I feel like any time there’s a tattoo blog, podcast, or zine, the main objective is to always find the oldest, grumpiest tattooer and ask them about the good ol’ days and talk about how everything’s changed. Obviously there’s plenty of exceptions to the rule, but as a newer tattooer, what sort of tattoo history do you look at for inspiration?

I tend to look at a lot of work by artists of the last century. A few of my favorites are Bert Grimm, Milton Zeis, Owen Jensen, and Percy Waters. I’m a big fan of anything that looks folky and vintage. I do my best to recreate these older images in my style while also preserving their authenticity. I feel like it’s hard to fully appreciate the craft of tattooing without learning the history. So I’m very grateful for the preservation of tattoo knowledge through books and flash.

Did you grow up in Florida? Do you ever dip down to Disney and all the other parks?
I moved down to Florida when I was super young. So yes, I consider myself a native. To be honest, I hated being from Florida as a kid, but it seems to grow on me the more I spend my adult life out here. One of my favorite things about Florida is that you have access some really beautiful springs. And of course, the theme parks. I’ve lost count how many times I’ve been to all of them. It’s only two hours away from where I live, so it’s easy to hop in a car and go whenever. Despite the stereotypes, Florida has always treated me well and holds a dear place in my heart.

Do you have a favorite tattoo or tattoo experience? What about a worst tattoo experience?

It’s hard to choose a favorite tattoo, but my absolute favorite experiences are getting tattooed by those who inspire me. It’s fascinating to hear their stories and of their travels. And to just talk about the craft of tattooing in general. It feels very special to receive a tattoo from someone who’s work you admire and will always be one of the most thrilling things. My worst experience was probably my first tattoo due to the fact that I wasn’t confident in what I was getting and immediately regretted it afterwards.

I skated on and off my whole life, but the second I sprained my wrist skating as a tattooer I definitely took a step back. Are you still skateboarding? How’d you get into it?

I have a weird relationship with skating, so I’ve been very on and off my whole life as well. I haven’t been skating as much as I’d like to, since the summer’s here are brutal. But I miss it a lot and wish it was something I could devote more time into. The possibility of spraining my wrists is always scary because I need my hands to tattoo. But I try not to think about it too much and just enjoy it. I generally got into skating from being around skater kids and watching skate videos growing up. I just thought it was the coolest shit ever. The way you can express yourself with your style and creativity is super sick. I also always appreciated the underground aspect of skating. I have a bit of a rebellious nature so I was very drawn to it and the culture. I guess skating is similar to tattooing in a lot of ways.

Do you think you’ll tattoo for the remainder of your days?

I think so. As long as my body will allow. As a newer tattooer, I’m still in the honeymoon phase with it and can’t imagine doing anything else. Although I would like to eventually explore other hobbies of mine, I think I will always come back to tattooing. Not to sound corny, but I feel that tattooing found its way into my life and I’ll forever honor that.