We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ale Hernandez-Lopez. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ale below.

Ale , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

“A wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to.” – Gandalf

I’m on the verge of turning 30, which is wild for my younger self to even consider. I started my tattoo apprenticeship pretty “late” in my eyes. I was freshly 25 years old and had known since I was 17 that I wanted to tattoo.

So why did I allow it to take me almost a decade to get on track to what I wanted? Well, it wasn’t just a want, I KNEW tattooing would be the career for me. I knew that tattooing would save my life and bring answers to all the questions I had about myself.

Riddled with shame for a long portion of my life, working mediocre jobs for 3 months at a time. Could never hold on to any of them, the impending feeling of not being a necessity or of value and that I was simply a moving piece that could be replaced. It was soul sucking, especially when I was broke all the time. Perpetually poor as I called it. I remember I would rather not money (or things) if it meant I could keep a portion of my sanity.

Why didn’t I just jump into learning how to tattoo the second I knew I wanted to tattoo then? I had the drawing skills but not the life skills. A lot of tattoo artists I know started well in their teens so why didn’t I push myself to as well? I was simply holding myself back by wholeheartedly believing that I would not be able to accomplish my goal. All the negative voices I had heard all my life, an orchestra of discouragement ringing in my ears constantly. On top of that knowing that the industry was unforgivingly tough. I got panic attacks just thinking about the abuse I would have to endure to accomplish my dream.

It is known that to become a tattoo artist, you have to find a mentor who will take you on as their apprentice. This exchange of work for knowledge was easily exploited, This could mean a multitude of things but back in the day it was guaranteed you’d be broken down. You would be used and hazed all in the name of tattooing, You would demonstrate your commitment to the craft by enduring whatever was thrown at you, and you better do it without a complaint.

The tattoo industry has changed drastically over the past decade and even more so in these past few years. When I was 21 I started looking for a tattoo shop to put my foot in the door, I miraculously succeeded and landed a job as a front desk/shop manager (its a blessing to be bilingual. <3) I quickly realized my concerns about a male dominated industry were true though. I lost my motivation and courage once I confirmed that this is just going to be more pain than gain, and I left that tattoo shop. Thankfully the one person in that shop that helped me, ended up being the bridge to me finding my “forever home” haha

I went through a lot of distractions and life lessons up until I was 25, and in those 4 years I kept dreaming and wanting to be an apprentice. However I had standards and boundaries of the shop and mentor I wanted to take me on. I had no interest in participating in a toxic and damaging culture. My take was considered outlandish, no place like the one I imagined apprenticing at existed. The artists I wanted to ask to mentor me, I never asked them, scared of the rejection.

I was at one of the lowest points in my life when I was 25. Tail between my legs asking my father for help, nothing to my name. And within that bottomless pit of despair, I found hope. My mentor and I found each other. I wanted a woman to teach me, and she found me, asked me if I wanted to apprentice under her after she had turned me down once already. I was in the bathroom of the worst job I ever worked, I had escaped to cry in a stall because my life was at a dead end. I got a text message from my now mentor asking if I was still interested in learning. I can’t even describe the feelings going through me then. At my lowest, with nothing, felt like I had a second wind of power surge through me to do the damn thing.

If I had started my apprenticeship any sooner, I don’t think I would be where I am at now. I think I would’ve suffered needlessly, I think I would’ve crumbled under the pressure or the abuse. I was in a perfect position to learn when I was 25, lots of self sacrifice that I was willing to commit. I could feel it in my bones, this was my time to shine and nothing was going to get in my way. I had the help of my father, being able to live with him and just worry about my apprenticeship was a massive factor in why it was a perfect time for me to learn. My apprenticeship was me rising from the ashes to become exactly who I know I could be.

I look back now and I don’t care that I didn’t start sooner, I started exactly when I needed to. The shop I apprenticed at is the shop I am still currently at, it is my home now. I’ve seen the impact it’s had on me and the impact I’ve had on it. I wouldn’t change a thing about the struggles and journey it took for me to get here. Sometimes when you wanna start something, not everything is aligned for your purpose. Sometimes failing and retreating to regroup and reprocess is necessary. Sometimes not having anything allows you to see everything.

Young me would be thrilled that we’ve made it this far, she wouldn’t care about how soon or late we started, she’s as stoked as I am that we’ve made it at all! It isn’t about how soon or how late, it’s about when you’re ready to commit and young me is the only version of myself I’m trying to impress.

Ale , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

So I am a tattoo artist ! I stab ink into people to create beautiful images. I decorate human skin with those creations born from me! I get to pick at peoples brains and personalities and find exactly what they mean when describing a tattoo they want.

I am highly sensitive person and can read a lot between the lines of human interaction. Because of that sensitivity I believe I have a clear understanding of what people want their tattoos to look like even before they do. I feel my clients out and gather the information they’ve given me to provide them with the image their brain sees. It’s my favorite thing to talk with someone and see pieces of them that later on transfer into the design I create for them.

I pride myself on making sure my client is as excited about the piece we’re about to tattoo as I am. If they aren’t showing enthusiasm, I do take it to heart, but only because I want them to LOVE it. I encourage their takes on what to change/add.
To show the design I came up with and they beam saying it’s beyond what they imagined, it fills me with indescribable joy.

I am finally in my element. I want my clients to feel confident in their voices and in their wants and encourage them to tell me exactly what they want and how they want it. Tattoos are for life so working together to create something we both love is a blessing. Having people come to me and allow me to create art on them, is a dream come true. All my struggles have been for me to reach this point, where I can share my love with others through my craft. It’s a little piece of me that goes away with the client every time I tattoo. The art binds us together.

Sharing love through millions of little microstabs at a time haha

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

The most important resource I should’ve realized existed earlier was simply support in the form of asking for help! It might sound simple but I’ve noticed that as a society we shun and are almost repulsed by asking for help. My cultural background definitely encouraged that type of mind frame. Asking for help is seen as weak, as if you can’t accomplish anything, it’s seen as defeat. Which is incredibly stupid because as humans within a community nothing can be accomplished without support from one another.

When you’re struggling, ask for help. When you need patience, ask for it. When you need love, ask for it. When you need constructive criticism, ask for it. Ask for the things you need in order to give yourself the opportunity to believe in yourself the way others do. Most of the time people don’t know we need help, so just ask <3

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

My brain is a fully creative one, the child in me lives wild and free. I frequently ask the vision of my younger self if we’re on the right path. The world isn’t as black and white as society tries to convince that it is. I struggled and still struggle greatly with trying to fit into the narrative society and our peers try to shove us into. However, I’ve leaned into being a creative and that means I live and see the world in an unconventional light. Which is necessary for society, too.

I felt hollow and broken for years, thinking I was less than because I was broke and couldn’t hold a regular, soul sucking job. That I deserved to suffer since I couldn’t be a normal contributing member of society. The jobs were soul sucking because I wasn’t in an environment that allowed to me to thrive by implementing my fortes. I didn’t even believe I had anything to contribute because everything around me told me I didn’t, and I soaked in all that discouragement as if it were fact. I allowed others to tell me about myself because I was a creative trying to navigate a binary world.

Creative careers allow for artists to not feel suffocated by the normalcy of capitalism. Tattooing has allowed me to fully realize my dreams of becoming someone who actually provides the impetus of healing. I had to find my voice within a cacophony of hate. As a creative I now get to fight back and share the love I have for life. The things we often overlook because we’re only allowed to focus on tangible treasures that others can take from. Being in a creative career allows me to remind others of their hidden powers as well. That there is more to them than the black and white narrative they’ve been forced to regurgitate.

Non-creatives are simply those who have forgotten about their inner child. Check in with the vision of your younger self and take some time to indulge them for once. There is a joy to life that exists within you, don’t let anyone take it away from you. As a creative it’s my job and duty to remind others of that power that is there’s, that no one can take away.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @leg8r

Image Credits
Portrait shot by Killian Moon @thekillingmoon