Posts Tagged ‘tattoo’
The 50% Cut.
The common business model for tattooing is the Street Shop. It was originally an Apprentice based program for all new hires. The single new hire relied on the mentorship of the owner to be trained from the ground up. In return, the novice artist paid him back with a 50 percent stake of all labor…
Read MoreTattooing as a Ritual
Humans have had rituals for years. Rituals mark the end or a beginning. It is a time to put your mind and body at one and to be consciously in the moment. Examples would be graduating from college, getting married or how we prepare our morning coffee. The Masons are famous for there secretive rituals. …
Read MoreMost People Won’t
Putting the extra into your hard work is what makes you rise to the top. Nothing will be given to you. What is amazing is how many people will come to help you once you have started to help yourself. I have found that staying in motion is the key to advancing my career. This…
Read MoreTattooing has Changed, Have You?
In 1995 there were 14 tattoo shops from O’fallon, Illinois to O’fallon, Missouri. In 1998 there were 40. With each shop averaging 3 artists working in house, that would equal 78 new jobs for tattoo artists in three years. That is almost a 300% increase in the industry. As impressive as those numbers are, where…
Read MoreEmotionally Driven Tattoos
Emotionally driven tattoos When a loved one passes away, the feelings of helplessness washes over us. The desire to “do something” gnaws at our heartstrings. Tattooing has always been the ultimate act. The one thing you can do that truly lasts a lifetime. Just getting a tattoo is a statement within itself so it is…
Read MoreWorked to Death.
Measuring success. What is your barometer for success? What are your benchmarks to get there? Have you been making progress? As self employed practitioners of the tattoo arts, we enjoy a rebellious reaction to those outside our craft. We boast of travel and freedom while we enjoy a walk of life that few will understand.…
Read MoreTattoos I Tattoodid…
Sometimes I feel so swamped drawing new tattoos for clients that I forget how much I have done. They say if you wanna have self esteem, do something to be esteemed about! I’m posting this as a reminder to lift my head from the grind and appreciate what I do and who I have met.…
Read MoreBLURB’s Online Portfolio Maker
www.blurb.com I love Blurb. I just got done making another portfolio. In the past I have used Adobe InDesign to layout my books. Doing it this way gives me a lot of control of the layout. Today I decided to use their HTML book making option. I was surprised at how much control I really…
Read MoreBe Successful, Damn It!
Being successful isn’t out of your reach. I use an app called flip book. It searches the internet for me and brings back topics I’m interested in. Today, the blog I reposted below came across my feed. I was thinking, “I wish I would have read stuff like this years ago!” Instantly I realized I…
Read MoreDyna Flashback
2015 was an awesome riding season. We really pushed my dyna to its limits. Traveling through 9 states we cover a few thousand miles of back roads. We did our best to stay off the interstates and the rewards were plentiful. I finally used my warranty I got from Docs. It expires in two weeks.…
Read MoreMark Your Tribe
This is Tom. Guess what Tom does? Mechanics and Gearheads will recognize his tattoos instantly. That’s Tom’s tribe. If Tom got stuck in some shitty dinner party with a bunch of stuck up assholes, he would stick out like a sore thumb. But if another guest recognized Tom’s tattoos and showed him his arms…
Read MoreFive Programs you will need to learn.
Sketch Book Pro https://www.sketchbook.com/ This is the starter kit drawing program for the intimidated and computer inept artist. I have shown this program to tattoo artists around the country. Artists that had never drawn digitally took to Sketchbook very quickly. Sketchbook is a stripped down drawing program. It is very intuitive for a traditional artist…
Read MoreThe True Tattoo Artist
When Nathan was ask what he wanted to be when he grew up, he said “A professional baseball player”. His fourth grade teacher told him to pick something real. I think this pushed him harder. She was right that he wouldn’t become a Ballplayer. My brother ended up spending 9 years with the Arizona Cardinals,…
Read MoreSketchbook 2011
Sketches from old conventions.
Read MoreHead Hunters and old Friends
Grant Wyatt stopped by today. I haven’t seen him in over a decade. He is living life to the fullest in Vietnam. A Missionary, he and his family give hope to those we only see on TV. Acting as a liaison, he helps direct the support given to smaller villages in rural Vietnam. How…
Read MoreJake Doty: Nice Guy Hockey Player
Jacob Doty Age: 22 Hometown: Billings, Montana Occupation: St. Louis Blues, Chicago Wolves Position: Foward “Why I got this tattoo is because I live away from home a lot and wanted something to always remind me of home. Remind me where I came from and never to forget my roots.” If…
Read MoreMeat for the Machine
Entrepreneurs vs. Company Men Henry Ford was an entrepreneur. The people who worked for him were company men. When loyal company men leave or lose their jobs, they are not trained to be entrepreneurs. Tattoo artists tell themselves that they are self-employed. They convince themselves that they have control over their careers and can list…
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 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 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 a Fishy Friday Flashback!
The Koi Fish There is meaning. It’s whatever meaning you give it. Sometimes just the experience of getting a tattoo is the meaning. Don’t think so hard. On this friday I FlashBack to five Koi fish on five different clients. Every client is unique. How I chose to draw a tattoo is very much a…
Read MoreHow much Oral do you Want?
The majority of my career has been the equivalent of processing fish. People lined up to get tattooed and I tried to get through the day as efficiently as possible without losing quality. I don’t regret the early years of 8-10 tattoos a day. Without those formative years and work in a short time frame,…
Read MoreTick Tock Boom
Eventually the shit is gonna hit the fan. I drew a candle because I didn’t actually want to draw shit and a fan. www.matthodeltattoo.com
Read MoreFlash Back Friday of a Sexy Matt Hodel
This Friday I give you a few flashbacks!! Here is me in all my sexy. The 90’s were my heyday, as you can see. If you remember me then, can you fill in the gaps for me? #fbf
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