The journey to be a Custom Tattoo Artist….To be Included, or to be Excluded? That is the Question
I’ve never fit in. Not matter how hard I’ve tried over the years. I think we all have these feeling wrapped around being included or being excluded. Early in my interest in tattooing I read somewhere that those are the two core reasons to get tattooed. If you have read some of my other posts, you may have figured that I have struggled a lot to be included over the years. It led me into a lot of trouble and often when I get there, I spend all of my energy trying to be different and excluding myself in some way. Even now, I am only recently leaning into the idea of going solo as a completely Custom Tattoo Artist after so many years working in and owning tattoo shops.
When it comes to art and tattoos I have definitely always been on the excluded side and happily so. I want to be a Custom Tattoo Artist. I’m just not in to doing all of the same stuff everyone else is doing. It’s weird too, on one hand people generally go and get tattoos as a way of standing out or separating themselves from family and social structures that may have been more oppressive than they thought was due. Now, I love the rebellious aspect, but I’ll never understand why so many people take that step just to look like everyone else.
Here I took a single sculpture of a dragon and produced 5 ideas for larger scale project/layouts. My attempt at “flash”
My mission is to help people tell their unique story. To dig deep into your brain, scoop out all of your great ideas, wants, fears and motivations and then bury it in your skin for the world to see. I love bringing in symbolism and those little Easter Eggs that you wouldn’t otherwise have thought of but make an excellent conversation piece as you blaze the trail of your next adventure.
I do respect people who are steeped in tradition. I understand the cathartic nature of working this way. It is often gorgeous. Unfortunately I just can’t get the idea out of my head that the people who MADE those traditions, were not following traditions, but were explorers or the second generation. And I can’t look at the basic tattoo related things without thinking that the “tattoo style” designs all look so great because so many people have done them so often that as a community it has just become visually pleasing to see comfortable designs and easier for the artist who is mostly able to draw from things they see. This was my problem for a long time and my motivation for getting into work that is so different from the traditional aspects while still attempting to respect the rules that matter and tossing the ones that don’t.
If you are an explorer, a dreamer, an entrepreneur. Come talk to me. I give options and second opinions for free (whether you want it or not sometimes) and am looking for clients with challenging stories to tell. I never pressure the sale but will definitely let you know what I see as pitfalls to your ideas if there are some. I’m seldom looking for people who know exactly what they want. I want to focus on people looking for ideas and ready to go hard for the perfect fit. And I’m willing to travel for work over 3 days or to offer you the most comprehensive service possible.
If you are concerned with fitting in, you should definitely go where everyone else goes and get what everyone else gets. If you want to stand out come talk to me. I often find many clients to be unaware of what the real possibilities are. They just know that they want to be tattooed but have no clue what they would want on their body forever. Turns out, I have an answer for that. As much as you want to be different you likely DO want what everyone else wants, at least at a primal level. You want positive feedback and attention when you enter the fray and from across the room without anyone needing to invade your personal space. You want to tell your story and have conversation boosting Easter Eggs in there to spur great conversations and opportunities for storytelling. If this sounds like something you are into then please feel free to contact me for a consultation.
I do welcome people in the shop but prefer to work over zoom or someplace where I can share my screen and ideas with you in the comfort of your own home. The beauty is that because of the way my design process works I can maximize my output capabilities while offering you something completely unique by using 3d tools in the design process.
I’m happy to chat and thumbnail with clients with no risk and no pressure. If you like what you hear and want to move forward, then you can let me know and I will send you the invoice for your deposit. I won’t charge for the artwork separately, but the deposit is non-refundable and pays for your FINAL session. I need people to be absolutely certain in moving forward with the process.
The work will be a minimum of a month out and during that time we will be talking a bit. More at the beginning. And then I will commence the process for the final work which I will reserve artistic license on because many times people that I work with are unable to envision what I am envisioning. There will be a day where we have covered you in tattoos and you are dreading the details. That’s where we officially throw in the towel as far as money and book a session for you to come in for a half day for me to inspect the healed tattoo, put in the bells and whistles and get some photos. If your skin is too irritated for the photos, we will schedule additional time to meet and take photos with no cost to you. I’ve been horrible about photography in the past but in 2024 there is just no room for that. Photography is an integral part of my ability to market my work and will therefore be part of the entire process.
So, after 20+ years in this business my advice is to go into things as mentally prepared as you can and that comes from knowing what your options are. I tell people that less is more and bigger is better. If you want to look good as you move from across the room, this is how I design. I spent years chasing all the tiny details and while it was fun to work on and cool to look at, if you can’t make it out from your view in the mirror brushing your teeth, no one else will be able to either. Be included in the group of people who know what they want, go for it, and invest in themselves. Be excluded from the impulse buying drones that want to be safe and look just like everyone else.
Currently my books are closed but I do keep track of all my requests and open them frequently to make the next quarter or so worth of appointments. I do make exceptions for consultations from my Wanna-Do page. There simply MUST be something there that gets the creative juices flowing for you, but I am trying to update most of it to video soon. In that workflow, I have room for my final 10 projects at my current pricing.
