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

Aaron, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

Every tattoo has its own value not just to the wearer but to me as the artist as well. Each story and person has its own significance in the world so not one is higher really than the other. I’ve had the pleasure of tattooing my parents, my wife, my friends all through the years as well as getting a tattoo personally from each of my children. I have tattoos done by my friends children who are now grown adults, it’s wild. That’s the beauty of it.

The benefit of being a tattoo artist is I get to not only share in the meaningful memories, stories, events, circumstances or life changing moments, I get to help someone else remember it, permanently, by marking on their body. Forever in their skin as a reminder of whatever the event may have been. Blessings and sorrows share the same pages on our skin and follow us throughout the remainder of our journey as a reminder. Good or bad, it will be there with you.

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?

To me personally, I believe the thing that I am most proud of is the connection that I have not just has a Tattoo Artist and client relationship, but also as a friend.

I got into tattooing not necessarily the normal way that everybody else would. My father and I started tattooing in 2005 in the bedroom I grew up in once returned from Iraq. I believed that no matter what, if I kept at it I would get better and I could make it work, 2007 was the first time I entered a professional tattoo studio as an artist and I’ve been in one ever since.

Even through years of trials and looking outside of tattooing for a career it always brought me back home.
My clients are far more my friends and some are even considered family at this point. I’ve had the opportunity through tattooing as long as I have to watch people grow and evolve into such rad people out doing amazing things in the world. Some of which I met as lost kids looking for their path in the world.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I remember early on in my tattoo journey, this was probably about 2008 or so. I had the pleasure of doing two separate tattoos in one day and both were on opposite ends of happiness and sadness. that’s the day that I realized just how powerful Tattooing is…that’s the day that I realized how much Tattooing really meant to the people that truly Lived the experience of getting a tattoo.

I was tattooing a memorial piece of a young man who had suddenly passed away at a very young age, and throughout the tattoo you could slowly feeling the air in the booth get a bit lighter. It went from sadness and mourning to a bit of happiness remembering funny little things this little boy did throughout his life, even just for that moment a little bit more than the fact he was gone. Such an amazing thing to get to be a part of. Not that it changed it for good, or took away the pain for life because we all know better. But just to take off a bit of that hurt just for a small amount of time, and looking at a tattoo to remember good times instead of bad. Perspective helps us all grow.

And right after that tattoo I got to do a set of footprints and a name and a date of birth tattoo for a man on his forearm and he was so excited to tell me all about his small little baby because he never thought he would get to be a dad himself. About how the tattoo would be a reminder, always of his reason to push forward and do better. Make his choices to make sure his kiddo had the best dad they could.

And I have no clue how those people are today, it’s been 15 years since those tattoos were done. But I at least get to remember that time when a tattoo story impacted my journey. We are all resilient in our own ways, in our own stories, and our own lives.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Pure self expression. My tattoos are just like my scars, they just look a bit different once they heal. Your scars tell your story even if you want to hide the meaning behind them. They’re still there. Tattooing is just outwardly and openly sharing your opinions, thoughts or things you hold dearly. It’s all different depictions of varying stories and memories we choose to forever implant on our self to carry with us forever. And also they are a way to overcome things as well. There is a true healing that comes with tattoos, and getting tattooed as well. But that’s if you’re looking for it to be that way as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.justinkdtattoos.com
• Instagram: @just.Inkd
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JustInkTattooCompany/
• Yelp: https://yelp.to/cJQJduyIFN

Image Credits
Western Soul Photography