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

Hi Mikey, thanks for joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

The competition for tattoo artists is wild in NYC, with new amazing artists entering the scene constantly. Before Covid I was linocut printing and tattooing separately for years but hadn’t yet tied the two mediums together. I stuck to more traditional tattoo designs and was having a hard time standing out and staying afloat.
When COVID hit the city and everything shut down I took an email job in the bike industry. I found this work to be mostly frustrating and unfulfilling. I wanted to make things again and be my own boss so looked to tattoo artists that I respected who were also surviving. I realized I needed to have a more unique style to stand out. I started been carving linoleum before tattooing, so it was a natural jump when I started to make designs that would be transferable as tattoos.

Mikey, 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?

My name is Mikey Quackenboss and I am a tattoo artist and printmaker living and working in Brooklyn, NYC. My work is unique in how I carve my tattoo designs out of linoleum first, and then transfer the image directly to the skin from the block. This transfer process gives my tattoos a unique style. My clients love the stamping process and our sessions kind of turn into parties.

I reproduce my designs to tie printmaking’s mass-production to traditional tattoo flash culture. It’s like walking into an old-school shop and picking a design from one of the many covering the walls, but with block prints. I like the idea of strangers walking around the world forever united by folk art.

My path to art was winding and unpredictable. I’ve been drawing forever but was never confident enough to pursue art. I started drawing for the University of Wisconsin’s music magazine while pursuing an English degree. My original intention was to be a cool high school English teacher that had enough life experience to know what they were talking about. After graduating I worked as a bike messenger for many years, first in London and then NYC. The messenger scene is full of artists and I was introduced to a lot of new mediums, including punk-house printmaking. I always joke that my friends went to art school so that I didn’t have to. That said, there was a lot of figuring things out for myself. The inherent “coolness” of the wood cut style covered up the artistic shortcomings I felt I had from my inexperience.

Tattooing came later when I started looking to get off the road. Again, my friends were there to help me. I did a proper two year long apprenticeship in a traditional walk-in shop with one of my favorite artists Gerald Feliciano. The first year was mostly design oriented, with lots of painting and drawing. This is where I worked hard to develop artistically and eventually become more confident in my drawing abilities.

Over the years I have built up a clientele and work has increased steadily. During the first few years I had other side jobs to pay the bills, often delivering food or whatever would help me earn that ridiculous Brooklyn rent. I don’t think I’ve ever been totally comfortable financially, though I am completely myself and in love with what I do.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Instagram brings in about 60% of my clients, with 40% coming from personal interactions and word of mouth. I’m a very chatty and always try to have business cards and/or test-prints to give away. In the past I have given discounts to my favorite local baristas and servers because they have great visibility with the community (and I empathize out of experience, ha!). My clients often bring me new local clients, especially in the summer when their tattoos are more visible!

Maintaining an interesting Instagram account is necessary for finding new clients and staying present in the minds of existing clients, especially ones that aren’t local. I know few artists that enjoy the social media aspect of the career as it is often frustrating, time consuming and distracting. When I get bummed “feeding the beast” I try to remember that every job has annoyances, and this one is minor in comparison.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Tattooing can be a seasonal trickle-down industry. There are times of the year where people don’t think about or want tattoos, such as holidays, beach season, tax season. During these slow periods I lean into making apparel to sell online or at holiday fairs later in the year. Sweatshirts, t-shirts and bandannas are a great way for me to make extra money and spread my brand awareness.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @Mikeyqboss

Image Credits

Laura Quackenboss
Nils Reid