We were lucky to catch up with Brian Level recently and have shared our conversation below.

Brian, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

Because of the different types of jobs I work, they function a little differently.

As far as tattooing is concerned, the more meaningful projects have less to do with the tattoo itself and more the experience of making it. The client, the time we spend together. Those more meaningful ones are usually large format pieces where I get to spend more time with the person. We get to really connect. I see most of my tattoo clients as potential friends. They mean a lot to me.

In cartooning, probably the projects that are unprompted and creep out of me without permission. Often compulsive and impolite. Stories with nasty teeth. Ugly content and characters in ugly worlds. I connect with them in a pretty deep way. It’s a chance for my quiet, silenced places to have a voice in a productive and positive way.

Filmmaking is something I’ve done a lot less of so it’s all pretty special. The people I’ve worked with preparing and shooting. The people I’ve developed scripts with. Working with other writers, producers and most importantly, friends. Such a massive collaboration. I’m pretty extroverted so that’s a nice place for me to be.

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?

I’ve gotten into the various occupations and disciplines I work in almost by chance and providence. Mostly off of the help of others. I was rejected constantly from tattooing and comics but persisted. I continued to make merchandise for hardcore punk bands when I was playing out and drew tattoo designs for friends. Made my own comics that I hand-stapled. I just kept making stuff however I could. Then a few opportunities presented themselves.

I’ve always been a hard-worker. I come from a blue collar family so that’s always been an expectation since childhood. I tend to bring that to current career. But, “hard work” gets used as a cudgel to exploit labor from people. I think it’s an essential feature that nearly every person needs to develop to have a long career in chosen art fields. The other thing I try to bring is proper collaboration. It’s never the Me Show. It’s always about the project and the medium first. What makes THIS thing we’re doing special.

In tattooing, I have to find what the client wants. I collaborate with them conceptually and draw my ass off in service to the tattoo. Both design to application. Same with my relationships with those who work for me at the shop. We work together, they don’t work for me. And I make sure that they see that care from me in the ways that I can honestly give it. That doesn’t mean the decision-making is always a democracy, But I think the times where it is, yields the trust for when it’s not.

In comics, it’s not too different. Just depends on if I’m writing, drawing, etc. It’s always about serving the comic. The type of comic and all that stuff. What can I do to amplify the comic and it’s intention.

Obviously, same goes for making movies.

I tend to deconstruct jobs quite a bit so I can really attempt to understand their parts. I feel like if I do that, I find more to love and more to give to the project.

BUT! Sometimes, you gotta hit the deadline. So shut up and work hard and don’t screw your team or buyers. haha

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Try to be brave enough to support something unfamiliar and potentially uncomfortable. Art and entertainment being so linked has roughed to the conversation to a weird place where people seems to struggle to separate their basic functions, as well as struggle separating their individual internal processes that are responding to the material. Lighter entertainment is often so amazing and wonderful for creating a space for large swathes of people to connect and talk and enjoy. But heavier art stabs deeper and more narrow. It shrinks the number of participants in the conversation but it’s generally more meaningful of a talk. As a consumer/art enjoyer, try to find a space where you can have a little of both.

And please, pay for small stuff if you’re able. A new album, a weird zine, a book, an art print or sticker. Notice when you’re throwing money constantly at a big corp versus when you won’t risk a few dollars on something intriguing and small. Then, take a lil risk for us. You just might fall in love.

Artists love to share. Come share with us.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Definitely a few. One of the most impactful and liberating ones was learning this whole art journey thing isn’t about me. It isn’t about my art. It isn’t about my life or ideas or any of that shit. All of those things are my tools, not my goals or purpose. In the end, it’s a job (and if you’re lucky, as a spiritual vocation). The job is present, always. I just tend to get in the way with ego and vanity, and frankly, bullshit we’re all told our whole lives about our self-importance and this and that. I had to unlearn, through a lot of dead ends and reflection, a ton of ideas about myself as an artist being a specialist with a unique voice. That that was the thing I had to preserve and fight for. My work was worse for it. It was just ego.

Now I just use my voice, in conjunction with the rules of the project to find the right solution. I’ve gotten much less idealistic and started to fall in love with the idea of something simple: A horror movie, a fairy tale, a grim reaper tattoo. Then, once I find something to love in that, I can really get going and enjoy the process. It’s much more empowering to me.

I try to not be too floaty about stuff. It’s not about “story” or “insert whatever abstraction,” my process is almost always starts with the object now. Seeing what rules or inherent unique strengths the object has to be built on. All the other stuff like story, meaning, theme, etc all factors in, just not typically first thing.

Tattoos have inherent power. As do comics. As do films. They share attributes but are not the same. And they certainly are not actually ME MYSELF, if that makes sense. The project deserves it’s own voice and space to set some boundaries as well. Just like any collaborator or client.

Once I realized I was there for my strengths to contribute to the goal, and not the goal to serve me like some cruel overlord, I was in a much happier headspace. And I think the work got better too.

Lastly, I’d say I still love to explore my voice. What I bring to the table and how I can bring an angle and inject my few notes into this song and give it a little flavor. I’m still extremely essential in the equation, just not at the top of the hierarchy, if that makes sense.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.dreamcult.net
• Instagram: @illuminauttattoo
• Other: Bluesky: @brianlevel.bsky.social

Image Credits

Greg Snider for Noun Photography on the Profile photo