Why did you decide to become a tattoo artist?
Tattooing kind of fell upon me- I started out in the worst possible way; I wasn’t blessed with the talent of drawing, or had any idea of what I was doing. Evolving my art into what it is today took alot of blood, sweat and tears, and it definitely requires true passion to do so. I would encourage everyone to go to drawing school, and get good at the basics before starting up tattooing. Then you can find the way to the best studio in town, that can’t say no because of your awesome portfolio.
Was art a love of yours before you decided to become a tattoo artist?
As mentioned above, I basically stumbled upon tattooing, but I have always appreciated art on some level, and I was drawing in my childhood. Now, art is something I really appreciate. I love the artworks of guys like Casey Baugh, Robin Eley, Richard Estes, and Joshua Carlton – I’m actually currently in the middle of buying two original paintings from the latter.
What is your favorite part about doing art for a living?
I love so many aspects of doing art, but art is a lot of things to me, and is more a symbol of creative expression. I love everything from talking to my clients, preparing my work, and executing my work. I love the freedom art gives me, and the possibilities in life. I feel very blessed that I had the chance to live my life like this.
We know every artist has a story, tell us your most horrific/funny tattoo experience you’ve had.
I think being in this industry changes your point on what is horrific/funny. I’ve seen everything from customers yelling excessively loudly, and even getting nicknamed ”The Roarer” as a ”legend status”, to customers getting almost naked for no reason. I guess all of that stuff just becomes normal, but probably the most crazy guy in the studio came in telling us he was friends with George W. Bush and Elvis Presley, while being 100% serious. He really wanted to do a scorpion on his hand, because he loved spiderman.
What makes you love black & grey over other styles?
Black and grey has a different expression for me, that color can’t achieve. Its simplicity talks to me, and I think my style wouldn’t look near as good in colors. It allows me to create beauty, and mystery, it allows me to be the artists I like to be. The fact that I can make everlasting tattoos with beautiful contrast makes me happy to do my work everyday.
What question have you been asked by a client that you wish they already knew?
There are tons of questions that clients don’t always know, but as an auto-reply on my email, I run through an FAQ, and people are asked to send a new email with all the needed information. This helps me lot with time saving, and tells people what kind of artist I am, even before we start talking. But a frequently asked question is: ”How much is a tattoo?”
Who is your personal favorite artist (musician, tattooist, actor, etc…) and how do they inspire you?
I don’t have a personal favorite, but I have many artists that I highly respect. For music, I love Tallest Man on Earth, Ben Howard, The National, Bon Iver, and Mumford & Sons. Their music allows me to slow down, and put all focus into my work when needed.
As for tattooists, I find inspiration in a lot of other black and gray artists, but some of my personal favorite artists would be Carlos Torres, Niki Norberg, Oscar Akermo, and Sergio Sanchez.
My favorite actors would be Leonardo Di Caprio and Matthew McConaughey. Seeing the amount of passion and dedication they put into their work is definitely inspiring, as well as the mindset of constantly greater achievements.
What should we know about you that you would like us to know?
I wanna encourage everybody to find passion in their life, and do what makes them tick. don’t settle for something you don’t love every single day of your life. Take life a bit serious, and try to be your best. Why not make changes, inspire other people, and spread good vibes?
Now just a few one answer
questions to get to know you better!
Cats or dogs? Dogs
Hamburger or Veggie burger?
Hamburger
Morning or night? Night
Laid back or high strung? mix
Pants or shorts? pants
Snow or sun? both
-Original article published in Issue 20 Tattoo’d Lifestyle Magazine
