The past few weeks have been a giant ball of stress, but I can honestly say the results have been well worth it. First, I would like to give a massive shout out to everyone over at Climb So iLL for having me work their first ever community event, as well as being very welcoming and supportive of what I’m doing. They are killing it right now in the climbing industry and I couldn’t have been happier with how everything turned out. Overall it was an incredible experience and I am so thankful that I was able to be a part of it.
On top of that I finally announced that I will become part of the crew over at Ragtime Tattoo starting October 1st. I’ve been at TRX for almost 2 years but I am excited that I’ve been given this opportunity to take my career with tattooing even further. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous, but I wouldn’t say it’s a bad thing either. You get nervous with what’s unfamiliar since you have absolutely no idea what to expect. But after mulling everything over the past couple weeks… I think I would be more concerned if I wasn’t.
People have a tendency to not want to step outside their bubble because they have everything they need, they’re content and that’s it. I don’t want my life to be like that. I get asked by clients all the time why I left Buffalo to come to St. Louis and I usually take the easy route and blame the weather. The real answer to that question is a lot more complicated. I wasn’t going anywhere. I was comfortable and I hated everything about it. It’s like I was in the middle of a pond that’s 3ft deep, drowning. All you have to do is stand up and get out but instead you struggle until you decide that it’s easier just to float. You save yourself but you end up stagnating.
I wanted to force myself outside of my comfort zone. I have been socially awkward and quiet almost my entire life. What better way to get over that than to move to a different city? If you would have told me 2 years ago that I’d be where I am now, I would have laughed in your face.
I can honestly say that my life has been exponentially better since moving here. The people that I’ve worked with at TRX, the people I’ve met at shows, the bands I’ve played with, the people I’ve tattooed, everyone I’ll be working with at Ragtime, I am so thankful for it all. The amount of support I’ve received after announcing this move has been so unexpected. I’m starting to tear up as I type all this… because I never imagined that I would have any of these opportunities. For the first time in my life I feel like I’m on the right track. I’m still extremely nervous but I’m even more excited to be moving forward.
I’ve attached a picture of the first tattoo I did in St. Louis after moving here almost 2 years ago. I intend to stay on course and stay humble. If that ever changes, everyone has the go ahead to slap me across the face.
