It seemed so far away but somehow it has creeped up on us again. Twenty four hours of madness, a tattoo marathon, dozens of artists, and hundreds of clients! Yes, you probably already know but I will remind you in case you forgot.  It’s the Elm Street Tattoos Friday the 13th celebration.

Elm Fest is put on every year by Oliver Peck, who, despite his stardom, has maintained a true love for the tattoo world. Every year he invites a small number of world class tattoo artists to Dallas. If you’ve never experienced a true tattoo convention, do yourself a favor and come out to Deep Ellum the weekend of May 17 and take in the sights and sounds of Elm Fest. Pick up a new piece of artwork for the house, or better yet, a new tattoo, and afterwords, check out some live music at Club DaDa and Three Links.

It was the spring of 1996 when I started 7th grade at Monnig middle school in Fort Worth. I was 13.  My friends and I would skip class and stroll around town, dodging truancy officers, getting in and out of trouble, and committing minor acts of vandalism and petty theft. Starting back at the mall  we would make our way down Camp Bowie blvd. We would stop in at Zoo music and noodle around on some guitars that were out of our price range, smoke some cigarettes, and make our way back around to the school to catch the bus home. Headed back to school we would always pass Bonehead Tattoo shop. 

The end of the year is a happy time for me. I take my winter break to spend time with my family and friends, who I see so little of during the busy work schedule. I also spend a great deal of time reflecting on the long year of tattooing in the books, and the year of projects to come.

2018 was a whirlwind! The shop was busy cranking out big work! We gained new crew members and it is exciting to hear the buzz of machines down the hall. It is inspiring working with Carl Hallowell and Matt Van Cura, two likeminded artists with intense focused style. Both Carl, and Matt work regularly on large scale body suit style tattooing.

The phoenix, in Chinese and Japanese mythology, has always been considered a good omen. When Sean first contacted me about getting a full Phoenix sleeve this was definitely the case. Good fortune was on the horizon.

More and more lately I have been approached by clientele seeking larger scale projects. Sleeves, backs, and chest pieces are becoming a common request. These days everyone wants to get “sleeved out”. Understandably so, there is nothing cooler than looking down at your own arms and seeing something that makes you feel unique. It is not uncommon to see people out and about with full sleeve tattoos. But, what is uncommon, is to see someone with professional quality, fully completed, large scale tattoos.

Tattooing can be an adventurous career path. Aspects of travel are always possible. Some artists are completely nomadic. On the road, there is an energy and inspiration that can’t be found at home.

In a world where traditional tattooing is becoming marginalized by the styles of the day, connecting with new and old friends and sharing fresh and inspiring ideas is the way our craft grows and survives.

I have always been careful to balance work travel with my local business and family, but when the timing is right, I try to take advantage of the opportunity to get out of town. It is true that leaving your comfort zone inspires growth and we can all use the continued education.

About 3 years ago, Oliver Peck and Dean Williams asked me, and several of my coworkers at Elm Street Tattoo, if we would be interested in working at a private, appointment only, Tattoo studio. A lot of the artists at the street shop were beginning to get heavily booked with appointments, and it was making it more and more difficult to take care of the steady walk in traffic of Elm Street.