I have always had an affinity for art. As a child, I filled up notebooks with drawings of monsters, aliens, superheroes and any other subject matter that caught the attention of a young boy. This continued as I got older and discovered comic books, collecting titles based on the artists I admired, and trying my best to mimic their styles. Over the summers, I spent my vacation working for my aunt and uncle, both of whom were artists. Many afternoons and evenings afforded us time for drawing and painting, and they always encouraged me to be creative and follow my interests. These influences, as well as others, helped shape my style and interest in art, and led me to pursue a career in a related field. I attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and graduated with a degree in graphic design, and a minor in marketing. Upon completion, I did some freelance work, but never really landed a full-time position with a firm. So, art and design took a backseat for a couple of years as I began pursuing other fields and careers where I thought I could make a steady living. But, I always felt unfulfilled and there was a definite void in my life. I had been getting tattooed during that time, and was interested in the art, as well as, the history and tradition of the craft. I really wanted to learn more about it, and began to consider the possibility of actually pursuing this artform as a way to fill the part of my life that was missing. I was fortunate enough to meet a friend’s artist, Troy Falter, who was willing to help get me started and allowed me to learn as much from him as possible. I spent a little over a year shadowing him, and I was then dealt the blow of losing my day job. This moment served as a serendipitous opportunity to take a risk and jump into something I would actually love doing. And fourteen years later, I am still blessed to be able to tattoo. I’ve taken a couple detours here and there to learn more about other fields and pursue different interests, but I keep finding my way back to art. It not only serves as a creative outlet for myself, but also allows me to help serve others and the community in a variety of ways. I feel very privileged to have worked with a variety of people over the years and hope to continue to build more relationships with current and future clients.
