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

Justin, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

I knew that I wanted to tattoo when I was a teenager. I grew up around a bunch of heavily tattooed bikers, which sparked my curiosity young. I knew then I wanted to be tattooed. I started drawing at a young age, mimicking tattoos I saw in magazines. I then jumped straight into a street shop in Columbia, SC as soon as I could. Wanting to get into the industry I started by cleaning and doing chores for the tattooers working in the shop. After 7-8 months I got to start learning the process of tattooing and eventually did my first tattoo on a friend. The rest is history.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m Justin Johnson and I’ve been tattooing for around 17 years. I got into the industry for my love and dedication for the craft and have stayed for that same reason. Tattooing is constantly changing and evolving and I pride myself on growing with it. I never want to limit myself to just one particular style, I want to be able to not just do it all but do it well. In my industry though it’s not all about doing a good, clean tattoo. I work hard at not only that but maintaining great client relationships. I want everyone I have the privilege of having in my chair to feel heard, respected, and relaxed.

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

The most rewarding part of being an artist is being able to work with such amazing people everyday. Be it coworkers at the shop (shout out to Holy City Tattooing Collective for being the best) or the clients. No two days are exactly the same. What does remain the same is the feeling of seeing someone’s face light up when they see their finished tattoo, you can’t beat it.

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

The goal and mission driving my artistic journey is the hunger to constantly learn and improve. I want to be able to always provide the best tattoo and experience for all my clients. Be that through picking the brains of my fellow tattooers or by paint nights where I can hone in on any new techniques I’ve been wanting to try. Variety is the spice of life and I like life spicy.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @Justinjohnson_tattoos
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/justin.johnson.71697?mibextid=ZbWKwL