We caught up with the brilliant and insightful CJ Wollack a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi CJ, thanks for joining us today. Parents play a huge role in our development as youngsters and sometimes that impact follows us into adulthood and into our lives and careers. Looking back, what’s something you think you parents did right?

From as far back as I can remember, the words of my father resounded through the depths of my subconscious. “You can do anything you put your mind to.” He is an intellectual like myself, buried within the constant pursuit of knowledge. At times I resented him. I didn’t understand the reason he was rarely around throughout my childhood was due to the immense labor he undertook while providing for our family of 6. All I wanted was to understand the inner workings of his intricate mind, to sit and talk for hours about our experiences, hopes and dreams. Some of my favorite memories contained these moments. I remember his words when doubt creeps in and repeat them quietly to myself. “I can do this. No matter how hard it gets.” I will treasure them for the rest of my life.

To this day my mother is my best friend. She recently found a large stack of primitive drawings from my childhood, most of them containing the message: To Mom, from Cas. She has always seen beauty in the smallest of things – one of them being my futile attempts at bringing the vivid images within my mind onto a standard piece of printer paper. Just a few of her many qualities I admire and try to embody myself are empathy, unconditional love, kindness, generosity, patience, compassion and curiosity. She is truly an incredible woman and the word grateful doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel about the way she raised me.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Being born in Detroit, Michigan had a major impact on my affinity for street art. I always wondered why there were such vastly different opinions on street and fine art, so I committed the rest of my life building a community surrounding the appreciation for both. My desire to bring the two together was born from a deep understanding that art is a universal language which ties us to something greater than ourselves. This journey has taken unfathomable levels of discipline, discernment, and ambition, all of which I practice consistantly to this day.

I am beyond grateful for my incredible clients and their journey of self discovery through individual expression. Tattoos barely scratch the surface of a human being’s identity but I am proud to say I am a part of something so transformational within their lives. When someone comes to me with a unique idea representing part of who they are I am honored to take their idea and make it a reality before their eyes. I joke about this all the time – it’s not just a tattoo, it’s ink therapy. I have had countless clients express the fact that they not only feel welcome and comfortable within the environment I provide, but that they also feel at home. This means more to me than words can express because I understand that home isn’t always a place, it’s a rare feeling that not everyone has the privilege of experiencing within their childhood and even into their adult lives.

I’ve said this many times before and I’ll say it again: Nothing beats the moment my client leaves feeling more confident than when they walked in. Getting tattooed takes a lot of trust and I have an immense amount of gratitude for those who entrust me to tell their story through skin and ink. I am someone who prioritizes those moments where you can stop and smell the roses, so to speak. Contemplation can bring us to a place of understanding and acceptance not only for ourselves but for others as well. One of the many reasons I appreciate the fact that art brings us together is that most of our problems stem from a lack of appreciation for ourselves or the things around us. By prioritizing beauty we not only help ourselves, we also help the world as a collective.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One of the lessons I’ve had to unlearn is prioritizing the well being of others over my own. Understanding the definitions of selfishness versus self respect has helped me tremendously throughout my growth as a human being as well as an artist. In short, selfishness is putting your wants over the needs of others, while self respect is putting your needs over the wants of others. Growing up in a conservative christian household with a father who was also a pastor, we were constantly taught to be servants, to serve others and humble ourselves. While I can understand the good intentions behind these messages, societal conditioning has misconstrued their meaning. I found out the hard way that you cannot pour from an empty cup.

I do not consider myself to be religious now as I have taken a more spiritual approach, however I hold no judgement or resentment towards those that value religion in their lives. A good friend of mine recently shared his perspective on how religion has been twisted into another tool of oppression despite its original intent to liberate and that really stuck with me. I hope all those in search of a higher purpose find peace, love, understanding and contentment within their lives.

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

One of the books that has had a positive impact on my life is The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. This book offers a fresh perspective on spiritual healing and transformation, both of which were pivotal throughout my journey as an artist. Ruiz communicates in a way that keeps the reader interested while maintaining an informative approach. A quick read and a life altering experience to say the least.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://luckymonkeytattoo.com
• Instagram: @cj.concepts
• Facebook: CJ Wollack
• Youtube: cj.concepts
• Other: TikTok: @cj.concepts