement. He had branded before - himself and a few close friends - but it was at Modcon in Toronto that brought a whole new perspective to the art of scarification into James's interest. After receiving a cutting/branding from Toro of Spain and Blair of Toronto, he immediately was turned on and wanted to work the art of cutting as soon as possible.

In April of 2001, he attended his first A.P.P (Associated Professional Piercers) annual convention in Las Vegas, Nevada. Through this he learned that there were many others out there that cared about and have respect for what they were doing. Four years later, in March of 2005, James finally became a member. James continues his learning and practice each year at the conference with his annual Blood borne Pathogens, CPR and his tri-anual First Aid training.

Who would have ever known that a trip to Cedar Point as a young child would lead to the greatest mistake to ever happen to James in his life? He is so greatful everyday that he has been given the opportunity to live out his passions of body art by living and teaching them everyday, everywhere.

James spends most of his free time with his lifemate and his family. His leisure activities include skydiving (USPA member), wingsuit flying, snowboarding, photography, singing, watching kick-ass bands, movies, and roller coasters (ECC member).

James has had a long and gradual progression into the passions of his life. Still claiming this as "the best mistake of his life", he has been piercing professionally since 1993 and cutting since 2001, making the rounds of the world and always looking for...