Finding artists and studios on the map

Step by step

1. 1

   Let the map find you

   The first time you open the Map, it asks to use your location. Allow it and the map centres on where you are and marks your position with a blue dot. Decline and the map opens on a default area instead — you can still pan and search to wherever you want.

   Your location is only used to centre the map and show nearby places. You can change it later from Settings → Device Permissions inside InkMap, which shows whether Location is on and gives you a one-tap shortcut to flip it in your phone's system Settings (the permission itself is always changed there).

2. 2

   Move around

   Drag to pan, and pinch to zoom in and out. As you move, pins for that area load in.

   Two buttons sit on the right:

   • Recenter snaps the map back to your own location.
   • Refresh reloads the pins for the area you're viewing.
3. 3

   Read the pins, then open someone

   Each pin tells you what's there at a glance — a studio, a solo practitioner, an event, or a cluster when things overlap. Before you start filtering, read What the map pins mean so the colours, glow, hiring badge, and cluster ring make sense. When you're ready to tap through, see Opening a studio or artist from a pin.

   When you zoom all the way in on a studio, small team bubbles appear around its pin — one per team member. Tap a bubble to open that person's profile. If the studio has more team members than fit, a + bubble shows how many aren't shown; tap it to page through the rest.

4. 4

   Search for a place or a person

   Tap the icon on the left of the search bar to switch between two search modes:

   • Address search — type any place, address, or city and the map jumps straight there. Use this to scout an area before a trip.
   • People search — type an artist's or studio's name to find them by name. Tap a result to open their profile.
5. 5

   Send a broadcast instead of searching

   If you're a collector or a practitioner, a megaphone button sits above the map controls. Tap it to describe a tattoo idea and send it out to artists, rather than hunting for one yourself. This opens the broadcast request screen — see How broadcasts work for the full picture. Studio accounts don't see this button.

Frequently asked questions

I said no to location — can I still use the map?

Yes. The map just opens on a default area instead of centring on you. Pan to where you want, or use address search to jump there. You can turn location on later from Settings → Device Permissions in InkMap, which links you straight to your phone's system Settings to change it.

Why did some pins disappear when I zoomed out?

They didn't disappear — nearby pins merge into one cluster pin when you zoom out, so the map doesn't get crowded. Zoom back in and they separate again.