We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Darrius Ramsey a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Darrius, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your business sooner or later

I started the journey to becoming a tattoo artist at 21 years old, just this past December of 2023 actually. I’m now 22 as of March this year. I had previously been just kind of working in random jobs in order to pay for living expenses and before that I had actually considered a job in the veterinary field, but my true passion has always been art. I definitely lost that sight in highschool, because I thought there wasn’t really a way for me to do my art in the way I wanted to and still make a living, so I actually started going to college for Archaeology once I graduated, but online school in the height of the epidemic proved to be really challenging when you live on a farm without wifi. Back then, I was fresh out of a breakup that impacted me really heavily and I was really searching for something that I could make my own and I decided that if there ever was a time to follow my dreams, why not now? So, I spent a few months dusting off my drawing abilities and building a portfolio until I felt I might be accepted into a tattooing school. Truth be told, I was way more stressed about my art “quality” than I should’ve been, I felt as if I was totally under qualified and so young but also like, if I had known this would be my passion, I should’ve started long before I actually did. Totally not the case, you can start whenever, and if you have art that you think people will want tattooed, you really just got to go for it! I think had I started earlier, when I was in a spot in life where I wasn’t prepared to follow through, I absolutely would have struggled being an independent artist. I’m also grateful I started when I did so that I can grow with my art and hopefully keep doing it for a long time.

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.

Hi! I’m Darrius, I’m a licensed tattoo artist based out of Portland, Oregon, and I’m 22 years old! I just recently graduated tattooing school, which is a requirement here in Oregon to get your license and I’m now a full time tattooist out of a professional shop! I got hired to my current job at Saint and Sinners while I was still in school, to start once I had graduated and passed my state exam (I passed!)
I tattoo a broad range of styles, my main goal is really to create a beautiful piece of collaborative art between the artist and the person wanting to get tattooed. I particularly enjoy tattooing detailed organic forms like plants and animals and incorporating those in multiple styles. A lot of the flash I offer is woodcut style, traditional, neotraditional, and fine linework.
I think I’m different to a lot of tattoo artists in the way I’m just different to a lot of people, why they should come to me though? I’m passionate about the art I’m making and I tend to try and connect with my clients and make meaningful relationships which isn’t all that wild, I think all artists should try and have a healthy and positive relationship with their clients, but it’s always a bonus when your tattoo artist is equally excited about your tattoo and wants to do an amazing job and shows it. I don’t think there’s a lot of room for a big ego in this field if your goal is to truly make collaborative art with your clients.
I’m definitely the most proud of the fact that I have clients that want to keep coming back (and bring their friends!) To me, that says I have really created an environment that is welcoming and comfortable. I’d love any potential clients to know, I am always here and eager to talk in depth about your designs so that we can both make sure it’s what you’re wanting 100% !

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

My friendliness and commitment to doing good, solid work. I want to meet people and learn about them and it shows and then people want to learn about me, and while building those connections is super important, having the work I’ve done, be there to back me up and showing people that I have the skills to do what I need to do has been equally important.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Social media has definitely made it easier for clients to find my work all together and decide if they want to book with me or not, but in all honesty just going out to events with likeminded people and talking to the folks you meet, telling them about yourself and your work (having some cool business cards helps!)

People respond more when they see a real person, not behind a screen, and then they can also get a feel for you as a person before deciding to book.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: KingByTradeInk
• Facebook: Darrius Ramsey
• Youtube: KindOfKing