I was born with a pencil behind my ear… when I was little I would hang out with my farther while he was building things, with my little pencil, one just like my dad‘s. And I’d be doing a little drawings on scraps of wood, and little bits of paper.
I also remember sitting on my grandfather’s knee as a child, watching him work on his giant drafting table, mesmerized by his drawings and all his fun drafting tools.
All through school, any opportunity I had I would enrol in art or design classes. I loved Photography, painting, sculpture, it really didn’t matter what it was… I love working with my hands in woodworking, metalwork, and I did many years of AutoCAD.
After finishing school, I would still put time into these endeavors. It was something that truly filled me up, painting and photography especially. But as a family man I just didn’t see it as something that was gonna pay the bills.
I began Tattooing in 2019, after a family vacation to Maui. Being New Zealand born, stepping away from the mainland and tapping into that spirituality, the island vibes, was exactly what I needed to refocus, and reflect on what it was that I really wanted out of life. I wanted nothing more than to be able to support my family through my love of art.
So upon my return home, I beginning a new chapter, learning, and growing in the art of tattoo.
I put everything I had into it, I was burning the candle of both ends. Working 8 to 4, five days a week, under the thumb of a big corporation. First I tattooed myself, then my best friend; then for a while, I was tattooing for almost free to get the word out there. Things were going well when I was getting the hang of using a tattoo machine instead of a paintbrush. Finally, I got to the point where I was so busy with creating at work, talking to clients dealing with social media and other various business tasks that I just didn’t have time to go to work anymore.
It was one of the scariest things I have done, stepping away from the comfort of that paycheck, the benefits, the knowing that if there was another pandemic or some catastrophic event, there would have a massive company taken care of me, because I was one of their little minions.
I couldn’t believe the support of my clients, “my tattoo family”, spreading the word, sharing my name with friends, recommending me online. Day after day, week after week, people were reaching out, looking for an appointment, an opportunity to have me tattoo them, interested in having me put my artwork indelibly on their skin.
I wish I could say it’s like a well oiled machine, and it never stops, but it does. There are times in the year when it slows right down, there’s the weight of the economy, bearing down on people, and is the ridiculous inflation that we all endure in Western BC. Regardless of all that I know have such a wonderful, supportive client base that my business keeps growing.
My art is making its mark on the world. What a pleasure it is to share it with the special people who choose to work with me!
Helping people tell their unique stories is my passion!
The pleasure is all mine, and I owe it to each and everyone of you.
