REPORT BACK: EXPLORER TATTOO CONFERENCE

From the soggy temperate rain forests of the Pacific Northwest to the sunshine state and the City of Angels my partner and I hopped on a quick flight south to partake in the ever inspirational Explorer Tattoo Conference. Little Tokyo was the final destination and while there wasn’t much sunshine and not an angel in sight the conference itself was nothing short of amazing and insightful. It had been some time since I’d attended such an event, I believe the last one being the 2015 World Wide Tattoo Conference in Portland and I almost forgot how much I missed leaving such events with a renewed sense of inspiration that’s hard to come by when consumed by the daily grind back home. Explorer not only held a great event in a great location, but the inspiration was delivered in full.

The first day started out with attendees checking in and being gifted some generous samples of some great tattoo products. We took our seats in the Aratani Theatre with notepads and pens ready for the first presenter. Bobby Johnson took the stage and went right to it with his “Timeless Mindset” presentation followed by one of my all time favorite artists Justin Hartman with “Intricate Simplicity.” Both artists touched on similar yet unique approaches towards tattoo design and I really appreciated that they largely avoided discussing too much of the technical aspects and focused more on their why’s behind their choices.

All too often it seems less experienced tattooers are eagerly searching for that one grand secret to elevate their own work, as if a machine, needles or technique will suddenly usher them into the upper echelon of tattooing, I know I once hoped for that. While it can be important to learn the tools and techniques of the greats, these days I personally want to hear what makes the artists I admire tick, what drives them, their personal and artistic philosophies and motivations. I want to see their ugly foot, I want to hear about their failures and the lessons they learned on their way to the top. Bobby and Justin delivered just that and I walked away with a renewed sense of inspiration for my own path.

We finished the day with a “Fit and Flow” live drawing workshop with none other than the legendary master of Japanese dragons Bill Canales. It’s something special when your graced with the presence of a tattooer with over three decades in the craft. Their level of mastery, their experiences over the years and the stories they have to tell are like taking a step back in time. We tattooers are standing on the shoulders of such giants who paved the way for what we often take for granted and it is such an honor and privilege to be able to learn from such an artist.

Day two started with one of the best realism artists in the game, Andres Acosta. I was super stoked for his “Stylized Realism” presentation as I’ve recently began focusing predominantly on realism in my own work and I wanted to hear his approach towards his design and application process. Oriented towards the technical it seemed like many attendees filled up pages of notes with his wisdom. Next up was the amazing neo-traditional artist Chris Primm with “Color and Composition.” Being his first presentation ever he did absolutely wonderful. He walked us through his roots, his take on what makes a tattoo stand out and his own processes for design.

Last but not least was Mike Stockings coming all the way from the UK. Mike’s ever so bright “Neon Traditional” tattoos are one of a kind and his presentation on how he created these pieces was not only packed with as much knowledge as his work is packed with black but also loads of laughs. He really knows how to carry a crowd and deliver the goods. It was also nice to hear him touch on the ever elusive work/life balance that tattoo artists seem to always struggle with.

All in all my biggest takeaways from this event were largely sentiments that were already implanted somewhere in my psyche but very much needed to be reminded of again especially by these top tier artists. There are no short cuts, no secrets, no magic tricks, no tools or formulas on the path to becoming a great artist and tattooer, there is only dedication, obsession, sacrifice and perseverance. If you truly want to be amazing, excel and stand out from the crowd you will be, but it won’t be easy and it won’t happen over night. It will take everything you have to get there. The sleepless nights, no days off and long hours preparing drawings for clients, the lack of a social life, high stresses and pressures that come with tattooing permanent art onto people’s bodies that they will carry for the rest of their lives, the roles and responsibilities that come with being self employed entrepreneurs and all the failures and lessons along the way, but it will all be worth it in the end and this is precisely why I do this.

Many thanks to the organizers, presenters and attendees for making this event one for the books. If you’re a tattooer and you’ve never attended the Explorer Tattoo Conference do yourself a favor and get yourself a ticket to one of their upcoming events, you’re only cheating yourself if you don’t. This is an opportunity to learn from the best of the best and both you and your clients deserve it. It’s time to elevate.