We recently connected with Nick Salzman and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Nick, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

For most tattoo artists we find ourself assisting many people during their milestones in life. Some get tattooed to commemorate an achievement, some to honor someone they love. Sometimes to help remember someone who they have lost along the way. To others it may be to help them celebrate their heritage or to just simply help someone feel comfortable in the skin they’re in. A tattoo artist has the ability to convey a person’s story through artistic interpretation of various designs. What if these was something more that we could give them? Beyond art what are they’re going through on the inside and how can it relate to what is inside of all of us? If we put our focus there, we will find compassion and understanding and deep down we will find this is all connected to the creator of all things. Through a heightened state of sensitivity, I am able to perceive passed on loved ones and relay messages from them to the client. Discerning is of the upmost importance when revealing this type of information but none the less we will have something in common if we look for the connection. Bringing about a sense of peace and fulfillment to the whole process of the tattoo is what it’s all about. We also can determine emotionally what is holding us back from operating at a higher healthier state. Being an energy healer there is a method that has been developed over the years which not only helps identify but therapeutically balance and treat emotional trauma. This sometimes is not spoken about to my clients but during the tattoo I mostly work energetically on them to help bring them relaxation and balance energetically. My favorite part of this all is after the appointment is over, the realization of the connections made between the world of spirit and the client will forever be remembered. To help facilitate these experiences is a tremendous honor. In more ways than we know, as a tattoo artist we can really give more than just a beautiful tattoo, but an experience that will uplift the soul and give hope and clarity to the moment and peace for the future.

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.

My name is Nick Salzman and have grown up in a city about a half hour west of Portland Oregon called Hillsboro. I grew up loving and learning how todoodle, color and draw. Although I never considered tattooing till I was about 21, it seemed like a natural fit and I made it a major part of my life almost instantly.
In Oregon the common apprenticeship was not a thing but rather “schools for tattooing” were the way to get officially licensed in Oregon. I located one in the next town over and took the next steps toward making this a profession, not just a hobby. During this time my father fell ill and ended up having a very aggressive form of stomach and pancreatic cancer. Ultimately he would not be around to see me graduate but knew that to honor him best, I would finish what I started, to get going in a positive direction not just for me but for my growing family’s future. The next five and a half years would be difficult for me. Even though I went through school, most shops around me only wanted artists with strong portfolios and years of shop experience to even be considered for hire. Because I dint have much experience in a shop and my work needed to be better quality I was turned down by many shops near me. So I worked many 9-5 jobs that I would tattoo my co workers and steadily built my clientele up over this period. Finally a new shop opened up clise to me and i went in with my portfolio and was offered a job on the spot.
I saw the opportuinity to be an established local artist and took the next step and worked in this shop.
Not long after being there did i realize this was not a healty environment to thrive as a tattoo artist. Not to get into the details of it just know that this was not a good fit.
It wasn’t until my wife (girlfriend at the time) that had the know how with how to set up a new business that I decided to open my own tattoo shop Breaking Ink Tattoo in 2012.
My mission has always been the same, to be different and to set myself apart from the crowd.
Another aspect of myself that was not known by most was my ability to perceive spirit. All types of paranormal phenomenon was a normal part of my life. For a long time I didn’t know what to think of it, just that it was a topic that most were not comfortable talking about. Around 2015 I started to work with a Pendulum to enhance my intuition and in about 2017 I started to learn more about energy healing with crystals and reki. It wasn’t until about 2018 that I finally began combining all three of these practices into one.
This path is one that not many walk but anyone can. As misunderstanding as it can be, nothing has felt more natural to me. To operate from a place of gratitude for all of my clients has given me much fulfillment. I look forward to the ability to create, inspire, and contribute to a positive, healthy mind body and spirit. As individual as the designs themselves, each experience is always unique, and I look forward to planting the seed of hope in all who come to me wanting to mark their journey in life with the art of tattooing.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

I have always believed that when managing a team we play to everyone’s strengths that contribute to a team environment. The tattoo industry can be rather cut throat and competitive and I find this mentality to be that of how things used to be. Now a days tattooing is very social acceptable and I have tattooed thugs, police officers, surgens, teachers, judges, and all sorts of entrepreneurs along the way. There is more than enough people who want tattoos that anyone can become successful with little experience. If you have a desire to be better and the discipline to work long hours for not alot of money you will set the foundation needed to grow your clientele and create a positive reputation. To this day I believe if you find an artist that is consistently booked out, this may be for a couple reasons. One, their work is good, they can handle the workload. I find good artists that are not busy tend to be that way for a reason. As a shop owner of 11 years, I have found it is very rewarding to let my artists set their hours and I set the tone by being early and cleaning the shop every morning before they come in. Sometimes they help, sometimes not. Either way I am grateful to help set my team up for success by the customer coming in the shop and by the first smell, they know this place is clean. Alot would see this as a burden but is the small things that lead to much bigger things like creating a awesome staff and being recognized as the top tattoo shop in your area. Treat your employees well, never see them as disposable, give them room to be them, and always try to send clientele their way. I want a shop of all successful people that each have people that ask for them specifically. One tattoo at a time we create our own legacy.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

The turning point for me with all this was about 4 years into my journey. I was a single guy that lived in a house that would frequently have people over. Most of our gatherings revolved around alcohol which opened the door once again to the Paranormal but also to drugs. After a couple years of living this lifestyle I realized I was not going anywhere fast. One day it all came to a head when the drugs coming into the home got harder and the people that came over were not the type I would normally associate with that I realized I needed to leave this situation. I wasn’t much of a praying person at the time but I remember one night I prayed and said “If you can hear me, please help get me enough people to tattoo, I will save my money and go to a better house and improve my life.” That summer I did 300 tattoos in 3 months. That’s about 5 tattoos a day 5-6 days a week. I was able to pay off my debts, pay off my share of the rent, next month’s rent, and paid the first and last month’s rent in a new place that was for me and only me. To me it’s crazy to see how many of my friends and acquaintances from that time period are either dead, in jail, or still struggling with addiction. Overcoming this area in life was my greatest struggle and made way for the new person in me to emerge.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.breakingink.com
• Instagram: Nick.salzman and pendulumapometrics
• Facebook: Nick Salzman Breaking Ink Tattoo Pendulum Apometrics
• Youtube: Nicksalzman5850