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

Alright, Bill thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I think I always knew that I wouldn’t be happy with a regular 9-5 kind of job. I grew up in an artistic family, so I was drawing and experimenting with different mediums for as long as I can remember. My grandfather was a talented illustrator, painter, and sculptor who often worked with multimedia projects. He was a retired machinist, but from as early as I can remember he was always working on some form of artistic work. My father was a mechanic, but on his off hours he’d also draw and paint, as well as helping me make stickers and t-shirts. When he retired, he spent a lot more time painting and working on other artistic endeavors, which he still does. I’d watch both of them and learn from what they were doing, and through trial and error of my own. Art was just something that was always there while I was growing up. I suppose most children have memories of coloring books and the like, and for a lot of them maybe it ended there when they became interested in other things, but for me it was just a natural progression from the early childhood stuff to the later deep interest in art (of all kinds). At the time I probably assumed most kids were doing the same thing. I was just always surrounded by it and the knowledge and encouragement of both my grandfather and my dad definitely helped keep me interested. As I grew up I had a few crappy jobs that I wasn’t too interested in aside from the paycheck. So early on, I knew that long-term, I’d be much happier in a position where I could be creative and use my artistic abilities rather than just clocking in to something that I really had no interest in.

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.

Like a lot of people my age, I got into punk rock, skateboarding, underground comics, alternative newspapers, independent film, and all kinds of other stuff that exposed me to tattoos. For a kid with a deep interest in art in general, tattoos were just the coolest thing ever, and in the early-mid 90’s there was a lot changing within the tattoo world. Different styles and techniques resulted in a whole new look that was different than what most people thought of when they pictures tattoos. Growing up in NYC, pre-internet, I had a front row seat to all of the exciting new work that was being done. And soon enough it became a subculture of its own, while still crossing over into all the weird media I was consuming anyway. I knew I wanted to get tattooed, and even before I ever got my first tattoo I would always think about how cool it was that these artists were able to make a living not only doing art, but such a cool and different kind of art. Work that was permanently on display wherever the client went. I started drawing stuff that was much more inspired by tattoo art, and adapting my work to be more tattoo-able (even before I was really aware of what that actually entailed). By the time I got my first tattoo (a small spider on my hand, when I was 15 years old) there was nothing else I wanted to do. I had no backup plan, and no idea how to break into tattooing (it was not easy to acquire equipment back then, and even harder to find anyone with experience that was willing to help you learn). I just kept drawing and getting tattooed, annoying the people that I’d get tattooed by to look at my stuff and asking questions they didn’t want to answer. But eventually I met a few tattooers that were willing to help. Brian Martin was a big help early on, who basically showed me where to get supplies and what to get, including my first machines. But getting tattooed by the great Louis Andrew really changed everything. He really took me under his wing. I spent all of my free time at the shop trying to be useful, but also watching Lou work, asking questions, and getting to know what tattooing really was. I’ve been tattooing for over twenty years now, I worked all over NYC until I moved to LA in 2014. I’m currently working at Third Street Tattoo in Hermosa Beach, where I’ve been for the last five years. I prefer to do traditional work, particularly with movie/horror themes, but I’m open to working in most styles. I always strive to give the client the best possible tattoo they can get. Sometimes this means altering their ideas or their expected application, but tattoos aren’t like prints. Skin ages and changes and the tattoo does along with it. Sometimes clients are only thinking short term and want something that may look okay for the first few years (or even just months in some cases) and they don’t think about the fact that they’re going to be wearing this tattoo for the rest of their lives. I strive to bring their ideas and vision to life, but ensure that it will be done in a way that will look good for their lifetime. During the COVID-19 lockdown I started a new project that had been on my mind for a long time. Violent World Magazine. Aside from tattoos, one of my other greatest interests is film, particularly horror, b-movies, cult film, exploitation movies, etc. Violent World is where both of those interests intersect. Tattooers from around the world submit artwork inspired by genre films. It also includes writeups about the films and filmmakers, background information and much more. Two issues have been released so far and the third is coming soon! It’s a big undertaking, and something that a very small team and I are doing for the love of it. It’s entirely self-funded and all design, writing, and production are done in our spare time. Issue 3 is the biggest project we’ve worked on so it’s taking a while, but it will be worth the wait! Aside from the magazine itself, we have a lot more coming from the brand in the near future, it’s exciting!

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

Most tattooers are familiar with people saying “it must be great to just spend all day drawing” (as I suspect other working artists are too). It’s a bit annoying because yes, it’s rewarding and fun to be able to work in an artistic field, but there’s also so much more to it. Hours that are spent in our downtime, uncompensated, go into everything we do. Deadlines, endless changes and modifications, difficult clients, time-wasters, unrealistic expectations, scheduling conflicts, appointments not showing up… These are just some of the things we deal with constantly, and we’re juggling all of that at the same time as we are trying to do a good job on whatever we’re working on at that particular time. Most of us don’t have health insurance, no retirement plans, or any kind of security if anything should prevent us from working. It IS a fun job, but it is also very stressful. It basically takes over your life and sometimes it seems like it would be easier to clock in and out somewhere.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I think a lot of people look at working artists as if it’s just a hobby. People tend to ask for free work, or diminish the process, as if we can just spit out a logo or t-shirt design on demand and we should be happy to be asked. I think the best way to support artists is to pay them for their work, and not haggle on prices. It’s also important to seek out quality work (in any medium) than to go to the cheapest option. Word of mouth is also still one of the best ways to support artists. If you’re happy with the work, tell your friends and credit the artist. Post up on social media and include links. Unfortunately a lot of educational resources for the arts are underfunded, or being shut down entirely, but getting younger folks interested in art at an early age, providing resources and encouragement, would drastically help.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://violentworldmagazine.com
• Instagram: @violent.world.magazine – @billbloodtattooer

Image Credits

Bill Blood