Welcome to my studio : Black Diadem Tattoo

I got my first tattoo when I was 18. It never made me feel the way everyone else seemed to feel after getting their first piece. I think it’s because I didn’t really research my artist or put much thought into how I wanted the work to be done. I waited around two years before getting my second piece — the start of my first sleeve — which ended up being done by someone who, five years later, would become my tattoo mentor.

I’ve loved art since I was a kid, but I never really felt like I could make a living off it. I followed the traditional path towards a typical college degree, but when I got there, I was pursuing photography. When that didn’t go as planned, I went all in on filming skateboarding for a while — until I was offered a chance at tattooing. It was the first time I had a real shot at making a living from art.

After five years of tattooing, helping start a new studio halfway across the country, and now beginning this solo journey, I can say this is the most difficult adventure I’ve taken on yet. But I’m still here, working and learning, with the hope that one day I’ll do this the way I’ve always envisioned — maybe that’s freehanding some detailed Japanese work, or creating the most realistic renditions I’m capable of. But it’s with 100% appreciation for what I do.

I’m grateful to everyone who believed in me from the very beginning, and to the hundreds of people who’ve helped me along the way. Here’s to what I hope will be a long, evolving, and meaningful life in tattoos.