We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Caleb Cape a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Caleb , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
I would say 3rd grade. My teacher wasn’t there all the time. I think she had elbow surgery? The class ended up having a long term substitute. She noticed I drew a lot in class and at first she thought I wasn’t paying attention, even though I could quote every word she said while I was drawing. She said “You’re gonna struggle a lot in school. Teachers won’t understand and write you up for drawing in class.” She was right, but I wouldn’t comprehend anything if I wasn’t drawing. Next grade after grade I would fail a class. Eventualy, teachers in 10th and 11th grade caught on and I ended up doing graphic designs in class while they taught.
Caleb , 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?
I started Get Stoked Designs in 2013 after my friend Austin Brantley passed away. He had his own freelance graphic design business, Pit & Pendulum Designs. I graduated in 2015 from East Hall High School. I let them push me through the system since I was making 3 to 4 hundred a week from graphic design. In 2016, I was asked if I wanted to learn how to tattoo. My mentor was less than pleasant to deal with and, in the long run, turned out to be a terrible person. I ended up leaving and going to Wild Tribe Tattoo in Buford, GA a few months before Quarantine in 2020. I ended up living on savings and started focusing on graphics more. We were able to work after 6 ½ weeks, but people at the shop left and it ended up being just the piercer and I. Once back in shop everyone and their dog wanted a tattoo. With 2 months of no sleep and tattooing almost 20 people a day, we hired a few artists. Once things died out, we all learned more via YouTube and just practicing on one another. I then met Mac Sharony. We taught each other a lot in the time we were coworkers and got really close as friends. Now, at my current shop, The Hive Body Art & Collective we practice different techniques and try to grow together as artists. I’ve been tattooing now for 9 years. Shit has been crazy, but I love meeting new people and having rad conversations. The crowd is very interesting and I love the stupid stuff they come up with. Makes drawing and coming up with things fun.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding aspect would be meeting rad people. I enjoy being able to take their ideas and go above and beyond what they were expecting. Connecting and get them through the bull shit of life for a few hours. Creating a comfortable environment by joking, hanging, and being able to be a person to vent to.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
I ended up leaving the shop I started. Like I said, my mentor was less than pleasant to deal with and, in the long run, turned out to be a terrible person. I was there for 3 years until I couldn’t stand the environment he created. I started Get Stoked Designs again and went on a hiatus with tattooing for a year. That break gave me time to brand myself for tattooing, graphics, and I even got into acrylic painting. Learning from other artists I’ve gotten to work with taught me how much I really didn’t learn from that asshole. It also taught me how to communicate with people and that for “30 plus years” he didn’t know a lot of shit about tattooing, just winged it. That gave me the confidence to keep doing art and be a better person, listening to the clients instead of getting mad every second a client doesn’t understand.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @tatertot_art
Image Credits
2nd photo @mac_sharony all other photos taken @hivebodyart