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

Alright, Mikolaj thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

I had a regular job… a long time ago and there’s a reason why I don’t anymore. I couldn’t spend all day in a suit and tie digging in the papers or staring at the numbers on the screen. Being able to manage my own time and pursuing my own goal in a creative industry is important to me. But, it’s definitely not easy and requires a lot of discipline and good organization which is something that I constantly struggle with. But each achievement is rewarding and worth the struggle.

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

I’ve been a tattoo artist since 2009. I got into tattooing by accident, originally I wasn’t thinking about that as a career back then. My tattooist Michał Kowalczyk from Damage Ink in Jarocin Poland showed me this possibility and then I began to take the path into becoming a tattoo artist. In time it become a major part of my life. I felt just right from the beginning and I haven’t thought about doing pursuing any other career path since then. Like many artists in the tattoo industry, I got burned out. Over a year ago, I wanted to quit it at least twice a week and get back to graphic design and illustration. I needed time to realize that I didn’t really want to quit, but I needed to make significant changes in my mindset and how I was going about creating tattoos. In tattooing, you need to be emotionally engaged to enjoy the process, otherwise you will produce work that is meaningless, uncreative, and overall poor quality. You need to be a creator and a business owner, even if you are just a one man operation. Unfortunately the business part of tattooing can be really overwhelming a lot of the time.
As an artist, tattooing is not only a way to put your art on someone else, it’s a way to help other people to express themself and heal and grow. Once I got in this mindset, tattooing became even more rewarding than I could ever have imagined. Tattooing is a form that actively engages the tattoo artist and the person that gets the tattoo. In the process, you get to know another person a lot more than you can expect and it requires a lot of trust from both sides. Over time, you realize you don’t create just for yourself, you create for the other person as well. Sometimes that creation helps them heal, deal with a past, remember, or celebrate something important to them. So you celebrate with them… sometimes it is just a decoration and you celebrate that too.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

The tattoo process starts long before the initial appointment. It all begins with the first meeting with the client, the conversation that you have about the design. It is not only about the form, often there is an important story you need to listen and understand. Now you will have to tell this story in a visual form, you often translate words and emotions into the image. Working on the design itself can take up to a couple hours. The conceptual part starts during the conversation with the client, then you need to start working on the form that will incorporate all the important elements to make it look truly breathtaking and one of a kind.
Basic art rules apply regardless of type of tattoo. Is it more of a traditional form, hyper realistic, graphics or abstract tattoo? You need to figure out composition, proportion, space, light, etc. You also need to know anatomy and understand the natural flow of the body and movement. What looks great on paper or your computer screen may not be that great on the specific body part you are designing for. Always keep in mind that tattoo is a form on the edge of drawing/painting and sculpture that means you work with the necessary 2d and 3d forms simultaneously. It’s also important to have an understanding of body movement and how it will impact the tattoo. You need to always consider the mobility factor.
Then, there is the stencil and preparation. How complicated and detailed the design will determine how much time it will take to make the stencils.
All of this needs to happen before you will even get the client in the chair and long before you even start your machine. This is the part that most of the people do not see.

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

Regarding tattoos, always look for the right artist for you and how you want your tattoo to look. Make sure you seek out artists that specialize in the style you are looking for. Take a look at their website and social media to truly understand what type of style each artist has. You need to trust the person to be able to give them the proper amount of artistic freedom to create the works that you desire. Believe me, if you will give the artist this freedom they will always create their best work just for you. In general, you can support artists and creatives by simply following their social media, sharing their content, engaging with their post, subscribing to their emails, giving them a shoutout, writing a review, referring a friend or family member, or cheering them on. Many creatives are a lot harder on themselves than you would think. A simple “I love your art” can fuel them for days.
Helping artists build their communities in this digitalized world will cost nothing, but this gift of time and attention is priceless.
If you decide to buy their art, don’t question or negotiate their prices. You have no idea how much time, effort, and often pain is behind their creative process. What you are getting is not just a piece of paper in frame.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.isata2.art
• Instagram: @isata2_
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/isatattoopl/
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/miko%C5%82aj-w%C5%82odarczyk/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/ISaTa2_