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

Alright, Adam thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

Tattooing is learned through an apprenticeship. Typically, someone works within a tattoo shop for a period of time to determinate whether or not they are a good fit. They are then officially offered an apprenticeship which typically lasts 12-18 months and possibly (depending on the local regulations and traditions) another year where you work as an officially licensed apprentice before gaining a full professional license.

That being said, tattooing is a craft in which you are always learning. On a personal note that’s something that keeps me engaged and involved; in my mind one of the core definitions of something that is “alive” is that it continues to grow. I want to lead a life that’s been Lived in fully.

There is nothing to be done to speed up the process. In the age of YouTube tutorials and internet forums such as Reddit, we can easily fool ourselves into thinking that Knowledge and Experience are interchangeable. True UNDERSTANDING of a topic is the synthesis of Knowledge (accepted facts and processes) and Experience (time spent practicing).

In that way, patience and temperance have been my most valued skills along the way. The axiom of “measure twice, cut once” comes to mind when reflecting on tattooing; there’s twice as much work to be done leading up to the moment of doing the actual tattoo.

Mainstream culture currently thrives on immediacy and in-demand wants being fulfilled at a moments notice. True tattooing is an art of quality over quantity. In that way it continues to be counter-culture even though the popularity of tattoos has sky rocketed in recent years.

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?

My early childhood years were spent drawing on the floor of my father’s art studio; he was a wildlife sculptor and shared his knowledge of art and the creative process with me and thus ignited my own passion for making art.

During my teenage years I was the “kid who could draw” so I was always recruited to draw tour posters and make album artwork for the various bands my friends and I played in, I went on to study graphic design and studio art in college. Involvement in the metal music scene initially inspired my interest in tattoo culture and history. I continued to learn about the art and science of tattooing through magazines and getting tattooed myself until accepting a formal apprenticeship in 2010.

I take my involvement with the history of tattooing quite personally, meaning I am fully aware of the rich history of this ritualistic practice that has been happening for most of human history (IE many anthropologists are unsure whether tattooing or cave painting is the FIRST form of visual human expression). I respect the tradition deeply and want to maintain its history with love.

I want my clients to feel this passion. If I embody it fully, then hopefully they will become aware of this love through the process itself without my having to preach about it.

I’m certainly not the only tattoo artist who thinks this way, but I’m not sure if it’s the norm. My most selfish “want” is to be more selfless.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Along the way I’ve had to unlearn the value of validation.

Tattooing is very personal. It’s about the client, first and foremost, and I have the honor and privilege of telling their story through my hands.

Social media and the like quite literally operate as validation machines (more likes, please). And this type of mindset leads to self-centeredness and a turning away from the present moment. The emphasis shifts to the product and moves away from the process itself.

Social media is not bad. It always us to share our stories, which is great. But it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. In an industry that heavily tied to platforms like Instagram, there’s another way to live your craft which doesn’t thrive only from outside validation.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding part of my artistic practice is connecting with my Self and others.

There’s a vast, spaciousness behind the names and stories that make up our Personality. Artistic creation is a vehicle that can cut through that and allow us to connect in a deeper more meaningful way.

I feel so lucky and blessed.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.lastlighttattoo.com
• Instagram: @adamlorusso