We were lucky to catch up with Tony Ezzell recently and have shared our conversation below.

Tony, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

Areola reconstruction/repigmentation for breast cancer survivors. The opportunity to use tattooing to help someone heal and become whole again is easily the most meaningful thing I have done within the realm of tattooing. When I first learned it was something possible to do with tattooing, I immediately began learning the process and offering my services free of charge to anyone that could benefit from it. Every time I work with a survivor, it is a humbling and joy-filled experience for me.

Tony, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’ve always been fascinated by tattoos, as far back as I can remember. I was always an artist, but I was also always told that it’s not possible to make a decent living as an artist. So, to earn a living, I joined the Army. I served until retirement, a full 20 years. I began tattooing while still in service, and immediatly knew this is what I was going to end up doing with my life. Shortly before I retired, I opened my tattoo studio, Space Wizards Tattoo, in Killeen, Texas.

Being a nerdy/geeky kid myself, I wanted a place where clients like myself would feel comfortable. Our studio is heavily decorated with Star Wars, sci-fi, comic book, anime, horror, and other fandom subject matter. It’s pretty standard to walk into a discussion revolving around Dungeons and Dragons and how anime characters would fit into that world. Our goal is to take the things our clients love most in the world and immortalize that passion in art. Art they get to wear on them for the rest of their lives! And getting to celebrate our mutual fandoms on a daily basis isn’t all that bad, either!

In addition to standard tattooing, I also offer a few select services pro bono. I cover gang/racist/extremist tattoos, perform areola repigmentation for breast cancer survivors, and offer Operation Tattooing Freedom tattoo therapy sessions all free of charge. I truly believe that if I can use tattooing as a means of helping people move past terrible things in their lives, I should. With great power comes great responsibility. Thanks Stan Lee!

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Being able to pass down my knowledge and provide the next generation of artists a safe, educational place to learn and develop their skills. Tattooing is the best job on Earth. Owning my own studio provides me the opportunity to take on apprentices and help someone else discover this amazing career. Watching our most recent apprentices learn and grow and develop into the amazing artists they are now has definitely been among the most rewarding things I’ve ever done.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Buy art from local artists. The absolute best way to support artists is by supporting them, lol. Share their work, buy from them, hire their services. If you see something a local artist created on a social media platform, give it a share. If you hear a song you like by a local musician, post about it on your social media. The next time you’re planning a party or event, look for a local standup comic to host. If you want to be in a community that has a strong artistic and creative presence, make that community hospitable for the artists and creatives.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @spacewizardstattoo
• Facebook: /spacewizardstattoo

Image Credits
AJ Arrington, Blurred Linez Photography