We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Paul Smith. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Paul below.
Paul, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
I knew from as far back as I have memories that I wanted to be an artist. I wanted to draw, no matter what. I spent my youth obsessively drawing on anything and everything. Many times to the consternation of my parents and teachers. As a working-age teen I sought out jobs that would put me in close contact with creatives. I followed this plan throughout my life with pretty great success.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I come from a fairly wide art background. I moved to Austin in the early 1990’s to play music, and played in a roots rock/garage rock band for several years. I was lucky enough to play at some old Austin institutions like the Bates Motel, Trophy’s, and the original Hole in the Wall.
During that same time, I got into art gallery work. I worked at an art gallery called Galeria Sin Fronteras in Austin, Texas. At that gallery, I helped oversee the largest collection of modern Mexican artwork on paper in the world. That job gave me a good look behind the curtain of the fine art world. I sold my first piece of art as a professional while working there.
After leaving Galeria, I ended up getting a Luthier position working with a man named Bill Collings of Collings Guitars in Dripping Springs. I worked at Collings Guitars for about 8 years. While working at Collings we built guitars for players such as Kieth Richards, Steve Miller, John Fogerty, Lyle Lovett, and many more. It was at Collings that I developed fine motor hand skills, and this would later come into play big time with tattooing.
It was during my time at Collings Guitars that I discovered the art of tattooing (1997), and started getting tattooed as much as I could afford. Eventually asking my tattoo Artist, Bobby Love, if I could apprentice and learn to tattoo.
I did my first tattoo in 2000 at the age of 28, and landed my first job in a tattoo shop in 2003 at Gully Cat Tattoo, Austin, Texas, with owner Mike Terrell.
I think because of my background of playing music in front of crowds and always sort of, putting myself out there artistically, I have developed the unique ability to connect with my clients easily and I have been told that my approachable bed-side manner puts people at ease. I like to joke, tell stories, and laugh, and that makes a good time for all whom land on my tattoo table. Another thing that sets me apart is that I make my own tattoo machines, I make my own tattoo inks also. think it’s pretty uncommon for most artists to be involved at every level of the creation of their tattoos from hand making the actual tools and inks, to drawing the tattoo and then tattooing it on their clients.
I take great pride in that fact.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on NFTs. (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)
I have actually participated in this arena with varying success. During the covid shutdown tattoo artists were hit very hard, and I was forced to shift my focus from tattooing to “something else”, so I could make some extra money. Since I had made the switch to drawing digitally just a couple years prior, I had a huge back stock of digital images that I decided would make good material for NFT’s. While I did not sell any on my own, my large collection of various types of art caught the eye of a more established NFT artist who contacted me for a collaboration. Together we developed the
Doodled Taco Collection ( https://opensea.io/collection/doodledtacos )
These NFT’s have been selling at a slow but steady pace and have generated a bit of money.
I do think that the NFT market may be tapering off. I just don’t think NFT’s ever made enough sense to the general public as to “what is an NFT?” But for those in the know, they will continue to be created , sold, and collected.
NFT’s exist in their own little world, and as such, will continue to exist there. I don’t ever see them breaking out any more than they have though.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
In the last decade I have taken a deep dive into books on persuasion. I’m intrigued by how humans perceive their reality and how we process the world around us. Some of my favorite books would be: “Influence” by Robert Cialdini
“Mastery” by Robert Greene
“How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big” by Scott Adams
“Thinking Fast and Slow “by Daniel Kahneman
“Outliers” by Malcolm Gladwell
“You Can if You Think You Can”by Norman Vincent Peale
And as for books that really get my creative brain going, I absolutely love the book “God’s Debris” by Scott Adams.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.tattoosbypaul.com
- Instagram: @tattoosbypaul
- Twitter: nftkuleigh@kuleighsmith
- Other: www.redstagtattoo.com @redstagtattoo NFT’s : https://opensea.io/collection/doodledtacos
Image Credits
Tin Type Portrait by Holliday Tintype Matthew Nixson All other pics by Paul Smith