We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ethan Ramsey. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ethan below.
Ethan, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So, let’s imagine that you were advising someone who wanted to start something similar to you and they asked you what you would do differently in the startup-process knowing what you know now. How would you respond?
If I were to start over today, I would try to utilize social media a lot more. During my apprenticeship, I kept it a secret for almost a year because I wasn’t sure how it would go. I’m seeing fairly new apprentices online having thousands of followers in a pretty wide audience. Social media isn’t real life but I’m sure it helps.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Ethan and I’ve been a tattooer in Toledo, OH. for almost seven years now. You can see all of my work on Instagram @Colournegative. I was a pharmacy technician for a little over five years and during that time I was working the front desk at my tattoo shop part-time on weekends. My friend Ben tagged me in an Instagram post for Infinite Art, I went in for an application and got hired on the spot. I feel like I owe him a lot for sending me on this path. Thanks, Ben!
I love tattooing in the American Traditional style but I try to put a bit more of a fine art to it. A lot of old designs are cool but those guys didn’t really know how to draw well. I guess I’m trying to be a bit more artsy fartsy with it. I love tattooing the more dainty black and grey designs, too. Flowers, vines, butterflies, etc. are always fun.
I try to do a wide range of styles to be more available to clients but there are just some things I cannot do. In that case I’ll try to figure out what the client wants and recommend an artist that would suit them. I think everyone should get the best tattoo possible.
I love meeting new people and getting to know their life story. It’s such an honor to be able to give someone something that will last them a lifetime so giving them the best experience is the top goal. People come to me when they’re celebrating a new job, lost a family member, reached a health goal, or just plainly want something cool. My last job was so thankless and I’ll always appreciate being able to have these moments. Some people will say getting tattooed is like therapy and it really can be.
I’ve dealt with depression my whole life but I think tattooing has helped that a lot. Talking about those personal issues with clients who can relate has been helpful on my end, too. Some clients have even become friends. I’ve been invited to weddings, going away parties, and just general hangouts. It’s amazing. I’ve met some of my favorite people through tattooing. I never want to be the guy who only has surface level conversations, but sometimes I forget it is just a job. I hope everyone leaves happier than when they arrived.
What’s been the best source of new clients for you?
Word of mouth and social media help me a lot. I’m so grateful when clients tag me if they share their tattoo. When someone says something like, “hey, I like your tattoo” it really helps when the client responds with “thanks, Ethan at Infinite Art did it” instead of just “thanks.”
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I think just being a nice person has helped me on top of trying to do good tattoos. I’ve heard so many horror stories of artists that are complete assholes to clients and unwilling to work with them. Tattoo artists with egos are gross and without the client we would be nothing. They’re hiring us.
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