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

Hi Michael , thanks for joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

As long as I can remember, I have been doing art since I was a child. My attention and creativity was always towards the arts. My family early on saw that I excelled in art. And with guidance from my family and teachers that it seemed to be the most logical career choice for me. After graduating high school I attended Tyler School of Art.
In hindsight I was an average student. I certainly could have applied myself and done better. But In retrospect the knowledge I did acquired there was invaluable. I still use that knowledge on a daily basis in tattooing.

Michael , 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?

So my story is not a typical apprentice story. Frankly I’m very fortunate to be in this industry. Before tattooing, before I even started getting tattoos, I was really interested in the medium. But was really indecisive about what to get.
Eventually I did get my first piece in 2008 from a artist visiting from Belgium. And I was hooked. The artist however wasn’t finished my piece and was deported back to Belgium due to his work Visa expiring. I had explained this to a friend. And he sent me to his brothers shop to have the work finished. From there I started going on a regular basis and making myself a fixture in the studio and working there in exchange for getting my tattoo finished. Eventually I asked if I could apprentice. And the owner agreed. This put me on the path.
I remained at that studio for 4 years before our relationship had started to sour due to the owners addiction problem. And I left to where I currently reside at Hunter Gatherer Tattoo and Piercing in Philadelphia.
I’ve been there now for 8 years. It’s certainly been an interesting 8 years for sure. The beginning started out pretty turbulent at the studio. And after a year or so the original owners were bought out by our current owner Troy Timple. And things have never been better.

It’s been a really rewarding to work in this industry. I feel now after working professionally for over a decade, that I’m just hitting my stride and clients are seeking me out for the styles I excel at. I get to focus in on the work that I really feel is the best reflection of what I have to offer to tattooing. My strong suit is in color. And I like to work in styles such as full color traditional, neo traditional, black and grey, portraits, Japanese and cover ups. But cover ups are based on what can be achieved without laser treatments.

I’m not sure what sets me apart from the rest of my peers. But it’s humbling to be acknowledged for my work. Especially in Philadelphia that has such an immense group of other talented artists.

It truly is the best job in the world. I’m just proud to be involved in a long standing, culturally rich industry. I hope my work gives back for all it has given me.
Our industry has a long line of monumental predecessors. So I hope my work is a reflection of all their hard work and innovation that I have studied over the years. And it serves to inspire those that come after me.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I think that’s a really good question considering how social media has had such an impact on society. It continues to create a influx of content. For all its benefits, the problem is as social media is continually growing, it is pushing more and more towards a monetized subscription system as to when it was free. This creates a issue where anyone can purchase users to Embellish their profile. This doesn’t necessarily mean that an artist that purchases users is a reputable one. And those artists that are creating excellent content and building their fan base organically are overlooked. In short regarding tattooers. I don’t think there is one solution to this but do your research on your tattoo artist. More followers doesn’t necessarily mean great work.

With that being said the other benefit of social media is having the opportunity to share ideas and talk with your community of peers from around the globe. Use that to your advantage.

I would also suggest submitting and attending art shows. Explore other mediums.

How did you build your audience on social media?

In all honestly, my following grew organically. After I started being more selective with posting work I felt best represented my strong suits. And started taking better photos of my work, I noticed it was being shared and highlighted more on other pages.
My advice for other tattooers would be that you spend hours working on a tattoo. You should spend time making sure the photo shows that. I’m not saying to photoshop it. But take the time to make sure you get the best quality photos.
And be selective about the content you post. If you post work that you feel best represents what you do best. You’ll get clients that will also want that kind of work.
And remember to be patient and humble.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @mamunter
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/muntertattoos/
• Twitter: @MAMunter