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

Kirk, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Has your work ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized?

Interesting thought. So this is quite common, and over the years interviews I have done whether on TV, in magazines, or podcasts – have two consistent flaws likely due to those speaking with me not having any formal study on art, culture or theology. Clients have done this as well.

One main misconception that has happened, especially early on in my career; was being mischaracterized as a Buddhist spiritual artist. I was in fact once quoted as being a sacred “hindi” artist with deep ties to eastern spirituality.

This had originally caught on due to the fact that when I was first becoming known as an artist, I was designing many circular motifs made of filigree – Romanesque styled artwork, frames and patterns. These were mistaken as Indian styled mandalas, as yoga seemed to be catching on at the time. I think many clients were mistaking this for the patterns they saw in their yoga classes. I began to receive many requests for this art. As a tattoo artist, you obviously would love to be an artist – one who creates and expresses his own visions. But that is reserved for canvas, and those who are major fans of you as an artist. As a tattooer by profession, you give the client what they ask for. My portfolio started to have scattered tattoos that I created from my own imagination, then mixed throughout were original designs based on client requests – which became increasingly more eastern.

Later, as I decided to slowly erase the traditional mandalas, and only post images online of the designs I want to be known for as an artist, which were more European based architectural forms, motifs, filigree, and other gothic, baroque, renaissance and medieval imagery and pattern work, it finally came to the second misconception.

This one is a major one for me, that I have been really working on re-framing it properly to change the narrative that Hollywood has pushed on society for ages. The issue is now people viewing my work as, in their words “witchy” and viewing it as dark, horror based stark imagery. The cathedrals of old, the ancient architecture of the old world – the ornate embellishments, curved arching doorways and windows, and complex tile and stonework – were never meant to be oppressive in nature and scary. They had nothing to do with witchcraft, or stark depressive imagery. These buildings were beautiful works of fine art, meant to stand as one with nature, as filigree is representative of leaves, the tall, pointed arching peaks are mountains, the flowing forms like a river, etc. These buildings were made to be part of nature and increase the aesthetic value of their surroundings, meant to inspire, provoke a sense of awe and amazement, to make the concrete city appear as a living, free, outdoor museum of art. These grandiose architectural masterpieces were once adorned in a facade of either clean beautiful white paint or painted in a multitude of contrasting colors.

The problem is gothic architecture, due to movies – has been associated with dark grey skies, torture, witchcraft and sorcery, and all things stark, ugly, and evil. Medieval society was not a society of magic spells, potions, and evil. And no, every country in Europe is not cloudy 365 days a year, and the old crumbling buildings you see now was not their original form. They did not appear this way when they were built, this is from years of neglect and world wars that they are now destroyed.

It is quite sad that the culture, traditions and art style of our ancestors is constantly portrayed in such light.

My intent is to make my art on canvas, as well as my creations on the human form – a living temple of beauty and history – evoking the feeling and sense of an old-world architectural masterpiece, viewing through windows into the past; without actually just being an image of a building. You feel there is something old world, something medieval, something cathedral-like, but it is not.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Kirk Edward Nilsen II. I am an artist, tattoo artist, graphic designer and musician (under the name Spanish Castles). My main career is that of a tattoo artist, which began almost 20 years ago due to myself being an artist and a musician. Drawing and creating art since a very young age and always being curious and creative I became heavily interested in music around 12 years old. The most fascinating aspect to me was actually creating album art. I learned guitar and started a multitude of musical acts with the eagerness to begin making album covers. Over some years of touring as a teenager, I came across guys in a band in Houston, TX who were tattoo artists. They suggested this as an option as they loved the artwork on my album covers. When I got back home from our tour in around 2006, I ordered some tattoo equipment through a mail order catalog and began tattooing my brother, myself and our friends out of my house and on tour to make extra money. After a short time, I realized I take art way more seriously than music and I should really learn the trade. I began a formal apprenticeship at a biker street shop and learned what I could. I eventually began getting tattoos from top artists, talking to them – learning more. Working conventions and networking and traveling for guest spots. At one point I ran into an old music friend from Chicago while working at the Philadelphia tattoo convention. He played drums from my band once on tour when our drummer quit and we went on tour without one. He learned some of our songs off Myspace and improved the rest haha.

So, me and Dave decided to embark on a “tattoo tour” of conventions, like old times. This led to massive networking and due to the fact that I was one of a VERY small group of artists worldwide dabbling in any type of geometric / architectural works; many top artists known in the industry or known from TV shows gravitated to my booths at the conventions for the sheer wonder of “why, and how, are you drawing this stuff by hand?”. I was designing all of my art, by hand, on paper from the beginning. This art being hand drawn is extremely complex, hard and challenging – and a massive reason why nobody was doing it at the time. By the time I started meeting all these artists – the only other guys coming up in the industry for this style, had done so because computer aided drawing programs arrived on the scene – making it possible, and easier for many others to get into the style.

This led to me receiving offers for guest spots at the most famous studios across the world as well as top tier invite only tattoo conventions. All of this over time led to interviews, multiple offers to be on Ink Master (which I declined), a documentary on Paramount Network and much more.

Which leads to a common question of what sets me apart from others. It is the fact that I have had an unwavering commitment to drawing this work by hand, on paper. Some of my tattoos are even drawn on the skin with a marker, and I have done tattoos without even a stencil. I have clients all the time ask “wait, did you actually just tattoo that whole section of my arm, off the top of your head, with no reference, and no stencil…just needle to skin?”

I am one of a small group of creatives who believes in the old ways. I care deeply about my career, I love what I do for work, and I do it by hand with passion. I do not care that more than half of the tattoo industry uses chatgpt to draw their designs, uses AI to write the captions and their fake persona, or writes their interviews for them. You are receiving authentic art from the soul, from a real person – who understands the history, culture and symbolism behind a massive amount of ancient art styles and motifs. Done with purpose, done with soul. One of the original artists in tattooing creating this style of artwork.

I am now scaling back my tattooing and accepting less projects and projects I am most interested in so I can truly create the best art possible for the client. This has freed up more time for my family, as well as other projects. I am now creating much more art on canvas and pottery, and I have also had time to get back into music. I am working on a new album for my Spanish flamenco inspired solo folk project called “Spanish Castles” which is a cross over of classical, nylon string acoustic guitar with mediterranean inspired folk music.

I look forward to meeting new tattoo clients and my future art / music shows I will be doing.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I am quite an avid reader. I always had the motto of “I am not going to take advice on success and wealth from unsuccessful people, and since I do not know billionaires, I will read their books”. I have read so many books that I can’t off the top of my head remember specifics, but I do have a massive library in my home recording studio / art space. There was a very important one from a guy who was huge in marketing, I think it was “damn good advice for creative people” or something like this. Always enjoyed that one. I also read the art of war because I heard on NPR once a lot of CEO’s use this for business tactics. Meditations from Marcus Aurelias, many amazing helpful quotes in the Bible, and so many more. I would recommend reading books from successful people and get off the internet. Even just reading in general is calming, clears your head, and helps you become more creative the next day.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Major life lesson in general – is something my mentor had told me early on in tattooing. “No good deed goes unpunished”. This has stuck with me over the years as I am always quite friendly, helpful and I want everyone to make it to the top with me. Over the years you learn that most people are quite greedy and sinister and only befriend people with the intention of getting something from them.

Working in Los Angeles is the worst for that and have had many supposed friends take and give nothing back. Once I had a friend at a shop ask me to have a drink with him. At the bar he asked me what he was doing wrong in tattooing to have so few clients. On the verge of tears, telling me how awful life is, how unfair everyone is to him, how he just needs a leg up somehow. I gave him a lot of unearned advice he did not deserve and told him everything I did to get to my position; and told him to focus on his realism as that was his strong suit. He went home that night. Deleted his entire portfolio. Got the new computer program that just released that week, and began drawing identical geometric designs to what I had worked my life creating. He then began messaging my social media followers and telling clients walking into the shop “Kirk is booked and very expensive, I can do the same designs today, for half the price.” He then began hitting up all of my friends to guest spot, do conventions, and slimed his way up the industry.

I had a friend once when we were in a foreign country tattooing together – my one friend came out from Russia to say hi and hang out, she tattoos as well. I told him that I don’t like how many bad shady tattooers are in the industry bringing it down, I think it needs to be more respected. I pointed out that my friend from Russia is one of the most famous artists around, and we know all these other top guys, we are some of the top as well. We need to all stick together and push quality over the idea of cheap rugged tattoos together. I set up a dinner for all of us to go, meet up, and discuss the idea of cross promoting each other etc. He decided to ditch me at the convention, meet up with my friend at the dinner I organized, a friend of mine….that he has never met, create his own circle of friends without me, elect himself as the ringleader – and oddly enough my friend from Russia blocked me on all social media the next day and never spoke with me again.

Another artist at my own studio – 10 years we worked together – I let him live in my house at times – I had spoken with him about moving our studio to a new city. Gave him my reasoning about this great location. He ended up leaving and opening a shop in the location I said to, of course not before asking me “hey boss, I should draw the exact tattoos you make and you should post them and tag me and say I can do them cheaper this way I can take the clients who can’t afford you”. This made it quite obvious he was up to something, so luckily, I did not do this. He then left, opened in the location I wanted, posted tattoos similar to mine while mocking “the competitions style” on his website, blocked me on ll social media, and bad mouthed me to all of his clients and had them all block me on social media. Mind you, his clients were mine. Friends of mine, family of mine and other clients I gave to him over the years while I tirelessly promoted him. There is some saying about the oppressor will have you hating the oppressed or something like that. Basically, people are easily persuaded by sinister self-absorbed people, and so long as they strike first with their gossip, no one will ever take the time to listen to you responding.

I have many stories like these, so long story short – don’t tell anyone your moves, your ideas, your plans and let them into your life. If you are like me – someone who wants to see others do well, just know that I haven’t met anyone else like this, so just keep to yourself.

Pay attention to those who don’t clap when you win.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kirknilsen.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kirknilsentattoos
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@kirknilsentattoos
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6gh1QiwxlkYA2GTU0vk3jE