We were lucky to catch up with Connor Foley recently and have shared our conversation below.
Connor, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?
I am so grateful every day to be able to do what I do! Being a business owner in a creative industry can be tougher that people think but if you’re doing what you love, it really helps make the hard stuff easier to attack. I’ve worked a lot of different jobs through my life before going all in with tattooing and that perspective helps me to appreciate what I get to do. I cant imagine not being a tattoo artist at this point and that helps keep me motivated to learn, grow and push myself as much as I can to be the best I can!
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.
I was lucky enough to get my start in tattooing in 2011, completing my apprenticeship in 2014. Since I’ve started I’ve always tried to make sure I am always learning and growing and pushing myself to new levels of skill. While I’m pretty versatile as an artist and tattooer, I am lucky enough these days to only be working in my style of dark art. My style takes influence from many different places, from movies and music to nature and wildlife. I love creating creatures and monsters and imagining them into tattoo designs. My work might look pretty dark and evil to some, but I look at it in a more positive light. I like to think of the work I do as similar to putting gargoyles on humans. Gargoyles were put on churches and buildings back in the day to ward off the negative energies and spirits of this world. So I put these protectors on people in the form of tattoos in order to help people feel empowered and protected from the negative things in this world.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
I think a vey relevant way that society can support arts and creatives today is by supporting actual artists. We have all sorts of AI and other things coming into the mix and they can be a great tool, but we need to make sure they are used as such and not used to replace artists.
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
I think its hard for people that don’t tattoo to realize just how much we put into this profession. From the outside I’m sure it looks like that we just draw on people, instantly come up with art out of nowhere with little effort and just get to have fun all the time. we are lucky enough to do something we love, but its not just a job, its an all encompassing lifestyle. People usually see just the tip of the iceberg and not all the practice, learning and blood sweat and tears we as artists put into our work. I may not look like I’m working all the time from the outside but I am constantly doing something in relation to art, tattooing and my business.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.vegvisirbodyart.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/necronomiconnor
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vegvisirbodyart
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/vegvisirbodyart
Image Credits
all tattoo work is credited to Connor Foley, personal picture is courtesy of Dante Dellamore (@dellamoredante)