247 Ink Magazine (August/September) 2016 Issue #10 | Page 26

Oh yea. I get people from Jersey, NYC, Colorado, Canada, it’s great. People don’t realize how much Ink Master and magazines like your’s really do for your career. It’s not selling out, it’s called promoting. You own a business, you are a business man. Just because you’re an artist it doesn’t matter if you are a cake decorator, photographer, writer, painter, you’re an artist and if you want to retire at some point you have to do business. Reach the masses, reach the people. You can’t stay in a fishbowl. Tell us about your shop. (laughs) My shop is very interesting. I really think you can film a TV show there. My manager is Italian, has long dreads, he’s a fine art painter, he taught art Oh, Tommy Slocum, love Tommy! And great work. Yea, Tommy! Paints crazy! Looks like a hippie but the most straight laced family guy, loves the Raiders, and I have an ex female body builder named Dawn, tattoos on her head, completely bald, lips out to here, her tits were double M’s, weigh 10 pounds a piece, she dabbled in adult entertainment, great artist, amazing artist, ex professional body builder, she’s a monster, she outlifts every guy in the gym. I have a guy named Big D, he’s about 5 foot 6 and 700 pounds, so you think you’re walking into a fucking carnival (laughs) I’m not lyin’ man it is fuckin Oh My God! I had a piercer who is half black, he’s Jamaican and Jewish, Jewmaican, and people thought he was gay but he wasn’t. You walk in and think what the fuck is going on here! 8 artists. Took all the money from the show, invested in the shop, 3800 Square feet, 11 employees, it’s a business. Yes, it’s art but it is a business and you’re providing a service for people. 24 What do you do for fun? I golf a lot. I’m a big golfer. It’s the most challenging thing I’ve ever done. I used to