We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Slava Bodrov. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Slava below.

Alright, Slava thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

I saw my first tattoo on a sailor back in Ukraine when I was 6 years old and I thought it was so cool and wanted tattoos at a young age. Then when I was 12 I learned how to build a tattoo machine and how to tattoo from a neighborhood guy who had learned serving time in prison. At 14 I asked my mother for a real tattoo machine and she was very supportive so I started just practicing on myself and friends.My official career began at 19 when I started working in an actual shop in Kiev.
-I went to school for architecture and studied sculpture. Although I wasn’t very passionate about it at the time, I now value and take what I learned from University and implement it in how I design tattoos.

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 don’t even think about it as discipline but instead its respect for my clients. They are trusting me with altering their body so I will always be prepared and never late. Yes, I am an artist but I also am providing a service that I am being paid for it is my duty to bring 100% of myself to their session. I can’t believe some artists that are late and unprepared with their clients, its very unprofessional. We have more freedom in this industry for sure vs an office job but there’s more risk here so its our duty to get good sleep and be prepared so we can do the best job

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

The fact that I am still here getting to tattoo everyday. There can be a lot of drugs and alcohol misuse in this industry and I am proud of myself for never getting sucked into that lifestyle.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I feel very lucky. I haven’t had a lot of issues or lessons I had to learn the hard way. I have relocated to US from Ukraine and learn a whole new language which was very hard but I always beleive if you are a good person and have integrity with your work, the right people will find you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://slavabodrovtattoos.com
• Instagram: bodrov_artist
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Slava-Bodrov/100063527555108/?mibextid=LQQJ4d