We were lucky to catch up with Vincent Merys recently and have shared our conversation below.

Vincent, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I was 19 years old when I first Started getting tattooed. That was in 2007. We had cell phones but social media was just starting to hit the mainstream and there wasn’t a ton of exposure to tattooing outside of one tv show and magazines. Styles of tattooing were still a mystery to the general public and tattooers were like wizards. There were fewer people in the profession and they seemed to exist in a sub culture all their own. Getting any type of info on tattooing required a fair amount of digging. I had no idea that ten years after that I would be in an apprenticeship. At that time in my life I was pursuing the lavished life of trying to become a secondary education art teacher. I loved tattoos and felt connect to the life style due to my more bohemian upbringing but tattooing seemed out of my reach. After grueling my way through letting my dreams go and working as a Custodian for the Independence School District I had a spiritual revelation that lead me to my apprenticeship. I have the info on that in a previous interview so I won’t dive into that too much. What is a story unto itself is the amount of information that poured out of the craft.
Dale Williamson was my mentor and he made sure that I would get a traditional apprenticeship. My first tasks were refining my drawing and history lessons about tattooing. I was assigned regular art project and research. Countless hours of drawing and critique. If my drawings didn’t meet my mentors standard they were abounded and often thrown away. Dale provided me with tons of information through books, specific videos, and a lot of personal instruction. Along with drawing I had to become familiar with tattooers that came before me and existing present greats. It was not too difficult for me to become obsessed with all of this because it appealed to my love of technique and art history only this was living in the present. In art history everyone is dead. In tattooing many great tattooers still live and I had the opportunity to be a part of that history.
Next came the more technical side of the craft. I had to learn how to set up and break down stations properly, which it was my job to set up and breakdown my mentors station. I had to learn how to build needles and set up a machine properly as well as being able to name every part of the machine from memory. In order to start tattooing I was required to purchase a liner coil machine and a shader coil machine (which were gifted to me by my Dad and friend) and I was taught how to assemble and tune them. I learned how to cut springs for my machines, and how to tune them both by ear and through power supply readings.
Next came learning how to book appointments, handling supply orders, and meeting state regulations. If you don’t learn how to book your appointments properly then you can easily put yourself in some very difficult situations. That means you have to be able to know execution timing. You needs supplies to operate and those come from a variety of sources. To get licensed through the state I was required to go through CPR, AED, and blood born pathogen training. Since tattooing is technically a medical procedure it is important to know how to hand a number of different medical situations as they arrive and either solve them or know the correct path to begin.
During all of this I was required to tattoo on myself first. Luckily I had several personal friends, family, and friends of the shop that I was in no short supply of people to tattoo on. Some apprentices start off tattooing on fake skin or pig skin. Not me. My mentor had a very “sink or swim” appearance to some of my lessons. I stepped straight into tattooing on people. Learning how to deal with inflicting pain for long periods of time was very difficult for me and dealing with the responsibility of placing a permanent make on another persons body. My mentor would constantly have to remind me to forget about my client’s feelings, slow down, and focus on what I was doing.
I was provided with a very challenging apprenticeship in a number of ways but it made me a better person all the way around. It instilled passion, drive, focus, mental durability, and conviction. If your apprenticeship is ease then you and your mentor need to dive in deeper. Your very character needs to be challenged because tattooing has every vice that you could imagine at your finger tips. I have seen several tattooers fall claim to addiction and destructive life styles. That is a narrative I hope changes in the tattooing world.
I thought that I had tattooing in the bag until I moved to Bleeding Heart Tattoo. What most people don’t realize is how much of an entrepreneur you have to be in order to thrive. I became friends with Dan Kubin and that became a turning point in my career. He really took me under his wing and provided some life changing avenues. He directed me towards Jeremy Angotti who owns Bleeding Heart. Jeremy immediately made me feel welcome. Once a spot came open at the shop he got me in and was very patient with my lack of experience. Just for the record Jeremy has remained one of the most supportive people I have ever met! Once I was established at the shop Chris Layman taught me a lot about illustration, compression, and took on the mutual project with Dan Kubin of teaching me more about rotary tattoo machines. Also at the shop Nathan Church made it business strategy very available for me. He taught me a lot about marketing and social media. Between Jeremy, Chris, and Nathan it seemed like a second apprenticeship. They really taught me how to see beneath the surface of tattooing.

Vincent, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I spent a long time lost. I originally started going to college to become an art teacher but after I went through a divorce at 23, I felt lost and unable to believe in myself. My self esteem dropped vary low and I lost the ability to believe in myself. I had a job as a custodian . It paid decently and came with benefits. I ,ace just enough money to survive. I thought that was all I would ever do, which was not bad, but it wasn’t me. I did that for seven years. Everyday felt like a piece of myself was being taken away. I still had my art but it had become more hidden. I drew and painted by myself and lost the drive to grow as an artist. Abandoning art all together seemed very appealing but I just could not walk away from it. My passion was a mirror showing me that I was wearing a mask an not meaning my full potential. When I met my current wife and we became friends she sparked something new in me. She is a naturally rebellious person. When I first saw her she was punk rock incarnate! So cool!! As we began dating and then got married she continuously tried to show me how to believe in myself. Yet despite her best efforts and the efforts of my friends and family, I could not find that light within myself. I just constantly saw a failure in that mirror. A slave to my inner demons and self doubt. I was becoming increasingly cynical and emotionally distant. On day while sitting in my office, with my head in my hands, I desperately pleaded to God for as clear of an answer as possible. I am a stupid human with limited sight so I needed absolute clarity.
I believe that God pointed me to Dale. He was working on trying to open up a shop in Harrisonville and it looked like he had very little help. I saw a misunderstood lone wolf standing in the face of a challenge despite all odds. I spoke with my wife about wanting to apprentice and she immediately supported and encouraged me!! Through fear and disbelief I gathered the courage to speak with Dale and he agreed to take me on.
As Dale would say I went “from toilets to tattoos”! I got the opportunity to help build Minus 1 Tattoo. That was one of the most challenging and beautiful times of my life. It is amazing the world that you can discover if you just allow yourself to be uncomfortable. I learned that whether I would look like an idiot no matter what so I might as well own my imperfections. To be honest I think that is one of the greatest gifts that tattooing has provided for me. To own who you are grants you the power to also change who you are. We are all idiots and insufficient in some way. Once deal with that then you can move forward. Ego is a blindfold. It will tell you that you are in control. At that moment is when failure is the closest.
This isn’t about tattooing anymore. This is about growth. Tattooing is my vehicle to understanding myself and others just a little better. What I provide is not just a tattoo and that goes for most tattooers. We are artists, therapists, comedians, engineers, entrepreneurs, political influencers, business owners, independent contractors, dads, moms, sons, daughters, friends, students, and public figures. I see people start getting tattooed and I see them emerge from their shell. I see our manifestation of the ability to change on a regular basis. This isn’t a tattoo. You are decorating your temple. What is I. That temple is up to you.
In the past three years I have progressively tried to take on the role and label of being a Christian tattooer. That is a very uncomfortable subject for many people. That doesn’t mean that I only work with people of my same beliefs. It is actually the opposite. My mission in tattooing is not ever to judge. That is not my job. I want to do my best to mimic unconditional love represented by the figure of Christ. I want tattooing to be connective force. I want to help people feel more at home in their own skin and to show that they are worth loving no matter what they think of themselves. Being a Christian tattooer means I want everyone who sits in my chair to feel safe, accepted, and included.
Now don’t get me wrong. I am still a tattooer. I cuss, I tell dirty joke, and I have a bit of a temper. I am still in love with the daring life of being a tattooer. Being meek does not mean being weak. I am a Christian not a saint. That is one of my greatest gifts. Because I have experience an number of economic groups and many different sub cultures, I can find common ground with most people. Connection and progress need to be the target no matter where you are at or whatever you do. I have the opportunity to help my clients believe in themselves!!

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Being a creative person means you need time. Time to experience. Time to process. Time to create. Time to explore. Time to think. Time to research. Finally time to be a human being. We do not have an instruction manual on how to be an artist. Can can learn to make marks but artistic sight is a huge process. It takes a lot of reinvention of perspective and understanding to continue grow in perspective. If you have an artist in your life be patient. Creativity is not a drive threw at a burger shop. You can’t just buy creativity. Creativity is an exploration both of what has been created and what can be created.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My mission is love. How can there be any other goal. I want to be the best tattooer I can be so that I can illustrate love better. I want to provide empowerment, resilience, self esteem, and community. Tattoos help us show, not only others, but also ourselves who we really are. We need this exposure in order to grow and appreciate ourselves and each other.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.tattoosbymrvincent@gmail.com
• Instagram: tattoos_by_mr.vincent
• Other: www.bleedinghearttattoo.com@bleedinghearttattoo