Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Xavier Ayers. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Xavier , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

Being able to earn a full-time living from my creative work has been one of the greatest blessings that I have been blessed with. But it did not come easily. In order to reach this point there was a number of sacrifices that I had to make. Whether it was skipping lunch, sleeping in my car, and honestly just having the motivation of my dream to push me further. I found that I truly loved what I do because I didn’t give up, even in those toughest moments. If I would have given up at that time, then I wouldn’t have been able to make it where I am today. It is easy to get overwhelmed with the end goal. But I had faith that if I just didn’t give up, I would be able to make this goal my reality. I am thankful to have been able to do that.

Xavier , 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 am a 29 year old tattoo artist from Albuquerque, New Mexico. I started my apprenticeship in 2020 at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. This was a very trying time because it was extremely challenging to get my business going. Not only because of the pandemic, but also because I had a lot to prove to potential clientele. Through consistency and simply not giving up, I am proud to say that I have been professionally tattooing for nearly 3 years. I focus in Fineline/Black and grey tattoos, but am not limited to that. I love to push myself artistically and creatively whether it is in my craft or even outside of it.

My main focus in the way I do my tattoos is customer satisfaction. In my opinion, at the end of the day giving a tattoo is a collaboration. I give my clients a voice in their project and maintain my best effort in customer service. That is what I feel sets my brand apart from most of my competition. When it comes to customer satisfaction, I am going to give it my 110% effort every single appointment. No matter how big or small.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist I for me is the smile on my customers face when they see their new tattoo. When you put a lot of hard work and effort into a project, it is extremely satisfying to see the customer glow with excitement with their new addition of art ! For me, instagram likes are okay and peer recognition also is a plus. But seeing my client walk out of the door with a smile on their face is definitely the most rewarding and fulfilling.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I think that one important aspect of creativity is understanding that it is okay to learn. It is okay to start something new that you have never tried before. Yes, it is scary. It’s scary to see what people are going to say or how your art may be received. But at the end of the day, in order to reach a destination you need to take the first step. You need to be willing to suck at something in order to be great at anything.. Take the risk, even if it doesn’t go as planned you still have the opportunity to learn from the experience. Try again, and you are going to be better.

Take the RISK!

Contact Info:

• Website: WWW.INKEDBYX.COM
• Instagram: WWW.INSTAGRAM.COM/INKEDBYX

Image Credits
Photographer: Josh Bustamante