Today we’d like to introduce you to Angel Martinez.
Hi Angel, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I hadn’t necessarily thought about becoming a tattoo artist my entire life however, as long as I could remember I’ve been into drawing or some form of art. I worked a bunch of odd jobs prior to tattooing the last job I worked was Walmart as an overnight stocker. Around November of 2012, I walked into a smoke shop in Imperial Beach called inner visions they had tattoo equipment in the display and I purchased it immediately thinking I had what was necessary to perform a tattoo. They gave me advice to start tattooing oranges or bananas to start practicing. At the time, my mother had banana trees in her backyard so I had a surplus of bananas to tattoo. I started tattooing skulls and roses on the peels then did my first tattoo on myself November 22, 2012. I got fired from my position days before Christmas and I thought to myself “I’m tired of my life being in the hands of someone else” so I decided to fully commit to pursuing tattooing thinking that was the sure way to become my own boss one day. That Christmas, my mother was upset that I had lost my job, I really couldn’t keep a job at the time. She gifted me a laptop as a present. Wanted me to have something that would help me pursue tattooing and obviously researching images is a must. I went to go grab it from her hands and she held onto it very firmly. Forced me to lock eyes with her and she said “promise me no matter how hard, or how difficult things may become in your journey make tattooing the last job you ever do” I respectfully accepted her request and the gift and I’ve been tattooing ever since. I started apprenticing when I was 20 years old. I’m currently 29 years old and I feel like I will forever Continue being a student of art. At 24, a business opportunity to take over the current tattoo shop that I operate presented itself. All my coworkers at the time voted and granted me that permission to step forward and take responsibility for the studio. I renamed the shop 3rd Avenue tattoo in 2017 and have been running it now for five years. I really don’t have much of a secret to success since I’m clearly still trying to understand what that means to me. Being obsessed and passionate about what you do and truly loving it is really what I can speak about. Applying positivity and all your genuine intent on your goals can breed positive manifestations in your life. Trusting the process and not expecting immediate results is the true test of patience and resilience.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I’d say that some of the struggles along the way definitely had a lot to do with me being a young tattoo artist and obviously when you enter any field when you have elders and peers that have far more experience, there’s a lot of room for them to question your intention with you entering any particular industry. Not just anyone is going to take the time to share secrets of the craft or tattooing so you really have to endure many years of being around community members and just visually observing practitioners. To get even a moderate understanding of tattooing. In the ten years that I have been tattooing, I have had to face a lot of challenges on a personal level but also surviving a motorcycle accident at 70 mph and almost dying three years ago Has opened up my eyes to the world and the things within it I truly wish to pursue and connect with.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a Tattoo practitioner of ten years of experience that specializes in neotraditional and art nouveau-inspired artwork. I can definitely admit that I’m known for tattooing structured high color saturation types of work but I generally try keeping within my limitations and only work on tattoos that I know I’m completely able to accomplish for my clients. I feel like I’m most proud of the fact that without any college education without any real sense of guidance, I really did take the time to self-study and evaluate art concepts that I knew would get me closer to my goals and improve my art. You know we all are given choices when it comes to living life and the majority of the time people do become a product of their environment. What I feel does separate me from others is the sole fact that I have an unorthodox perspective and set of beliefs towards life. I’m a very big believer in the idea of coexistence non-judgment live and let live. There are a lot of systems in place and a lot of expectations within society but I feel that every human being possesses a right to be themselves unapologetically. So instead of being distracted by local politics or any other earthly desires, I felt it was best to travel the world internationally and study abroad within my craft because that’s what will truly blossom and give life to my career.
Pricing:
- $100 deposit
- $160 hr
Contact Info:
- Email: angelmtzart@gmail.com
- Website: Instagram.com/thirdavenuetattoos
- Instagram: Instagram.com/tattoos.by.angel
