Today we’d like to introduce you to Joshua Blevins.
Hi Joshua, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I don’t really know how far back to go with my story, but I guess my tattoo journey started about 10 years ago while I was attending SDSU and living in Logan Heights with my dad. For years I had been experiencing crazy, unwanted changes in my body like rapid weight gain, severe depression, insomnia, etc. In the Fall of 2012, I was attending Pepperdine University until a team of doctors finally discovered that I had a brain tumor, forcing me to move back home to San Diego and basically start my life over.
For over a year after my tumor removal surgery, I struggled getting back to being myself. Normal things like walking, eating, even talking were difficult and exhausting. I even ended up losing over sixty pounds in less than a year; eventually, however, I got back on my feet and started to reevaluate my life. I had this pressing feeling like I had been given a second chance at life which created this burning desire to do something different. So, in early 2014 I started a band with a couple of my friends from high school. We called ourselves Gunner Gunner.
Around this same time, I wanted to get a tattoo to commemorate what I had been through with my tumor. A couple of years prior, I had gotten a tattoo by Randy Janson (real old-school guy) at a shop that used to be in the building where Border X Brewing is now called Two Roses. I remember walking into that shop and being enamored by how well put together it was. It was so clean, and the smell of green soap captivated me as soon as I walked in. I distinctly remember a dope lowrider bike hanging from the wall. The vibe was right on point; I just think the shop was too early for its time to be in Logan. Ben Grillo actually used to work there too, anyways…the tattoo Randy had given me was nice, but this time around I wanted to make sure I was getting the absolute best work in the game. Back in those days, Tumblr was a big deal, so I looked up “best black and grey tattoo artists” on there, and that’s how I found Miguel Ochoa and Lowrider Tattoo.
I had never seen the quality of work that was coming out of Lowrider at that time. I mean these guys were doing real art pieces on people’s skin, but it had that Chicano Street flavor. I almost didn’t believe it was real. So, I booked my appointment, and a had to wait about 4 months until I made the drive up for my appointment. This shop was a completely different vibe. Everything in the shop was posh; I’m talking imported tile from Italy, crown molding on the ceilings, Greco-Roman statues, and amazing art everywhere. I was simply blown away. All the dudes there seemed like a family. It’s hard to explain, but within the fine-line black and grey community, Lowrider is its own lane. I just felt at home there. It felt like I was kicking it in my neighborhood back in SD on 30th and Oceanview. I felt like this was the energy where the murals from Chicano Park came from, and I loved it.
For the next five years, I would continue to come back and get tattooed by Miguel, and every time (during our 10+ hour sessions), I fell more in love with the connection a tattoo artist can make with their client. During this time, my band Gunner Gunner actually ended up doing very well within the San Diego music scene. We got a decent amount of radio play on 91X, toured the country, won “best local rock band” from 105.3, played a bunch of amazing shows, and even got picked up by a handful of big companies like Tribal Streetwear and Coldcock Whiskey. They even gave us a limo! Haha.
But eventually, I saw us slowing down and began to ask myself what I was going to do with the rest of my life. I knew I couldn’t work a normal nine to five after what I had experienced with my band. So, one day I was getting tattooed, and I nervously asked Miguel what he thought about me becoming a tattoo artist. I didn’t grow up drawing or anything. He responded by telling me that he had never seen me draw, but because of my character, he believed I could do it. That day he gave me a tattoo machine, ink, needles…everything I needed to get started. He told me he couldn’t mentor me at the moment but to reach out to him anytime I had questions.
So, I went home inspired and started trying to learn. I would wake up at 6 AM every day and draw until 1 or 2 in the morning. When I wasn’t drawing, I was reading books to try and build my mental toughness and educate myself. I was so bad at drawing; I would literally go to bed crying because I never thought I would be good enough. And I would tattoo my homies out of my friend’s kitchen for free just to get some practice (thank God for them). Eventually, though, I got to a point where I was confident enough to try and get an apprenticeship somewhere. So, I went into the best black and grey shop I could find, which at the time was Nittis. I got an apprenticeship, and eventually, Nittis became what is now Gold Rose Tattoo on Logan Avenue. I find it kind of funny that I ended up working at a shop directly next door to the building where I got my very first tattoo.
Gold Rose was awesome and will always hold a special place for me, but a couple of years later, I had the opportunity to work at Lowrider, so I took the chance and moved to LA. And that’s how I’m here now. I’m grateful for all that I have been through because tattooing has given me a beautiful life, and now, I’ve traveled all over the world with my work.
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?
This journey has been the most difficult thing I’ve ever endured. There were points in my early stages where I was so broke, I had to sleep on my friend’s couch, be on EBT, and charge birds’ scooters just to get by. I make it a point now to always give back to the people that gave me a place to sleep or helped me along the way.
Even now, tattooing challenges me to be a better version of myself every day.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a fine-line black and grey tattoo artist. I specialize in Chicano style (religious work, lettering, statues, roses, Chicano themes pieces). I would say I’m most known for my lettering and roses.
I’m most proud of my story. I didn’t come from an artistic background in a drawing sense. So, I’ve had to work extremely hard to get to where I am now, and I’m still very far from my goal.
I think what sets me apart is I was only a client for years before I even knew I wanted to tattoo. So, the client will always come first for me. My favorite part of my job is being someone that my clients can vent and relate to. I tell people all the time that everybody has that one thing in their life that is the hardest thing they’ve ever been through. For me, it was my tumor, but for others, it’s losing a job, or a breakup, or relocating to a new city. I love being the person that gets to hear their story and let them know that their voice is heard and appreciated.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I currently live in Belmont Shore, Long Beach. I love it because it reminds me a lot of San Diego, it’s laid back, right by the beach, and people are nice.
If we are talking about San Diego, I love that city for everything it is. Having lived in Logan for a long time, I have had the privilege of seeing a side of San Diego that a lot of people don’t realize exist. I love how rich and vibrant the culture in is Logan and in San Diego as a whole. Form the food, the people, just the overall vibe is amazing. I also love how diverse the city is in general. You can drive 15 minutes in any direction, and it’ll be a different feeling. LA isn’t like that as much.
Pricing:
- $1,200 per day
- $750 half day
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @joshuablevins
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfZ0opK7pR1umTNAPjM1lqw
