We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Hosni Oz. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Hosni below.

Hi Hosni, thanks for joining us today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

I’ve always been into Art ever since I was a child! I remember when I was growing up how drawing was always an escape for me. It gave me so much clarity & always made me feel very peaceful! I went to school for business marketing to have a degree given the fact that when I was growing up society set the standard that if you don’t have a degree you’re a failure! I never saw myself as an office job type person. That M-F 9 to 5 was never my thing! Naturally given that fact growing up & while in school I always worked in the service industry! I served and bartended at a lot of different places & in different countries! It was always good money & a lot of fun. Something about working with people and providing a unique service to people that leaves an impression always drew me in! I always wanted to be the best at what I do no matter what it was. So naturally I always pushed myself to be better, to learn more, & always tried to be unique while at it!
The 1st time I ever picked up a tattoo machine and tried tattooing was during the Covid pandemic. I was laid off my job due to the lockdown so I wanted to pick up a new hobby to fill my time. That moment was a very important highlight in my life because it changed the course of how my life went after that!
I started tattooing for fun at first. You know, family, friends, even myself. And over time that “hobby” started to grow with me. I started getting good at it. I wanted more from it.
However though it’s not always easy to just drop your daily job and decide to become a full time artist. Having a career in art is always very challenging & hard. Everyone would do it if it was easy. However it’s very rewarding if you peruse it & take it seriously.

I had been tattooing for fun on & off for almost 2 years when I started to feel like I was reaching a point in my life where I wanted to be very serious about this! Nothing fulfilled me anymore like tattooing did. Nothing brought me joy like tattooing did. So in August of 2021, when I was offered an opportunity to take this “hobby” to the next level, I was faced by a decision where I had to either really go for it & quit my job to do this full time, or I was gonna leave it where it was, just a hobby!

Honestly it wasn’t an easy immediate decision. I was very scared. Was I really about to quit a job that paid my bills and provided a good living for me to be an artist? To do something that’s not a sure thing?
My girlfriend Arina was one of the main reasons why I went for it. I remember her telling me to just believe in myself and go for it. What’s the worst that can happen? She told me! Just think of it as if you’re on vacation & if things didn’t work out for you I’m sure you’ll easily find another job bartending! But I have a very good feeling about this!
I can’t ever be grateful enough for her. I took a leap of faith & I listened to her & I can’t tell you how crazy things were. It seemed as if my whole life I was being prepped for this moment. Things started to just align for me & it was, and still is up until today, the best decision I ever made.
I’ve never been happier in my life doing anything else. I love what I do, therefore I excel doing it! When you do something you love for a living you perform very different! It’s not like when someone wakes up in the morning to go to a job that they hate! I wake up everyday excited for what I have to do that day! I think about my work all the time. I think about how I can be better. I learn new things all the time.
I don’t think I can ever imagine myself doing anything else. I’ve never thought about having a regular career since then.

So to answer your question, YES! I am 100% happier as an artist. I get to do what I love everyday. I get to express myself and my art daily. I get to interact with people and leave my mark on them forever. It’s very satisfying to know that people proudly walk around wearing my art on their skin.
I never think about having a regular job anymore.
My career defines a huge part of who I am & i’m beyond proud of that!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I mentioned in the previous question how I got into tattooing! It really started off as a hobby to fill my time & turned into my full time daily career!

I create beautiful art pieces on peoples skin everyday. My job is to take your concept or idea & turn it into something real, unique, & beautiful for you!
A lot of people are usually indecisive when it comes to getting a tattoo! A huge part of my job is to take charge of that and have you lose that sense of indecisiveness! It’s my job to bring your idea to life & create something for you that would make you undeniably happy!

One thing that definitely sets me apart at my craft is the fact that I have a style and I do things in my own way! Regardless of what you want, I will execute it in my own style making sure that you’ll definitely be happy with it! It’s very important in this industry to have your own style that sets you apart from everyone else! There are tattoo artists everywhere, but people come to me for what I do! They usually give me full freedom to do what I want how I want it! They’re always happy that they did that when they see the final result.

I want people/ future clients to know that I take so much pride in what I do & that I strive to make sure they are happy with my work. It means so much to me that you get to carry my art on you everyday, therefore I take it very seriously.
I also want them to know that anytime you are dealing with an artist, if you give us freedom with what you want you’ll always get the best out of us! Every artist expresses their art in their own way, so naturally when you give us that freedom we’re going to do what we do best!

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Word of mouth is a very essential aspect for growing your clientele in my industry. However, in todays times, social media plays an undeniably essential role in that as well!

Whether you like it or not, social media plays a huge role in giving you more exposure and growing your business. I try to be on top of that as much as I can! I try to post some of my work at least 2 to 3 times a week. I try to create cool videos that capture the process of my work and that show the final results as well! People will always check out your social media these days as soon as they hear about you!
Let’s say a person runs into someone I’ve done a tattoo on & they like it! They’re gonna ask that person who did it. When that person answers that question, they’ll want to immediately look you up on a social media platform to see more of what you do. It’s essential that you try to always keep your social media up to date, as well as try to manage it in a way that captures people’s attention! Because that’s how people get reeled in & now you have a new client.

Aside from that, I try to always provide a unique & amazing experience for my clients when they spend their time & money with me! The art is very important, however the way you treat people and make them feel is equally as important!
You can be an amazing artist, but if you lack social skills people won’t come back to see you. So pay attention to both!

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Honestly I’ve always been the type of person that wants to be the best at what I do regardless of what it is! My goal is to keep growing and becoming the best I can at what I do until I reach a place in life where my work is immediately recognized anywhere around the world.

Mark my word, people will know my name in the future! I do not say this from an egoistic place! Not at all! I say this with my utmost humbleness! I just know myself & I strive to be the best. I take criticism & try to learn from it. I research and study constantly to keep growing and being better at what I do.
No one knows everything especially when it comes to art. Art is a subjective thing that constantly grows & changes. You have to keep up and never hold on to your old ways only. You will never grow and be better if you’re not open to constantly learn from others!

My constant success & growth both drive me & they will keep driving me even when I reach the level of growth & exposure I’m working towards.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @oz_inkz_stuntz