TRIGGER WARNING

 

I've always been creative and “artsy” but never had any formal training. Unlike virtually every tattooer with less than 15 years experience, I didn't become a tattooer to earn a living as a rock star artist, I became a tattooer to be a tattooer. Tattooing has been my art education. I wanted to become a tattooer because of the lifestyle; freedom from corporate and institutionalized (higher education) slavery and a connection with people on the fringe of society (love them Bikers). Without going full throttle rant on you, I would just like to say, I'm finished tattooing the public for a variety of reasons.  I hate what television and the internet has done to the sacred craft of tattooing; mainstream popularity has ruined tattooing for me.

The first ten years of my tattooing career, had someone brought a photo of another person's tattoo to be copied on them into any of the shops I worked in, they would be scolded and perhaps even dragged into the street. They would have needed a safe space to whimper in. Today, everyone and their extended family is screen-shotting tattoos from the internet to have copied on their bodies to wear for life. Today,  if a tattooer refuses to tattoo pictures from pinterist, they might just starve. Or worse, they risk offending someone. Not only is everyone copying everyone else's work and skin art, they're all now total experts on the craft because they watched every episode of some scripted and produced T.V. show. This is just a little scratch off the surface of my current issues with the tattoo world. I personally know that tattooing can and many times does have spiritual, emotional and physical ramifications to the human condition.

To be further triggered by my opinionated and controversial review of tattooing you can visit my blog.

But....anyway...here's some of the tattoos I've done over the years...