247 Ink Magazine (December/January) 2016 Issue#12 | Page 217

You’re another one of those guys to come away from the show without the viewers knowing just how good you really are. Some people’s work gets lost because people with bigger personalities are getting the spotlight, or editing, or bad luck on challenge of the day or whatever it might be, but when people see their work after the show, there’s that “holy shit” light bulb that goes off. I’ve seen you work at enough conventions now to know you do really solid work and often leave the conventions with an arm full of trophies. Do you feel people didn’t get to see your best work on the show, and if so, why not? Which is crazy because this weekend I got to sit next to Reese Hilburn from Tattoo Nightmares Miami, I shared a booth with her, and she saw me knock out some tattoos this weekend and and saw me take home tattoo of the day on Saturday, and Emily Elegado, and Mark Longnecker and some others, and got to see what I’m capable of this weekend and America didn’t get to see what I can do but I’m not gonna hold that as a crutch. It inspired me to go out and go “Hey, I’m not that artist, I’m better than that artist than what was portrayed. You know, almost every single artist I’ve seen has been a better tattoo artist than they’ve been shown. 215