Every month we will interview the boldest craftsmen who are living the Pig & Hen lifestyle. This month, we have interviewed…

JORGOS KARIDAS – TATTOO ARTIST AT HOLLYWOOD MARK

What was your dream job when you were young?

I’ve been drawing since the age of 4 or 5, and always wanted to become a comic book illustrator. Around the age of 15, I knew I wanted to make tattoos simply because I couldn’t picture anything cooler than drawing on human skin.

How does your work influence your life? Have your friends and family always been supportive of what you do?

My work is my life. I sleep, dream and wake up with tattooing on my mind and spend pretty much all of my time in the shop. My friends and family have always supported me: they felt that tattooing was something that really suited me.

Some people, who didn’t know much about the art of tattooing, questioned the struggles and commitment that came with being an apprentice when I started out. But everything I had to do or overcome was totally worth it.

What is the best advice you ever got?

The best advice I got was to be true to what works for you when it comes to your process, dealing with customers, time management, planning and the way you work. The general idea is to be tattooing for the rest of your life, so it’s important to enjoy every minute of it and to stay in love with what you’re doing for many years to come.

What makes you prefer making art on human bodies instead of paper?

I still love drawing on paper or making murals, but tattooing gives me a certain rush and kick. It is insane to realize that people trust you to put something permanent on their bodies, something that they will carry around forever and travel the world with.