We recently connected with Zac Brewington and have shared our conversation below.

Zac, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

I am measurably happier as an artist and creative. Prior to working as a tattoo artist, I had several opportunities to work a ‘regular job’, but ultimately they never made me feel fulfilled with the work I did. My first job out of college was a creative job in a corporate company. Even though I was working creatively, I was restricted by company guidelines and expectations. The work never led to work I could be truly happy with, so even in that kind of creative regular job I wasn’t as happy as I am tattooing. I work with other artists and am surrounded by inspiration and talent, it’s an atmosphere conducive to creativity and art. The work is celebrated and appreciated. It also doesn’t hurt that I have more control of my own scheduling and what I get paid.

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

My name is Zachary Brewington, but I go by Zac or 2K. In ’95, I was born in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania and raised by my mother who immigrated from Brazil several years prior and my West Philadelphian father who found work at the casinos, resorts, and country clubs in the Poconos. I remember trying different activities and hobbies growing up, they never restricted me much, but I fell more into sports and academia early in life. I didn’t express much artistic creativity until the end of high school, when I picked up photography. That led to freelance photo work into my college years, which landed me an e-commerce product photography job at QVC when I graduated.

Eventually, I left to work closer to home, which was within Philadelphia city. For a few years, I worked in tech at Apple. It was during my latter years there that I picked up drawing during my lunch breaks. I found I really enjoyed it and it brought some calm throughout the busy days. My growing interest and practice in drawing coupled with my love for things like skateboarding, music, and other forms of counter-culture, the idea of me doing tattoos became a daily consideration.

That was nearly five years ago. Now, I work at Omkara Tattoo as a tattoo apprentice. I have professionally been tattooing at the shop for close to two years. Together, with clients, we find image, art, words, etc. that they would like to permanently decorate their skin with. We provide guidance on where and what looks best on the body. Then, carefully and safely, we perform the art of applying the ink to the skin.

The shop is majority an asian-style aesthetic. That’s our branding and the style of most our artists, however I prioritize American old-school traditional tattoo art. There are a few tenured artists who are very versatile, but I am the only artists in our studio that represents that art style. I am most proud to have found myself in this space, both as a creative and as a professional. It’s validating to me, considering the time before I tried to learn art and tattoo on my own.

Here in South Philly, I offer a warm and professional environment to get tattoo art done. I am client-focused and open to ideas that will bring their vision to life.

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

Society can support artists and creatives early in age and should continue that emphasis throughout higher education. I believe that we can often forget to prioritize ourselves in this increasingly work-oriented world, and historically, we’ve fallen onto the arts to find solace during times of stress and peace. Artistic expression is a fundamental aspect of humanity .

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

During the height of the Covid pandemic, I was working at Apple. I think that time exposed a lot and shifted my priorities. My dissatisfaction with the company was at an all time high, and I felt trapped because I had a decent job that provided fine benefits. Regardless of the benefits and that continuing my work at Apple was the ‘smart’ route, I was unhappy. I decided to pivot. I left a good job to take a risk and pursue something that’s only as guaranteed as the work I put into it. I couldn’t be happier with that decision.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tatt2k.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/z2k.omkara
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/zac2k

Image Credits

Daffeine