About...me. (and how I came to be what I am now?) I first started trying to learn the art of tattooing nearly ten years ago at Leviticus Tattoo (then OMNI Tattoo) under the direction of Kurt Melancon. I assisted his artists by drawing small custom pieces and making needles for the shop, both of which helped me along greatly in my pursuit of tattooing. I was unable to maintain consistency with my apprenticeship due to my own personal shortcomings and went my own way after little more than a month’s time. I attempted to learn tattooing again shortly thereafter with the help of Benjamin Benson and Adam Cifferi at the INK LAB, and again sabotaged my own success. (to clarify things a bit, I didn’t steal anything or attack anybody, I simply wasn’t ready...) I took these two unsuccessful attempts as indication that tattooing just wasn’t for me and didn’t try again until four years later. I was managing a juice bar, waking up at four in the morning daily, waiting for my second son to arrive in this world – and I knew that I needed to pursue something that I could love while supporting my family or I would become a bitter man. I made my last and final attempt to learn the sacred craft of tattooing on my own and set up a simple shop in a separate apartment complete with an autoclave and everything needed to make the endeavor aseptically sound (thank you Skitch). I peddled my sketchbook drawings at coffee shops, I called in friends and family, I even got part-time jobs just to entice my co-workers... and I tattooed small and simple until everything started to make sense. At that point I was privileged to be critiqued and observed by two of my respected colleagues Adam Cifferi and Trevor Kennedy. I was granted enough information to make the transition from shaky and unsure to confident and knowledgeable – as well as the opportunity to purchase my first quality tattoo machine (thank you Adam). I then proceeded to put together a reasonably solid beginners portfolio in an attempt to procure gainful employment within the confines of a licensed shop. I made a connection and was given a chance by Jay Langer at the INK FACTORY in Hudson, Wisconsin. This gave me the opportunity to really hone and fine-tune my skills through repetition and the utilization of flash as teacher (thank you Jay). After a year at the INK FACTORY I was both sad and excited to move on to a new shop in my home town– STEADY TATTOO. More...the art