Today we’d like to introduce you to Justin Wilson.
Hi Justin, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I started Tattooing while I was still on active duty. One of my teammates owned a shop in Imperial Beach, and did my apprenticeship there. As soon as my apprenticeship was over, I ended up with orders to the east coast and I had to put tattooing on hold for a while. Once I was on shore duty, I had enough free time to start tattooing again, and I started tattooing at a shop in Norfolk, VA. Working mainly nights and weekends. The second I had a machine in my hands again, I knew this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
So after 12 years of naval service, I got out and moved back home to California and used my Post 9/11 G.I. Bill to earn a Bachelors of Fine Arts (BFA 2015) and a Masters of Fine Arts (MFA 2017) from Otis College of Art and Design. I tattooed at a few different shops while going to school in L.A. and I also started sailing professionally. After grad school, I traveled all around the world, tattooing and sailing for a couple years and somehow ended back here in San Diego, where it all began. Now for the last 2 years, I’ve been tattooing full time at The King’s Head Tattoo in Pacific Beach.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
The transition out of the Navy was rough. I left the extremely close nit Naval Special Warfare community to follow my passion. Anything worthwhile you have to earn, and tattooing is no different. I had to work my way up. The GI Bill coved the tuition and gave some money to live off but that didn’t cover everything. So I would work after school 6 days a week at a shop in Inglewood. My shift was 4pm until midnight and if someone walked in at 11:55, didn’t matter you tattooed them. So there would be nights where I wouldn’t get out of there until 4 or 5 am. Get home, grab a couple hours of sleep and then get to class by 8:15. It was brutal.
As I’m sure you can imagine, this also made it very difficult to have a relationship of any kind. So the first few years of undergrad were a blur of school, tattoo, repeat. It wasn’t until Grad school that I really found my stride and was able to balance work and school and start to travel and hit the tattoo conventions.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a Tattoo Artist, painter and writer. I specialize in black and grey, traditional tattoos and single needle tattoos. I’ve won awards for my tattoos in Ireland, Romania (Transylvania), and all over the United States. I am known for my details, nautical themes and sea stories. I’m most proud of the fact that I have tattooed on 5 continents. One of the things that sets me apart in my life experience, I’ve been all over the globe, and everywhere I travel I try to learn as much as o can about the local stories, customs, traditions, mythologies and incorporate them in my client’s tattoos.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
At the beginning of the pandemic, I was able to take things in stride with a problem. I was creating new paintings and writing stories, but time went on, I lost all motivation and things got dark. I was forced to sit with myself and face some internal things that I would ignore by keeping busy all the time. I had to work through some really difficult things and I am finally starting to feel like myself again and creating like never before!
Contact Info:
- Email: Justin@thelostviking.us
- Instagram: @the.lost.viking
Image Credits
Jay Pro
