InkSpired Magazine Issue No. 49 / 50 | Page 74

What made you want to become a tattoo artist and how long have you been tattooing? I never thought of becoming a tattoo artist. I wanted to be an architect. Always wanted to have a tattoo done by Florian Karg, but unfortunately, I didn’t have enough money to make an appointment. I started to take more interest in tattoos. I watched many “how to” videos and finally bought my first tattoo kit on eBay. Oh man, I still remember how excited I was. (Laughs.) Professionally, I have been tattooing since 2013. What did your family and friends think about you getting into the business? My family thought I was just wasting my time. They told me, “stop fooling around and go get yourself a proper job.” My wife (girlfriend at that time) only encouraged and supported me to become an artist. Tell us about your shop. My shop is almost in the centre of Riga. It has massive windows. The shelves are full of animal skulls and books about art. On the walls, I have paintings from my tattoo artist friends, deer horns, and graffiti that I made myself. Describe how you go about creating a tattoo from concept to finished design, and how you try to put your own unique touch on your tattoos. First of all, I need to meet the person who I’m going to be working with. I need to see this person’s character and only then can I make a unique design. How I try to put my own unique touch into each tattoo I will keep to myself. That is top secret. (Smiles.) What was the first tattoo you ever did? Can you tell us about it? The first tattoo I made was an acorn. My friend who I used to work 72 InkSpiredMagazine.com InkSpiredMagazine.com 73