We were lucky to catch up with Dario Rodriguez recently and have shared our conversation below.

Dario , appreciate you joining us today. Are you 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?

It is something that feels very gratifying today that it has been achieved, after going through several jobs or various ways of earning a living, making that leap as a tattoo artist was difficult, and of course, like all beginnings, it was not easy, but with a little desire, discipline and perseverance it has been achieved, we have already been earning a living as a creative for 3 years, and I can say that it feels incredible to be able to enjoy what one does every day.

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?

From a very young age I have always had that approach to drawing, since I can remember I always drew all the notebooks at school. Later when I was older, I drew on the walls, I experimented a lot in the art of graffiti in my adolescence, something that had a great impact in my way of being, who I am and how I see art, then I leaned a bit towards graphic design in college, which did not finish, after a few years I began to experiment a little in the world of tattooing thanks to some friends who already did it. Thanks to them I made my first Lines and I bought my first tattoo kit, and it was not until 2 years later, that I quit my job, and decided to dedicate myself 100% to the art of tattooing . Of course, in all that time I already had the spark lit, that curiosity to continue experimenting, which I managed to experiment with close friends, practicing on them! Then, thanks to very good friends/incredible artists, I managed to enter my first shop and have my first machine of a higher quality, with my mind focused 100% on this. Everything changed step by step, improving every day, every month, every year, until we get here to where we are. The the truth is that I feel that I have not completed even 20% of the path that I feel is ahead of me. In all this time I have been studying realism in black and gray a lot. Today I offer my clients quality work, I feel great satisfaction when a client leaves happy and smiling! When we make a portrait of an important family member, or a pet that is so important to people, seeing them happy, with a job that they will carry for life, that is the satisfaction of our work! I feel proud to be able to live from what makes me happy, from what I promised at some point to that dreaming child that I would live out this dream. If you can achieve many things, and you can live from art, nothing will be easy but It’s possible. It’s more of a message to all those people who are going through this little process today, don’t give up, keep fighting, keep working and keep studying for what you want to do, it won’t be easy, but it will be worth it.

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

The most gratifying aspect, for me, and at this moment, is being able to enjoy every day of my life, doing something that I enjoy, creating something different every day in people’s skin. That makes us an artist, to create! And being able to allow myself to continue discovering new places, new countries, new cities, and continue doing what I love, anywhere in the world, that is gratifying and knowing that art connects you with anyone, anywhere in the world, even without knowing the language, that is the art.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I think about this alot, but we are going to obtain these resources as we experience, all the resources that I have today, it is because of what I have lived on this creative journey, however I am sure that there are many more resources that we still need to know, which are what will make us a better artist, and a better person in life.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @darioart__
• Twitter: @darioart