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

Eden, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

The project I will be sharing today has been months in the making and finally came into fruition in January. This winter I released my very first book; a tattoo coloring book. At first it may sound a bit odd to release a coloring book, especially as someone who has been also writing poetry for years. But for this specific project, I knew I wanted to create a book surrounding the ideas of tattoos, as I am a tattoo artist and illustrator. The idea started incubating in my mind around March of 2023, as I was about to graduate from The Savannah College of Art and Design with a degree in Illustration. For our final project we were asked to create an artist book. It could be any book we would like and we were given all the creative freedom to do as we liked. My first initial idea for this final project was to create a book that has a collection of my poetry throughout the years called “The Flower Picker”. However, I was not sure how comfortable I would feel submitting it, as many of the poems were very personal to me and reflected subjects and events I haven’t fully shared with anyone before. So I had to think of a different idea that would still be unique and authentic to me and what I do. After bouncing off ideas with fellow class mates as well as my professor, the majority suggested I create my own tattoo book. In the beginning I was going to create a simple book that included the majority of my tattoo designs. But my professor had an even better idea for me. She suggested that I create a book made from silicone skin that is used for practicing tattooing, mainly by apprentices, and actually tattoo all the illustrations within the book. And that is exactly what I had decided to do; a book that resembles human skin and all of the illustrations within it are actual tattoos. I was really proud of the way the book turned out and started bringing it with me to different festivals I would vend at while selling other art work. The book was only for display and not for sale. However, every festival and event I would work at, I had people asking if they can buy the book. Since it was my final project before graduating college, I decided I did not want to sell it. It was too special for me. With that being said, seeing the positive feedback about my designs and illustrations, I wanted to create a book that I would be able to sell and distribute internationally for everyone to enjoy. In the beginning I started working on a book consisting of all my tattoo designs, but then I had a better idea. I wanted the book to be more interactive and let the people have some creative freedom on their part as well. So I turned the concept into a tattoo coloring book that would be friendly for all ages, kids and adults. The idea of creating a book that gives people the opportunity to engage with it, use it as a way of relaxing and taking their mind off of other things seemed appealing to me. There is something very therapeutic about coloring in general, hence why there are coloring books made for adults as well. I wanted to create something fun for people, something they will be excited about using. From that point on it took me about five months to finalize the book. Granted, it could have taken less time if I wasn’t so indecisive. I have changed the cover of the book as well as the design at least three times, kept ordering proofs and would find reasons to perfect the book even more. Around January I was finally pleased with the way the proofs turned out and went ahead to publish the book on Amazon. However, me being me, I didn’t stop there. I really wanted to see how people would interact with the book and also have an opportunity to meet the people that purchase the book. So I decided to organize a book signing and a release party at Criminal Records, a music and record store in Atlanta Georgia. I was delightfully surprised at how good the turnout was and how excited people were by the idea of the book. It’s always a great feeling when you are able to connect and engage with the community and create a product that people enjoy. The book is currently sold on Amazon as well as Criminal Records for Atlanta locals.

Eden, 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?

Hi there! My name is Eden Gutstein and I am an illustrator, painter and tattoo artist based in Atlanta Georgia. Originally from a small town in Israel called Holon, I moved to Atlanta in 2018. Since a young age I have dabbled in all kinds of art forms. I have always loved drawing ever since I can remember, however, it wasn’t what I thought I would be doing for my career when I was younger. I was involved in theater up until my late teens and I aspired to be an actress. Drawing would be the first thing I would turn to when I had free time or a break from rehearsals. Sometimes I would take a sharpie and draw on my fellow theater peers after a show or a play. It got me wondering what it would be like to be a tattoo artist someday. After graduating high school in 2016, I was working as a security guard at the Tel Aviv Museum of art and at the same time would take nightly acting classes in a trade school for film in Tel Aviv. However, my curiosity for tattooing grew, and I decided I wanted to learn the skill. During that time, it was a bit difficult finding an apprenticeship, so I decided to teach myself. In the beginning I practiced a lot on friends and family. I wasn’t perfect by any means, but the designs I had created back then weren’t meant to look perfect, but were rather silly and playful. I found so much joy in this new hobby that it was almost competing with my love for theater, which was a very confusing realization during that time. In 2018, I ended up moving to Atlanta to pursue a degree in theater at SCAD. During the first year of college we were required to take a lot of foundation classes in drawing, which helped me realize that I am a lot better at drawing then what I thought I was. Before going to college I would draw for fun, but I didn’t think I’d be capable of drawing anything impressive or realistic. The foundation classes at SCAD challenged me and proved me wrong. I realized I was capable of doing a lot more than I allowed myself to do in the past. During my sophomore year in college I decided to make a big decision and changed my major from theater to illustration, which as a result changed the path I would be taking later on in life. This path also introduced me to digital forms of illustration as well as graphic design. This decision also sparked my creativity for other forms of visual art, outside of tattooing and drawing. I realized how diverse this field is and just how much can be done with this degree career wise. After college, I decided to make my own line of illustrations and products called “A Place in Eden”, where I create postcards, greeting cards, notebooks, planners, stamps, etc. This led me to opportunities of collaboration with different clients and companies such as Science Gallery Atlanta, where I’d work on graphic design projects. During this time, I also picked back tattooing and was able to revive this passion of mine. As far as my tattooing goes, I work in a few different styles. I really enjoy working on botanical designs, chromatic designs, and recently ornamental designs. My goal is to create a safe space for my clients to feel comfortable, heard and most importantly have a beautiful piece of artwork. What I really enjoy about tattooing is the sense of community and connection it creates. When you are working on a tattoo for multiple hours, it is only natural that you will converse with your client, and many times those conversations end up being very meaningful. I have met some of the greatest people through tattooing as well as different art events.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One of the many lessons I had to unlearn, that I believe may help other creatives, is to not wait or rely on other people, other companies, businesses and outside opportunities to determine your success or ability to perform in a certain field. We live in a dynamic world where there is a certain ladder and hierarchy that needs to be climbed, or at least that is what we are subconsciously taught to believe. But one will never gain true freedom and understanding of self when constantly looking for others outside of you to hand you opportunities or put your power and belief in someone else’s hands. And of course I say that with a grain of salt, because in life we all have to start somewhere, but the rules in a creative field are not so rigid as they are in the corporate world. A year before graduating college with a degree in illustration, I started looking for jobs in the industry and tried making as many connections as possible. Many positions in the illustration field include graphic design roles for corporate companies. In the beginning I thought, that is what I should be doing, as that seemed like a more stable approach. I interviewed with several corporate companies for different graphic design positions, however, it didn’t seem like it was working out. And maybe at my core I knew that it wasn’t what I truly wanted. I was starting to getting frustrated as doors seemed to close and I couldn’t figure out how to find any openings. At last, I had to be honest with myself and and figure out what it is I truly wanted. I knew I wanted to work for myself, I knew I love creating my own art products, and will always love tattooing. And that is exactly what I decided to do. I knew that I have been self-reliant for most of my life and I believed that no matter what I will be okay and would be able to pull something off. I opened up my own website for my design services, built up an entire portfolio of illustrations and editorial art, started producing my own art products with my designs such as planners, journals, postcard and greeting cards that are now held in different shops around Atlanta. I also decided to build my tattooing career, learning, getting all the licenses, took a CPR course, etc. I think at that point of my life I was just so sick of hitting dead-ends, but later came to realize that it was because I was reliant on other people and opportunities to determine my ability to succeed. And paradoxically, once I gave up the idea of working for other people and committed myself to building my own goals, opportunities started coming in. And I guess that is how life works sometimes. The things you need come when you aren’t seeking. I started having people and companies reaching out and offering me freelance opportunities and to do work for them, I got the honor to work on an exhibition with a gallery in Venice Italy, had a few magazines reaching out to me asking if they can feature my artwork on their websites as well as printed magazines, and was also able to build a tattoo clientele. Of course there is still a long way to go, but if there is any piece of advice I can give another from my experience is to trust yourself more. Rely on yourself more. Don’t waste your life waiting for the perfect moment or opportunity to start doing what you want to do. It’s not always going to be perfect or feel perfect, but you have to keep going because there is no other choice. Feeling like a failure does not mean you failed, you are just a little tired, and it’s okay. Keep going and trust yourself like your life depends on it, because it does.

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

There are a few rewarding aspects to being an artist, at least for me. One of my favorite things about being an artist is seeing people interact with my artwork, whether it is in festivals, events or galleries. It is always such a good feeling to know that your artwork is appreciated by someone else, even if they don’t know you. I often think about the pieces of artwork I have sold and how they reside in a new home, on someones wall, and how excited the person was to purchase it. As cliche’ as it sounds, art is supposed to make you feel. And that is rewarding; knowing you were able to add some color to someone’s life. Or whenever someone commissions me to create an artwork as a gift for their friend or a loved one, it makes it feel more personal. The same thing goes for tattooing. It is a very personal experience for someone to put their trust in you and gift them with a permanent piece of your art, capturing a moment in time they will remember. And the best part is seeing how happy they are with the tattoo and how excited they are to show it off to the world. Many of the tattoos people ask me to do are meaningful to them; whether it’s a tattoo that symbolizes something special or sentimental for them, a tattoo that makes them feel beautiful and confident, or a tattoo to cover up scars. It gives me more purpose when I know how much it means to someone and brings joy into their lives.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.trampstamp420.com/
• Instagram: @tramp_stamp_420
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eden-gutstein-192928239/
• Other: Illustration/graphic design website: https://www.aplaceineden.com/

Image Credits
Syd Hayes