We were lucky to catch up with Crys Chen recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Crys, thanks for joining us today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

Born and raised in Taiwan and around its vibrant culture, I have always admire the culture of tattooing and tattoo arts since I was a child.

I have been very fortunate that tattooing has been my full-time job since 2019. I came to NYC in 2016 for college, and quickly found myself in an unfamiliar city alone. At the time, I was working 4 part time restaurant/retail jobs to make ends meet. I continued to draw and practiced in whatever spared time I had. I worked at multiple shops as receptionist, shop assistant, and finally a self-taught artist through a 4 year span.

Throughout the journey, I have learned a lot about managing myself as an artist, as a business owner, and as a person. It was a tedious journey filled with a lot of failures, self-doubt, and frustration. The most important learned lesson is that good things will come with time and consistency, and trust the people that care about you and stop holding onto people that don’t want to be there.

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 chose to be a tattoo artist because the profession not only allows me freedom of creativity, it also provides discipline, community, and structure.

I work with a wide range of clients from first timers to seasoned tattoo getters. Tattooing to me is incredibly unique in its collaborative nature, and I find enjoyment working alongside my clients to bring our culmulative interaction to life in a visual art form. Working with clients is a very adjacent experience to any cultivated relationship: any concerns will be discussed, any discomfort will be taken note of, and any ideas taken into consideration all the while providing comfort and my professional opinions.

While tattooing is the service I provide, I also put a lot of work and emphasis into community centered around nerd culture such as gaming and literature. I have created my shop as a space that even non-tattoo getters can enjoy, from gaming tournaments to artist market events. I hope in the future I can continue to expand into other forms of community and utilize tattooing as a bridge to different communities.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Word of mouth! In a digital world, I am very grateful that the experienced my clients have with me have allowed me to not have to rely on social media as heavily as many peers in the industry. I am a firm believer that if you stay true to the craft, to the clients, and to yourself, that you will always have clients and ideas in times of hardship.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Learning. There is so much to learn from everything and everyone. I enjoy being able to face a new experience or revisit an old one just to discover new methods and thoughts to apply towards my creativity.

In bad experiences, I learn to be a stronger person, creative, and business owner. In good experience, I learn how to continuously expand my arsenal of knowledge and skills.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.snayke.ink/
• Instagram: snayke.tattoo
• Other: Discord server that is community based: https://discord.gg/2eZ7z5QsT4