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

Toni, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Alright, let’s take a stroll on memory lane, back to when you were an apprentice or intern. What’s a memorable story from that time that you can share with us?

I had no idea what to expect looking for an apprenticeship. I had just decided against going to college for jewelry design and knew I had my opportunity to follow a long time dream of becoming a tattoo artist. I knew that I had to at least try, right? Even if I failed I knew that I’d regret it forever if I never made the effort. I definitely got a couple hard, discouraging “no”s before meeting my mentor. This definitely made me determined to not waste this opportunity and I was set on learning everything he was willing to teach me. I appreciate that despite any hard experiences I’ve had during my apprenticeship that by the end I was able to tattoo, and that I feel like I’ve learned more than just that.

I remember trying to build my clientele, and having lots of long days and nights without any tattoos to do simply because I was inexperienced. I’m sure a lot of people can relate to that struggle! But when I finally had people willing to trust me, and finally started to be able to get the ball rolling, I also remember the anxiety that came with it. The fear that kept me from tattooing right when I turned 18 came back, what if I messed up? What if I ruined this next tattoo? What if I made the wrong choice and wasted all my time and resources following a futile dream? I couldn’t turn back now, after finally getting my foot in the door. But I was also struggling mentally with my self doubt. I tried to talk to my mentor about this, and his reply still echos to me. He said “Toni, it’s just a tattoo!” Pats my shoulder and walks away. I was stunned, how could he feel that way!? He, at the time, 25 years into this and making his living off of “just tattoo”s. I thought about it for the next few days. Maybe he was right, our lives are a lot more than the tattoo in front of us, though each one was an opportunity to learn and get better. Soon after, someone walked into the shop wanting a tattoo. I started to set up my station, and started to feel the nervousness and anxiety come back. Then, I thought “Toni, it’s just a tattoo. You know how to do this!” And feeling relieved. I did the tattoo and it went great, ended with a happy client! That’s when I realized what he was trying to tell me. Nothing was holding me back from being confident except for my own doubt, not my skill and certainly not my drive. Anytime after that I became nervous, I just told myself, it’s just a tattoo. Obviously, I understand the significance of what I do and what tattoos mean to people, but being able to separate myself from that to get the job done without the anxiety has been such a change in how I approach my work and my life. I’m now able to step back from that and just focus on the idea, how to achieve the tattoo I’m trying to, and by the end of it thankfully have happy clients who comment how they’d never be able to do what I do because of their own anxiety.

Now that I’m 10 and a half years into my own tattoo career, with my own apprentice, I’m able to separate necessary anxiety from my own self doubt and nerves. I also feel like I’m able to help her and the people around me understand that separation without so much guesswork on their part. It took a long time, but besides the ability my mentor taught me, I feel this was the most valuable lesson I was able to take away from my own apprenticeship. It’s changed the way I interact with clients, coworkers and life. I can only hope that I can have that type of impact on the people I’m around in the next parts of my career.

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

I was born and raised on the island of Oahu, Hawaii and have always had a creative drive. I would draw a lot as a kid, and knew I wanted to be creative as an adult though didn’t know how I’d achieve that.

Tattoos are fairly common in Hawaii, particularly Polynesian and Asian styles as it is deeply rooted in the culture of many of the people born there. So since I was young I was pretty familiar with what a tattoo was, and fascinated with them. I’d never had the confidence to pursue that growing up. When I graduated high school, I decided to work full time. I never had my heart set on a career path and refused to pay for college without a clear goal in mind.

After a couple years of that, I knew I wanted to experience more than what I’ve known on the island. I decided to move to San Diego, with an idea to follow jewelry design after working in a jewelry store. San Diego particularly because of the GIA campus in Carlsbad. Though after moving here, and touring the campus, I realized I might not be a good fit for the industry. I withdrew my application and went back to working. It didn’t take long for me to realize, I’ve made a huge jump, without any family in the area and if I could do that confidently, maybe it was worth a try to go back to my interest in tattoos.

I had a portfolio of drawings, my truck and a dream. I went to a few shops, asking questions hoping for the best and was almost immediately turned away. I knew it would be a hard thing to get into and so I did my best to not to be discouraged. With time, I met my mentor who agreed to take me on and within a couple months of moving to California, I started a whole new path.

It was definitely not easy. I started by working 7 days a week, mostly cleaning and doing desk work, learning the back end of what I’d need to do on a daily basis. I guess I was able to prove I would not give up, I was told how they’ve had people try and eventually quit because they did not put in the time or work. I then moved down to 6 days a week and began really learning how to tattoo. Like a lot of artists, I had to do my first few pieces on myself. A painful but rewarding experience. Slowly, I began to meet people, make clients and grow as an artist. After about a year, my apprenticeship was considered complete and all I needed was time and experience to continue to get better.

I now offer almost all styles of tattooing, including permanent cosmetics and cover up work, piercings and have done commissioned traditional art pieces for private clients and businesses. If I had to say something about all of it I’m most proud of, it’d be that I always do my best to have satisfied clients, while being able to be honest with my abilities. There’s been times I’ve turned away work knowing there’s other artists who could achieve the clients goal better. I feel like that sense of honesty can be lost with some people and only results in people being forced to pay for, and sometimes wear for a long time, things they aren’t happy with. There’s also times that I’ve been able to help people who have been turned away by others because others have not been willing to put the effort and time in on their ideas and vision. I think this makes cover up work the most rewarding, they’re definitely not the easiest pieces to work on, but helping someone who has felt ashamed of something they’ve had to wear for a long time finally feel confident in their skin again doesn’t compare to much else I can do.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Providing good services to the best of my abilities, and just being honest! I think “word of mouth” is still the best way I’ve been able to grow my clientele. When you do good work, at a fair price and provide and enjoyable experience for everyone you work with it definitely helps! It takes time, but has been more effective than any ad or service I’ve paid for to help get my name out.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

“The customer is always right”. I know that sounds horrible but hear me out! I have many people that tell me how helpful it has been to be able to come to a professional that can be honest with them instead of just saying “yes” to everything they say. I’ve had people walk in with an idea in their head, and once I’ve been able to explain that it might not work they way they’re thinking and suggest an alternative way to achieve their ideas they tend to be happier in the end than if I just did exactly what they said. It also helps build a sense of trust. Some people can be offended by being told their ideas might not work, but once you explain your experience and what you think might work better they tend to understand that there is a reason you do what you do and why you say what you say.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @tonitakaaa
• Email: [email protected]