We were lucky to catch up with Ihor Kaika recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ihor , appreciate you joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

Hey there, my name is Ihor Kaika and Im a tattoo artist.
It took some time for me to learn tattooing and honestly, I still am learning every day. I dont thing there will ever be a point, when I can say “I know it all now!”

To explain better, what skills I think are the most essential or how to speed up the learning process, I would like to break down for you “tattooing” as a whole, the way I see it.
I believe there are 3 main columns it all stands on – art, craft and business. Combine these 3 together and you get a style. It actually applies not just to tattooing, but to almost any industry or work. Its sort of a formula to how things work and I will try to explain it on my example.

Art – is what spectrum of emotions you put inside of your work, what you make other people feel. If you dont make people feel anything while they are witnessing your creation – its was just a craft. If there are no people to see it – its a practice, you did it just for yourself. The deeper and more colorful the spectrum is – the better your creation is as “art”.

Craft – is how technical you are while performing your work. Its a solid plan you do day-to-day, the tools you use and whatever makes your work “consistent”. It doesnt have to bring a whole spectrum of emotions to the viewer, most of the time satisfaction is enough. When people judge your craft, they compare it to the expectations they had and if it matches or even outperforms – you did good.

Business – is how do you show, promote and sell your work. Its a brand, its the quality of photos, your social media, place you work at, how you manage your bookings, your rate and on and on. Its important to invest your time into learning and improving this part of tattooing, as it will have a huge effect on your work! If your photos were taken badly – you cant post it, if you cant manage your emails – you will be outran by artists with a quicker manager who answers in minutes, if your rate is too high – you will rarely tattoo anyone, if your rate is too low – your clients will not respect your work and will not help you being creative.

As you can see, tattooing seems simple, but when you look closer – its pretty complex. And again, this formula applies to many different industries.

So, how would I help someone to speed up the process of learning? Make an honest analysis of your own formula. For example, if you think you are good at your craft and you make good money, but it doesnt sustain your emotional needs – boost your art! I made this example because its actually what happened to me too.
I was tattooing for a few years back then, was making good money and was pretty good at tattooing mostly anything. But realized, I was basically a tattoo printer – there was no style behind my work and it made me feel pretty depressed, to be honest. So I quit tattooing. I spent months analyzing where I am at, where I want to be and what I need to do to get there. For over 6 months I drew my hands out, I had so many different ideas and ways to express them! I just kept practicing and mastering my vision. Anyways… (:

I know this is an interview about me, but I dont want to do it only about me. I would like it to be about all of us. Life is so complex and yet so simple, we all do our own different things but they work by the same formulas with just their own numbers inside. I hope you will find something of yourself in this interview. <3

Ihor , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Im originally from Ukraine, lived in the US for 8+ years now. Have always liked drawing as a way to escape the reality and express myself. Growing up pretty poor, my only tool for drawing was a pen, so I got used to do everything with it and that shaped my style to the way it is now.
My way of tattooing in one word is – collaboration. With my clients we mix surrealistic images with fine line work. Its always a custom project tailored for each person to perfectly fit their ideas, placement and details.

As I mentioned before about the way I see tattooing, I didnt mention where its going. I thing its heading towards the quality of service tattoo artists and studios provide. Nowadays, with all the high quality tattoo equipment, image generators and powerful social media marketing tools – its almost harder to be a bad tattoo artist rather than a good one. So thats why I think everything is going towards the quality of service and experience. And Im all for it! When I was opening my studio in Austin in 2024, I was deeply dedicated to create a 3 Michelin star experience for my clients and guest artists!

Every tattoo is a story and my job is to help them imagine it on their skin. Every tattoo session is something personal and special – it always brings us somewhere new, opens something in ourselves and then we dont realize how the day went by. I designed my studio to offer the most comfort and creative room for us. We will draw for a few hours before starting, I will always get us some of the best food in Austin, TX on the brake, we will play some lounge music during the session – all for one reason. The best tattoo experience!

Thats why we have clients and artists coming from all over the world

You can see my work on instagram – @flowerhead.ink
Also, my studio – @bougiebougietattoo

(:

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Yes! Its an answer to one question I asked myself when I was maybe 12 or 13.

Imagine, after your death, you will be reborn again as a random person. Right now you dont know who you will be. And in the next life you will have no memory about your previous life (now). However, in this life right now, you want to make a gift to your future life. What would that be and how are you gonna do it?

It took me a few years back then to answer. But now, everything I do is the answer to this question. Its always a different thing, but the same method of delivery. One of my favorite things to do is to ask that question some of my clients.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

I can definitely recommend a few books, that changed my perspective on life.
1) “Black Swan” by Nassim Taleb (2007).
2) “The richest man in Babylon” by George Samuel Clason (1926).
3) “Games people play” by Eric Berne (1964)

The first one was a fun book about philosophy of the unpredictability of the world and business scaling. The 2nd – great book about how the money and wealth works. 3rd is a great tool to understand your role in the world.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bougiebougietattoo.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flowerhead.ink/