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“So what made you decide to become a tattoo artist?” It’s rare
that a day goes by without me being asked this by a client, or waitress,
lady by the gas pump, even some other tattoo guys. For the longest
time, I didn’t know how to answer this question because I really
couldn’t remember coming to that decision. I honestly don’t remember
wanting to do anything else.
My parents split up when I
was a young boy and my Mom re-married into an extremely religious,
hardcore southern, bible-thumping family. They were all strait-laced,
conservative, and frightening as hell, all but one brother. The cool
one. I called him “Uncle Sonny”. This dude had a huge beard, a gnarly
motorcycle, and his arms where covered in biker tattoos. Skulls, girls,
snakes, a big grim reaper, all that awesome stuff. These designs
weren’t stylish, hip, or trendy! They made a statement. They upset
people. They set him apart. You couldn’t possibly mistake him for one of
those other bible thumper assholes in his family. I was already
interested in art and any visual stimuli, but tattoos were on a whole
other level. They’re powerful. And I was intrigued very early on. I was
nine years old when I tried to tattoo myself for the first time.
Because
my parents moved around so much when I was in school, I was the
perpetual new kid in class, and since I had no friends, I learned to
entertain my damn self, by drawing.
In 1998 I got my
first professional tattoo, in a pretty horrible shop. Two years later I
started an apprenticeship in that same shitty shop. A few months pass
before I realize that this shop was only interested in getting the
$10,000 tuition fee out of my pocket, and could care less if I ever
learned to tattoo or not. I counted my losses and hit the road with my
shitty equipment and inadequate knowledge of how to use it. I envy the
people who are fortunate enough to serve a real apprenticeship. I did it
the hard way by learning on my own. Eventually I developed enough skill
to work in some sub-standard street shops. In 2004 I was taken in by
Lil Rat of Beyond Taboo Tattoo a respectable shop in Macon Ga. There I
learned to do clean, solid work all day every day. CHERRY CREEK! I
started doing conventions because I was finally confident in my ability.
On the road I met Dave Tedder and we became friends.
In
September of 07 Dave invited me to come tattoo at All or Nothing, full
time. I packed my shit without hesitation. The guys I work with here are
some the most talented people I have ever met in my life and I learn
something every day. In a business where rock star egos are more common
than black tee shirts, it’s hard to find a more humble, down to earth
group of artist.
I pride myself on being able to handle
any style of tattoo, traditional, realistic, Japanese, black and grey,
bold, feminine, etc. , but I do get more satisfaction from actually
drawing a tattoo (instead of reproducing an existing image) even more so
when I am able to draw the design directly onto the skin . To me, that
is true custom tattooing, from brain to hand to skin. |
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