We recently connected with Donaven Medina and have shared our conversation below.

DONAVEN, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

As a child I was always drawing and doodling. From sketchbooks, canvases, to homework and school work. My mother would always push me to keep drawing and creating, as I come from a family of artists. One day (must have been in elementary school) she came home with a patch that had some blood on it. At first, I thought she was hurt until she pulled the cover off to reveal she had gotten a tattoo. I had a slight idea of the existence of tattoos but had never really seen one up close. At this point, the gears started turning with the realization of being able to have living canvases that could display beautiful and meaningful artwork. It became more than a want but, a need to spread the beauty of art on people instead of traditional canvases or walls or paper.

DONAVEN, 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?

Since I was about 14 I had been trying to get myself into and apprenticeship. Taking my artwork from shop to shop trying to take and use the constructive critisism I recieved to better myself as an artist. Life had different plans for me and I eventually ended up joining the US Army. Throughout my service I continued to search for an apprenticeship with no luck. At this point I invested in a machine and started teaching myself. I eventually put the machine down as I was truly wanting to learn in what I felt was the right way. As I left the military I decided to go to college and study art where I recieved my BA in Graphic and Web Design. My goal was to return to the basics of art and relearn as much as I could. At this point I very much wanted to still tattoo but the opportunity was still not available. Towards the end of 2020 I received an offer and had my start into the tattoo industry. While extremely grateful for the opportunity I was not leaning anything and truly wanted to advance more. Fast forward to 2021 I met my mentor Mike Sierra who was willing to give me an opportunity as long as I agreed to step back into an apprentice position. This, although difficult at times, would be the best decision I made for myself. I was able to gain a large amount of knowledge as well as a close friend.

I feel like it’s been fairly difficult for myself to really stand out but I think that one thing would be that because of my mentors knowledge I have gained the ability to tattoo a wide range of styles instead of forcing myself into a box. With this I have been able to help clients merge together diffent styles that they may have previously gotten into cohesive pieces. Although I would absolutely love to primarily focus and tattoo neotraditional pieces I truly want my clients to be happy and in love with the artwork on their bodies. I pride myself in being able to sit down with my clients to truly bring to life what they have envisioned for themselves. This also means that if the idea or design is something I feel one of our other artists or an artist I know can bring to life better, that I happily send them their way, as tattoos are a lifetime commitment and it’s what my clients deserve!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I feel like the most rewarding aspect of my field is just the excitement and love from people when you bring their visions to life! Especially when it’s something that they hold dear to them. It’s a story, a reminder, a way for people to stay connected to loved ones or ideas that make each individual person their unique self. It’s the deep conversations of why they feel the way they do about it while they’re sitting in the chair. It’s bringing those memories back to life.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I think my want to spread love and art is what truly drives me. Art is a beautiful thing and I feel that it truly brings the world together. Whether it be traditional painting, music, dance, theatre, culinary, or sculpting, it draws the minds of individuals together. I believe that cultures are ment to be shared and art is the biggest influence of that!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://deathandtaxestattoo.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIo5Gdl8Ox_gIVchqtBh0djA8tEAAYASAAEgKLpfD_BwE
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amadenuss_tatts/profilecard/?igsh=MTRrbGN3cGNmNHFsbA==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/donaven.medina?mibextid=ZbWKwL
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donaven-medina-4138a0251?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=android_app

Image Credits

Devyn Salazar
Self