We recently connected with DeAndre Bonds and have shared our conversation below.
DeAndre, appreciate you 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?
Yes I have been able to earn a full-time living from my creative work. I was hustling and getting my money out the streets than one day I decided that I no longer wanted to be in the streets looking over my shoulders so I took all the money that I had and invested it in tattoo equipment. The crazy thing about it all is I never really had a hard time making the transition from hustling to doing tattoos. I remember when I use to tell people that I do tattoos and they would ask how long I been tatting and I would say I just started yesterday, and they would still let me tat them. I’ve been tatting for 17 years now and I have enjoyed every step of my journey. I am an self taught tattoo artist and there is not one person who can take the credit for my talent but me.
DeAndre, 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?
My name is DeAndre Bonds better known as Tat2 D.R.E I am a tattoo artist and rapper from East Memphis Tennessee. I’ve always had a passion for art since I was 4 years old. When I was a child I use to watch my mom draw every day than one day I decided to follow in her footsteps and pick up a pencil for myself. By the time I was 12 already knew that I wanted to be an tattoo artist and I started preparing myself to become one by drawing my own tattoo stencils. When I was 16 years old, I used to try to take the pictures that I drew and sell them to different tattoo parlors. I remember going to American tattoos on Mendenhall one day in hopes of being an apprentice but I was turned down, but that didn’t deter me from my passion to want to become an tattoo artist. So I decided to build my first tattoo gun and one day my God Momma found it and threw it away but I still didn’t let it stop me either. About a year later, I took all of money that I have made from hustling and bought my first tattoo gun at the age of 17. I am 34 years old now but ever since I was 17 I’ve been doing tattoos almost every day of my life. And I have loved every moment of it. I get a joy out of knowing that my clients are satisfied with my work and my craftsmanship. Weather its a tattoo for a dead love one or something that is meaningful to them. I offer quality tattoo work for the cheapest price in the city. Which one of the reasons that my clients love me, and that I have clients travel from all over the tri-state area to come get tattoos by me I’m well known in the city of Memphis for my work. By me knowing how to draw. This allows me to be able to create pictures from scratch and also copy pictures that people may want me to re-draw for them. I do everything from black and gray to color. I also do cover ups, touchup work, and can even freestyle. when I first started doing tattoos people used to come to me to fix Tattoo that were messed up. and that really how made my mark in the the city as a tattoo artist. I have traveled all across the United States doing tattoos. I am very proud of what I have created for myself and how far I have come as a tattoo artist I still, strive to get better every day I even study other tattoo artists is that I feel like are great at what they do.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
For me the most rewarding aspect of being a tattoo artist is seeing the smile on my clients face when they get a new tattoo by me. That is the confirmation for me that lets me know that the work that I have put in to be where I I am today was all worth it.
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?
Yes, there is something there I think Non-creators will struggle to understand about my journey of a person who creates the most important thing as being a creator and a entrepreneur. You can’t be scared to take Risks , the greater the risk, the greater the reward, I find peace and living out my dreams, I was told long time ago from a wise man that if you love what you do, you would never work a day in your life. And people are always there worst critic you just gotta have faith in with you created and let God do the rest of the work.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: tat2_dre
- Facebook: Dre Jackson (Tat2 Dre)
- Youtube: Tat2 D.R.E