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

Arman, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

For a long time, I felt more like a craftsman than a creator because I didn’t know how to express what I truly wanted to say. That’s how two performances appeared in my portfolio, only loosely connected to tattooing. Through a problem in the industry, I tried to address an issue in society as a whole.

For instance, in “Normal,” I explored self-acceptance and embracing one’s body, while “New Generation” focused on the next generation and outdated views from the past. Both performances resonated with the tattoo community, showing that I touched on themes that matter deeply to many. And by the way, the third one is coming soon!

Arman, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I ended up in the tattoo industry a long time ago—and by pure chance. In my small hometown, I used to draw portraits on commission, until a local tattoo artist took notice of me. Although he tricked me for his own gain, he did spark a real interest in tattooing within me and played an unexpected role in my journey.

When I was learning the craft, there were no mentors and certainly nothing like the access to information that exists today. I’m proud that despite lacking formal art education, despite major challenges early on, the lack of support, and many times when I thought about giving up, I managed to hold on to my belief in myself and my desire to understand this challenging but fascinating craft. Step by step, almost blindly, I gained experience patiently, until I finally reached a point where I felt confident enough to share what I’d learned with others, to offer the kind of support I had once needed so much myself.

For the past four years, I’ve been teaching people to draw and tattoo—from absolute beginners to experienced artists looking to improve their skills.

With the war Russia started, like so many of my colleagues across the country, I had to leave my home city. That’s how I ended up here, in sunny Georgia. Artists from various countries continue to fly in to train with me, and Georgia has also become the place where my friends and I founded Union Studio. In just two years, over a hundred artists from around the world have worked in our studio. I’m glad that our studio’s concept aligns so well with my own values. From the start, the idea was to support artists who were scared of the unknown, those who had lost their studios, their communities, and found themselves forced to start life anew.

Even now, we work hard to offer people a sense of community and a “third home.”

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

For a long time, I thought that moving from small-town Voronezh to sprawling Moscow was an act of incredible bravery (and maybe, in a way, it was). But it was only after migrating from Russia to Georgia that I truly began to understand the limits of my own resilience—for reasons that are painfully clear. I had to start over with no client base, no studio, and no way to return home safely.

The first year was spent coming to terms with everything. The next year, I moved into action. My friends and I opened a studio, creating a comfortable space for work. The one thing no one can take from us is our skill. With it alone, I was able to rebuild my client list in this new place.

Looking into the unknown, it’s natural to see what we fear. But if we look closer, there are opportunities hidden there too—opportunities that don’t exist in places of “heightened comfort.” Slowly, I had to piece my reality back together to keep creating.

I still don’t fully know if I’m doing everything I can to keep my profession alive, or if it’s the profession that’s keeping me true to myself, no matter where I end up.

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

I love reading, and perhaps it’s books more than anything else that have shaped my outlook. I’d have a hard time naming a precise list, especially since my interests are incredibly varied. But here are a few that I think can help with self-discovery, with understanding the path of the creator, why one should follow it, and whether it’s even necessary:
1. Franz Kafka, A Hunger Artist
2. Friedrich Schiller, Letters on the Aesthetic Education of Man
3. Wassily Kandinsky, Point and Line to Plane
4. Steven Pressfield, The War of Art
5. John Berger, Ways of Seeing
6. Nikolai Kukushkin, The Sound of One Hand Clapping
7. Karen Horney, Our Inner Conflicts

Contact Info:

• Instagram: armanniam.ttt