Determined to be original

What is your studios' strength?

Being creative is very important to a tattooist. I always tell my staff to prioritize their own design styles ahead of making business. I tell them to be creative with each design and never allow it to be simply a copy of something else created by another artist.

Some people may bring up the excuse that every artist starts from learning from others or copying other works, but self-disciplined and respectful artists will never allow themselves to "learn" from others for a long time. You should quickly walk out of the "learning process" and create your own style.

Who are your stand-out clients?

Among the most impressive was a US resident in his 50s who first asked me to revise a design for him 10 years ago. He kept returning over the years and recently asked me to ink his thighs and a small area on his chest, the only spaces on his body available.

There was also a Chinese family who opened a restaurant on the other side of the road. The parents came up with the idea of getting tattooed and asked us to do it for them. We inked a tiger on the father's arm and a butterfly on the back of the mother's foot. The son ended up with a Hannya mask (used in classic Japanese theater to represent a jealous female demon or serpent) on his calf.