We were lucky to catch up with Nicholas Rexrode recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Nicholas, thanks for joining us today. Early in your career, how did you think through the decision of whether to start your own firm or join an established firm?

When I first started tattooing I worked at a street shop ran by middle aged bikers! It was predominately walk-in based where you essentially had to be well-rounded enough to know how to do anything that walked in, and in my opinion this is how all tattooers should start out! The biggest issue with tattooing today is that it’s oversaturated with people that don’t care about it, and because of that tradition is dying. There is no way to hold onto tradition obviously if you don’t know what those traditions are by going straight into your own thing, right?
Of course starting out as do-boy it isn’t the “easiest” way to jump straight into tattooing and making money from art, but otherwise you’re just gonna be out there messing people up and diluting the craft! Nowadays theres so many avenues that you can take to try to become a tattooer, but only one that is tried and true and that is working your way from the bottom up for years, under an artist or group of artists that you respect. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you see it) alot of times this means some level of hazing and working for free before you can even think about learning to do a tattoo, just to earn your place in the shop and show how bad you really want to be a part of this industry.

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 am a tattooer based out Orlando, Florida! I started tattooing in and around Atlanta, Georgia about 11 years ago mostly in street shops, making a living by doing anything that walked in the door. I like to pride myself on that fact, that I’m versatile and am capable of doing a wide range of styles. Overall, i like the environment I’m in to be conducive to a laid-back lifestyle, where I can focus on art and on my client including their wants, needs, and requests, and just have a great day of tattooing. I just want my client’s experience to be a good one that they’ll remember positively forever. For me it’s about creating good tattoos on good people, and going home to my fiancé feeling fulfilled that I got to do what I love to do that day.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

I’ve never considered myself to be super business-minded and tend to take more of a hippie approach. I prefer a slower simple life where I can focus on my happiness, my family, and my fiancé, which in turn puts me in a positive place to create the best art that I can. If I’m producing good tattoos and being a good person, I like to think that clients will follow and so far that has worked out for me. And in tattoos, never ever stop learning.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Social media is such a huge factor that it almost makes every other source irrelevant. Word-of mouth and referrals from previous clients are great too, but social media is the driving force behind growing clientele nowadays.

Contact Info:

• Website: tattoosbynicholas.com
• Instagram: @tattoosbynicholas