247 Ink Magazine (December/January) 2015-2016 Issue #6 | Page 147

Let’s start off with your background. You’ve been into art for years now correct pretty much your whole life, did you start off with drawing or were you into a little bit of everything? Was there a specific genre? Drawing, painting and sculptures. Was that something that you started getting into on your own or did you take classes? I just think it’s genetic; a genetic trait. What was it about tattooing that brought you into that “genre of art”? When I started tattooing it wasn’t popular yet. It was just something to stand out. It was just something that caught my interest. At that point I was into painting. I was into illustration but people weren’t purchasing my art. I just thought it would be an easier way. There weren’t any black tattoo artists around. I just thought it would help me stand out a little bit more with my other art forms. In “Color Outside the Lines” you touch a little bit on your background and how you received your first few tattoo machines. Was it your known artistry that brought those people to you as your first canvases? I’m from Asheville which is pretty small. Everybody knew me and worked with me. It was more like a family vibe. It was like “Oh Miya he’s about to get 145