We recently connected with Jorell Elie and have shared our conversation below.

Jorell, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

As a blossoming and rapidly growing industry, tattooing has seemingly become a mainstream way to express your individuality. I have been fortunate enough to transform this trade into a career, The idea of being able to be compensated for something you truly love is not something I had drawn up for my life. It is truly an honor to bring my client’s visions and ideas to life!

Jorell, 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?

Oh, where to start with an “about me” response. Well, for anyone who hasn’t heard about me or seen my work, my name is Jorell Elie. I am a professional tattoo artist of just about 15 years now. I have a private studio out of the Los Angeles area and will be opening a second private studio in suburban Atlanta by the end of the 2023 calendar year. I specialize in, unique, and always custom, illustrative color/watercolor tattoos. In 2008/2009 I began my tattoo career in Georgia, where I was living and going to college. During the summer leading up to my senior year, I began what would later become an apprenticeship at Planet Ink Tattoos. I helped the owner, Alex Guma, open a new shop location. Since I came from a retail management background i was able to help streamline his administrative paperwork and protocols. In return he would give me the basics on tattooing and piercing in what would eventually become my career.
Around 2010 after our daughter was born, we moved back out west, to Los Angeles, where we would live for just about 11 years. It’s here in LA, where i got to cut my teeth and really hone my craft. I was fortunate enough to have worked alongside some truly gifted and talented artists. I worked with the amazing crew at The Honorable Society in West Hollywood and the legendary Outer Limits Tattoo in Long Beach to name a few. Like many other people, once, the pandemic hit, it was time to reassess where we wanted to be and what was really important for our family. So we decided to move back to Georgia.
Throughout this journey and my time as a tattooer I aim to keep my focus on really listening and then qualifying my client’s goals with each of their pieces. I will challenge their ideas and exhaust thoughts and possibilities that they, otherwise, wouldn’t have thought were possible. All the while, I also make sure that the integrity and durability of each tattoo remains as constant as a tattoo can as it evolves over time. If i can do these things, every time, i can guarantee an unequaled tattoo and tattoo experience, which is ultimately my goal!

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Since I am like many other artists/creatives i often suffer from imposter syndrome, and that is something that i work on overcoming constantly. That said, calling myself an artist/creative is something i try to avoid. So, to answer the question of what is the most rewarding aspect of my job As a skilled craftsman, I find the relationships i build within this industry to be the most rewarding and fulfilling. The client to artist relationship is truly unrivaled. There are few trades in the world where you can truly connect both physically and emotionally with what would otherwise be known as a stranger. Majority of my clients are marking something signifiant in their lives when they decide to come and see me. wether it be A memorial, a death, a life, a wedding, a relationship threshold or any other monumental chapter in their journey, i am the person that they trust to illustrate that chapter! There is something very humbling and profound about that to me.
As artists, we are able to leave our clients with little pieces of ourselves that they get to carry on their bodies until the very end. This in turn, lends itself to create a relationship that is unlike many others. Tattoos are one of the few things in the world that you can buy and actually die with. As morbid as it sounds, we are, in a sense, with these people until they no longer exist! That is not a responsibility or task that i take lightly.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Another loaded and somewhat challenging question to give a simple answer to. I’ll do my best to make this short and sweet and apolitical. Society needs to do a lot to be supportive in a general sense but i suppose thats only part of the question being asked. I do think that the tattoo industry can shed some light, to the wider cannon of humanity, on how we as a society should accept another human’s autonomy. It is my opinion that Society can support the tattoo ecosystem by continuing to evolve and grow to be more accepting of what other people choose to do with their own bodies. As long as you aren’t being harmed or there isn’t harm begin done by the actions of another then there really isn’t a valid reason for you to pass judgement or really care what someone else does with themselves. More specifically, to keep the tattoo ecosystem thriving people can and should continue to require more of your artists. Expect greatness from each of them, because every great artist only wants to share that excellence with a deserved client. Ask questions, and demand answers. Again, all of the great artists have no problem sharing answers and thoughts with our valued clients. In whatever capacity you can, support the artists that you feel deserve support. Buy merch, share posts, like posts, etc!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thejorell.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/thejorell
• Facebook: facebook.com/tattoosbyjorell
• Twitter: twitter.com/thejorell

Image Credits
@thejorell