Owner, Goldies Tattoo & Body Piercing.
Well where do I begin? I say proudly that I have only been tattooing for 9 years. As to how I got into this industry is quite the interesting story. When I was growing up I had no intentions on becoming a tattooist. I thought that you had to be an artistic god to become a tattooist. When my wife had gone & gotten a tattoo of my children’s names I felt like a wimp because she had a tattoo & I did not. That is when I finally decided that it was time to get my first tattoo. At the time I already had a successful career in construction. So even then I had no intentions of becoming a tattooist. The day after my wife got her tattoo I went to a few different shops here in town eager to get my first tattoo. Unfortunately, I did not feel comfortable with the artists that I had spoken with so I did not get tattooed. Later that evening while at McDonalds, getting my kids happy meals, I saw this guy covered in ink. So I asked him where he had his work done at. He then told me that he was a "tattoo artist". For some reason I actually felt comfortable enough to ask him to tattoo me. Maybe it was the way that he talked to me or maybe it was something else. Either way, I asked him to come to my house the next day to tattoo me. About an hour into the tattoo he took a bathroom break. After coming out of the bathroom I instantly saw that he was under the influence. I had him leave & kept all of his tattoo equipment. I then sat down & thought "If a drug addict can do it why can't I?" So I gloved up & went to work. Surprisingly it was not as easy as I thought it would be but fell in love with tattooing none the less. The very next day eager to find out how to become a real tattoo artist I went to a tattoo shop down the street from my house. Once I got there everyone that worked there was busy so I sat down & patiently waited for someone to come & talk to me. This guy then came into the shop & sat down beside me. I thought that he was just a customer. After talking to him for a while I found out that he actually owned not only the tattoo shop that we were at but several of them in town. To my surprise for some reason he took an interest in me. He saw something in me that even I did not see in myself. He said, "Usually an apprenticeship costs ten thousand dollars however; if this is something that you think you can handle doing every day for the rest of your life be here tomorrow at noon.” It was at that moment I promised to never let him down. & to this day I remain grateful for the opportunity he placed in my hands four years ago. Because of my loyalty & dedication to him over the last few years He gave me the opportunity to buy the shop that I had dedicated the last four years of my life to & I will never forget it. My apprenticeship was not very long at all, actually it was pretty short. It last a few months instead of the year that it takes most. This was mainly because the man that I apprenticed under did not take the traditional approach to my apprenticeship. He always found creative ways to teach me, never limiting my ability to learn. So for that I say thanks to Jeremy. Other than him there were more influences, some were not as nice, but none the less I still learned a lot from them. Over the years my style has slowly grown. It is a combination of all the different styles that have influenced me over the years. I was not born an artist, but rather something that I have developed over time. Always relying on my knowledge & sticking to a realistic approach. I have always found myself obsessed with realism. I always ask myself “How realistic can I make it & how many different approaches can I take to achieve that realistic feel?” I am not by any means a traditional tattooist. I always find myself pushing the boundaries of tattooing, trying to make every project unique & one in its own. I am by far my own worst enemy, always criticizing myself; never satisfied with my own work. I am always searching for the flaws in every piece. By no means have I, or will I ever think that I am "the best"; however I do feel that I work harder than "the best". I know that I still have a long way to go, & I cannot wait to see how far my style develops within the next five or ten years. The Tattoo industry is always changing with no limitations. You never know what is coming through the door next. I get the opportunity to meet so many different types of people. I love being put on the spot, the pressure involved & always having to find ways to meet the expectations of my clients. This is an industry that has no limits. In my opinion this is the greatest way in the world to make a living. I love the fact that I, & only I, control the outcome of my career & life. This is an industry that has no end; an industry that requires honor & dedication. Either you can, or you can't. There is no faking in this industry & you are only as good as your last tattoo. In this industry you cannot speak for your work, your work speaks for itself. Your work is a reflection of you & seeing is believing. The biggest down fall in the tattoo industry today are these tattoo artists that are referred to as "scratchers". They tattoo out of their house & could care less about the work that they do. More worried about the ten dollars they make from the project rather than the level of respect attached to their name. What they do not realize is the honor & respect that a real tattooist has for their clients & the work that they do. In this industry money comes second to the quality of the artists’ work. Money can be spent but a tattoo lasts forever. This is an industry unlike any other. The work that we do as real tattooist is on the client’s body forever with our names attached to it. Reputation is everything in this industry. We are not allowed to have an off day. If we do that person has to live with that for the rest of their life. I wish more tattooists would understand & remember that. At this point in my life my family, my shop, & the people that I work with mean the world to me. In the future, I plan to show the tattoo industry change. Change is inevitable. I cannot wait to see what this industry has to offer my shop, myself, & the people that I have chosen to work beside. I would like thank anyone & everyone that has had anything to do with how I got to this point & the progression that I have made. These thanks go to not only the people that have thought & inspired me, but also to my clients that have & will repeatedly choose to get tattooed by me.