Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ryan Taylor Brideau. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Ryan Taylor, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I learned to tattoo by doing an apprenticeship here in Los Angeles. I spent a few months assembling a portfolio and researching shops before getting hired to apprentice under June Jung (@tattoojune on instagram). My apprenticeship was about a year and consisted of shop upkeep, drawing drills, and eventually learning how to use a machine. Outside of this I did my best to learn from my peers in the industry by getting tattooed, attending conferences, and researching what I could on my own time.

To me, tattooing is a craft that inherently takes a long time to learn and perfect. Even after mastering basic technical application there are so many variables to account for. It takes hours and hours of hands-on experience to understand how to approach different skin types, different areas on the body, to know how different techniques will heal, and so on. Like any artistic craft it’s a medium where you never really stop learning and improving. The further into my career as a tattoo artist I got, the more I realized it’s a marathon and not a sprint. For me it’s become important to approach tattooing in a way that is sustainable, which means putting my work in the larger context of my career and understanding that, although you learn a lot with each tattoo you do, mastering the art takes time.

In light of this it was essential to develop a patience I had not previously held a lot of space for in my work. As much as having a steady hand, being disciplined about drawing, and self-motivated were important qualities for the job, I think it was working on my patience that really took me to the next level as an artist. Being something of a perfectionist made it increasingly easier to feel like I wasn’t improving quickly enough for my own standards. It’s easy in art to pay too much attention to your mistakes and get frustrated with your own limitations, and that feels even more weighty when the art is something as personal and permanent as a tattoo. I felt an enormous amount of self-imposed pressure to be instantly perfect because I wanted to do right by my clients. But I realized if I continued to work in this mindset I would reach a point of burn out and my relationship with an art form I loved might get damaged in the process. It was learning to let go of that, even just a little bit, that helped me maintain the passion I had for tattooing which in turn gave me the space to experiment and improve my craft.

The mental obstacles of perfectionism and impatience are still things I really struggle with, but the more I work on it the easier it gets to remind myself of the bigger picture. In order to do my best work and get the most out of the process of learning, I had to let go of the idea that learning to tattoo is something that happens quickly.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am an illustrative tattoo artist working at Rodeo Tattoo Co. in Lincoln Heights.

I slowly found my way to tattooing after studying film and television in college.
I’ve always drawn and enjoyed visual arts but ended up going to school for film and television (which I figured might be a slightly more stable creative job). Eventually after deciding film wasn’t the path for me I worked a few illustration and graphic design jobs before deciding to try tattooing.

I’m still in the beginnings of this career and still working to hone my own artistic voice, but stylistically I find a lot of inspiration in contrast. I love mixing textural and bold graphic elements together to create an image, and I love trying to update traditionally “tougher” subject matter with softer, more feminine aesthetics. Figuring out the best way to translate that interest visually has been a fun puzzle, but definitely one that has kept me busy.

I think the thing that makes me most proud of my practice is the care I try to put into every appointment. It’s important to me that in addition to getting a tattoo they love, my clients feel welcome and comfortable through all aspects of the tattooing process.

Tattooing is such an intimate art form – there’s so much trust required from both the client and tattooer. You’re creating permanent change to someone’s body and it’s important to make sure that not only is that change positive, but so is the experience and memory of getting it. I want my clients to feel comfortable voicing their thoughts and feelings as we’re working so we can end up with a piece we’re both proud of. To me, taking good care of my clients is part of the way I try to honor the tradition and process of tattooing.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

The most helpful resource I’ve discovered since beginning tattooing has been other people! When I was first starting I felt like I needed to have everything figured out by researching all on my own. The more I practiced the more it became clear that there isn’t just one right way to approach tattooing! Outside of basic technical application and safety it’s a medium that has so much room for exploration. I wound up learning the most by just watching other artists tattoo and asking them for advice.

With time I got more comfortable reaching out to tattoo artists outside of my shop for advice. A lot of what I’ve discovered makes tattooing fun and progresses learning are the connections that you make and the community you can build. I’ve learned so much from my coworkers and peers, from which types of needles to use to how to build a practice that is sustainable as an artist. Having access to other people’s perspectives has really widened my understanding of the medium.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The best part of my job is the people I get to work with! I have been so lucky to have met and worked with so many other talented artists and wonderful clients. Tattooing has brought me such a special community.

Tattooing is a really challenging medium because there are so many variables to account for with each piece. It’s easy to put a lot of pressure on yourself to create something perfect. But even on the most frustrating days there is nothing as fulfilling as seeing a client excited about their tattoo. There is nothing like getting to help someone express themselves, getting to see someone’s relationship with their body become more positive, or getting to memorialize a special person or memory. Getting to chat with my clients about who they are or what the piece means to them is one of my favorite things about the job.Tattooing is such a personal medium and it’s so special to see firsthand how much meaning my art can have. I’ll always be so grateful for the connection tattooing brings me and others.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cherrybabycharms/
• Other: Tik tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cherrybabycharms?_t=8i2vlymOXJC&_r=1

Image Credits
Portrait photo by Tami Lima.