Posts by Matt Hodel
FBF Tattoos from 2013!
Kick Procrastination
I planned to write a lengthy intro citing the many ways in which I’m guilty of this… but I kept putting it off. Borrowed from MindTools.com Overcoming Procrastination Manage Your Time. Get It All Done. [wr_divider div_margin_top=”0″ div_margin_left=”0″ div_margin_bottom=”25″ div_margin_right=”0″ div_border_width=”2″ div_border_style=”solid” div_border_color=”#E0DEDE” divider_width=”100″ disabled_el=”no” ][/wr_divider] Stop procrastinating with James Manktelow & Amy Carlson. If…
Read MoreTattooing versus the Real World
For all its ups and downs, tattooing has been the only constant in my life. I started tattooing before I could legally drink. I had to borrow Mark Andrew state ID to get into the events of the Houston Convention in 1996. They were not only my formative years of tattooing, they were my formative…
Read More#FBF Google Power!
I want to revisit a Blog post from a few years ago. I think Google is a great place to start. It’s very useful in getting your brain emerged into a visual library. We know that any image you can think of is up on the internet but how you use google is important. Google…
Read MoreTips on the Schedule Stuff
Just make the time. We’ve been talking a lot lately about getting on track, optimizing time, being productive, and other goal-achieving tips. I thought it would be good to be a little more specific about some of these ideas. It’s pretty easy to just think, “I need to [insert thing that never gets done],” but…
Read MoreCommitment is Paramount
Came across this after a recent conversation about commitment & followthrough. It sums everything up quite nicely. [wr_divider div_margin_top=”0″ div_margin_left=”0″ div_margin_bottom=”25″ div_margin_right=”0″ div_border_width=”2″ div_border_style=”solid” div_border_color=”#E0DEDE” divider_width=”100″ disabled_el=”no” ][/wr_divider] Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Logan Marshall of The Free Life Project. The deafening roar of the crowd grew steadily louder as I erupted…
Read MoreFBF Baby Emma 2003
They say having kids will change you. This is Emma and I. In these photos I have been a father for 6 months. I was broke and we lived in a hotel in Albuquerque New Mexico. Our neighbors were Junkies and Whores. Something had to change. I really thought that one day I would wake…
Read MoreShort & Sweet
Words to live by: [wr_divider div_margin_top=”0″ div_margin_left=”0″ div_margin_bottom=”15″ div_margin_right=”0″ div_border_width=”2″ div_border_style=”dotted” div_border_color=”#E0DEDE” divider_width=”100″ disabled_el=”no” ][/wr_divider] “Believe in yourself. Have faith in your abilities. Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers, you cannot be successful or happy.” ―Norman Vincent Peale “If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into…
Read MoreSick of Losing Your DRAWINGS?
Comparing Digital Drawing to Traditional Drawing is like comparing a Car to a Horse. If you still have doubt or are scared of the learning curve, it is time to make the plunge. The time saved drawing digital is worth every penny of the initial investment. You could be up and running for about a…
Read MoreRat Bikes and CB650’s
I’m a huge fan of the 70’s bikes. If I had a job sitting at home drawing shit like this, I’d quit. Because fuck Job’s. Works For Jerks. On this snowy day, I’m thinking about dragging my chopper into the living room to get it ready for summer. Matt Hodel
Read MoreFBF My first 5k.
This is me in April of 2014. This was my first 5k. I started walking. January 1st of 2014 I started walking on a treadmill in my basement. I walked 1 mile in 22 minutes. It was hard and I was worn out and winded. I was also embarrassed and empowered at the same time.…
Read MoreDone Vs. Perfect
It’s easy to forget how much time has passed by while an idea has remained hidden from the world, locked in your brain. Something that you’ve been telling yourself you’ll “get to at some point,” or that “will be really great one day.” [wr_divider div_margin_top=”0″ div_margin_left=”0″ div_margin_bottom=”25″ div_margin_right=”0″ div_border_width=”2″ div_border_style=”solid” div_border_color=”#E0DEDE” divider_width=”100″ disabled_el=”no” ][/wr_divider] Knock…
Read MoreRING TRUE
“Even though hope is dreary, laughter RINGS TRUE through the men.” Captain Ernest Shackleton, 1915. There was a race to the South Pole. From 1900-1914, the last of the courageous explorers were competing for bragging rights. The goal was to be the first to place a flag of their nation on the south pole. Many…
Read MoreConquer Stress
It’s Monday, and there’s usually a mixed sense of optimism and exhaustion with what lies ahead for the week. A fresh start, and a new mountain of work. Here’s a few simple reminders about how to keep stress at bay and use it to your advantage. Found over at Psych Central, this quick article will…
Read MoreFlash Back Friday
I miss my friend Max. He lives in Austria. He is awesome. Check him out: Tattoos to the Maxx
Read MoreLife Unfolds Without Our Counsel
Despite the best intentions… …the best efforts, the most thorough plans, life just does what it wants. We don’t ALWAYS accomplish what we set out to do. We fail. We are reminded that what we want isn’t necessarily going to become ours in the way we had imagined, or even at all. Times like these…
Read MoreMonkeys Fucking Footballs. (and other original ideas……)
“People over estimate their uniqueness so that commonalities seem like small miracles.” Google has already found your tattoo. It has already found the same tattoo for hundreds of other people wanting a bird and stars. After a quick Google search you quickly realize how many people had your idea. It is no big deal. Don’t…
Read MoreBrain Mush
Ever feel like you can’t fucking think? Matt Hodel
Read MoreDo More Than Just Exist
Being on constant display – as most of us are now due to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and any other social media people steadily consume – can undoubtedly lead to speculation about the perception everyone else has about you. Personal, face-to-face encounters can obviously lead to this sort of paranoia as well, but the distance between…
Read MoreOpportunity Knocks
A recurring theme in my life in the last few years has been encouraging others to see the opportunities all around them. To not get so hung up on boundaries, but to focus on the potential adventure. The following article captures concisely the process and value of recognizing the infinite opportunities around us. Please share…
Read MoreCompetition
“When you are in competition with others, you get bitter. When you are in competition with yourself you get better.” Competition is healthy. Like most traits, using competition in the wrong way can be self destructive. Using other’s successes as your barometer isn’t reliable. Sometimes I can get jealous of other people’s success and forget…
Read MoreThe World Actually IS Yours
I have a great deal of talented, capable, and brilliant friends, clients, and acquaintances in my life that I truly believe in. Folks that I feel grateful to know closely. People in all varieties of trades/professions; artists, accountants, carpenters, recording engineers, you name it. Some of these people have been instrumental in setting the stage…
Read More#FBF Some of my First Digital Drawings.
It has been almost two and a half years since I made the digital switch. Here are a few drawing from the early days. It didn’t take much time to get used to drawing on my Cintiq. I wonder how many trees I have saved? Matt Hodel www.matthodeltattoo.com
Read MoreIt’s Called Sleep. GET IT.
…And our little life is rounded with a sleep Even though you’ve got a long to-do list looming over your subconscious like a vulture over nearly dead stuff, you need some rest, friends! Sure, no one’s going to finish that report (or Netflix marathon) for you, but enough is enough. Do everyone around you a…
Read MoreThe Importance of Tattoo Pedigree
The Lineage. I bought a pure breed dog once. The first thing I wanted to know was the condition of the puppie’s parents. Where did this dog come from? How old were the parents? What was the temperament of the parents? These answers would help paint a picture of traits I might expect from the…
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