What inspires me to keep tattooing is pushing my boundaries to do the best work I can do, to explore what tattooing means to me and how I experience it with the people I tattoo. I am trying to expand my skill set and vision while creating meaningful experiences and relationships.
I invest emotionally in my work and the people I work with. I’m an artist, and like all artist deep inside more than anything else we just want to make good work and share it with people who are affected by it in the way we hoped.
How I work.
Process.
In order for us to do a tattoo together there is a process we need to walk through. Sometimes it’s fast sometimes it’s not. Sometimes (rarely) it doesn’t work out at all.
As I get to know each client as an individual we become more able to go through this process faster and easier.
Expect the initial booking to start with a consult/catch up. Then you sit back max and relax and I get the tattoo finalized, sized and prepped.
The amount of time this takes varies depending on what we are doing. Sometimes things will be ready in advance, sometimes we will have more stuff to work through. It depends on the project and can vary. Generally this stage is not long as most of the work is done before you arrive.
Some tattoos require specialized skills or inordinate amounts of drawing/prep time but generally most times prep is fast. Tattoo design and placement is an essential part of having a tattoo you will enjoy and it’s going to be there forever so we do need to take the time it takes to do it as best we can.
I need to see your skin in person, see the work you already have, get an idea of your future plans if any as well as get a feel for your general style and aesthetic before finalizing the design.
I’ll often ask some questions and have you look at a variety of work which helps me hone in more on what your are trying to achieve with your tattoo.
As we progress we will see how well you sit and how you heal and as the hours pass on the project it often will develop organically in ways that end up far better than any originally thought out plan.
Mostly this process is easy and things flow smooth, but sometimes… not so much. Some of the rocky beginnings turn out to be really rewarding projects in the end. Every tattoo is different and every tattoo experience is different.
There is so so much more that goes into a great tattoo that you will enjoy for the rest of your life than copying a picture of someone else’s tattoo you found on the internet and slapping it on wherever.
There is a lot of design and thought that goes into even a small tattoo, and frankly often even more so with a small tattoo. Placement, sizing and technique all have to be dead on to do a great small tattoo. They require a lot more experience than you would imagine to do consistently well.
Ideally I like to be able to put in as much time as necessary to make the best tattoo I can make. However I accept often we have to work within general budgets where possible. But I won’t cut corners on quality in order to get the price down, we do the best we can but like everything else it the world. It simply takes as long as it takes.
Almost everything worth having takes a lot more work than you would first think.
I try to be as fair and efficient as possible but good work is hard work and it takes time one way or another. Fitting, designing and that whole process is a part of my job, it’s a really important part of the process of making a great tattoo and shouldn’t be rushed through to get to the tattooing as fast as possible.
I work with each individual to design custom work that makes sense for you and your body. We work through this process to come up with the best work we can come up with. Sometimes we end up very close to the original inspiration, and sometimes we end up with something entirely different as we go through the process of discovery that I go through with every new client.
I’m going to do the best to figure out your vibe and who you are and what you are trying to express. Then I’m going to help fill you in on standards and best practices involving that type of tattoo and make sure you’ve seen some options out there for what you are trying to achieve and just work through the process of making a great tattoo that is made for YOU.
Estimates - Timing - Cost
I can’t promise you how long a tattoo is going to take. All we can do is start it and I’ll do the best I can to do the best I can. Feel free to give me a general range on what you want to spend, and I can try to keep that in consideration.
We can book set sitting times so you can prepare for the cost of that particular days work. The more we work together the easier it is to gauge time lines and estimates.
I’m not trying to trick anyone here. That’s just simply the best I can do. A consult will often help clarify the time, but even then, tattooing is an organic process for me and people are so varied. I like to keep things as open as I can to allow for the best work we can do, and given the option I will always pick the person who is willing and wanting to put in the extra pain, time and money to push it that little bit farther. So if budget is your number one priority I’m not the best option.
The No No list.
No micromanaging.
If I’m going to make a tattoo I have to do it in the way I know how to do it. I always try my best to get your vibe. To make something that works for you and your body that we both love. I assure you it’s harder than it looks and the idea in your head will never ever be what you see on your skin.
No haggling, grumbling or complaining about the cost.
I do the best I can to offer the best value I can but tattoos are expensive and if your stressed out about it then I’m going to be stressed out about it and neither of us are going to have a good time and all that negative energy doesn’t help make a good tattoo.
Tattoos require trust and faith. If you don’t trust the person or think it costs too much then go somewhere else to someone you do trust that is doing something at a cost point that you feel ok with.
No being an asshole.
I do the best I can, but I’m not perfect. If you are going to be unkind, impatient, ungrateful or just generally shitty, it’s a hard pass. I’m trying to be a good and understanding person which is hard enough as it is. Dealing with conflict or blame oriented people just makes that impossible and just makes a bad situation worse.