We were lucky to catch up with Dmichael Watson recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi DMichael, thanks for joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
During college I met some people who would later open a tattoo studio in Sacramento Ca. I was a fine art/photography major in school but after school I ended up with a photography job that I didn’t have a passion for I was miserable. One day I received a call from my friends in Sacramento and they offered me a tattoo apprenticeship. Within the week, packed up my car and drive cross country from Pennsylvania. The apprenticeship was difficult I had to work a full time job during the day and a work full time in the evenings at the tattoo studio. I slept on couches just to make ends meet. As I look back, I don’t think I would have done it any differently. It was an extremely difficult time but with the struggle came the appreciation for the craft of tattooing
DMichael, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I’ve been tattooing for over 25 years and opened my first shop, Abaddon Studio in Pine Grove, Pa in 2009 and my second studio in Pottsville Pa in 2021. I have a unique style of tattooing that is based on tradition but not bound by it I work alongside my client to bring there custom visions to life. I feel that tattooing allows us to empower ourselves and take control or our own life. There is something both primitive and spiritual about the tattooing process that ties us to our ancestral roots
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
I think at our core we are all creatives, just in our own individual ways. For me, my creativity comes out through my tattooing and art work, for a mother it might come out through how she teaches her child about the world, a monk might use their creativity to help care for people Ultimately since we all have unique life experiences we all tap into that creative energy differently.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
I just got finished reading Rick Rubin’s book The Creative Act: a Way of Being , which made me look at being an artist differently. The concept of art being a spiritual extension of life was new to me. We’re all one and interconnected and for an artist, their work is the way they serve the world.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.abaddonstudio.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lildocwatson/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AbaddonStudio/
