An Inspired Chat with Justin Walker

Justin Walker shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Justin, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What do you think is misunderstood about your business? 
A common misconception people have about my industry is that just because you do good work, doesn’t mean you stay booked. There are many great singers who will never see a stage because they never learned to perform. Being a tattooist requires discipline. We must go through feast and famine cycles until patience teaches us consistency, structure and balance. These days, having a healthy shop requires marketing and branding which is new to the business side of tattoo culture as advertising or word of mouth was the most prevalent and effective way a shop stayed buzzing. It’s good to be a great artist. But without visibility and connection, you are like a child whispering for attention; in room filled with noise.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is JustIn Walker. My roots in tattooing are deep. My father picked up the trade when I was about 10 years old. I didn’t care or think too much of it as I didn’t see him much as my parents were divorced but when as I got older, I was able to spend more time with him and started to become curious about tattoos. At 13, I did my first tattoo on him at a shop no longer named Lady Luck in Hemet, CA. It was moth to a flame or like when a wand finds its wizard. When I turned 18, my wife and I moved away from California to settle in Greer, South Carolina where I learned and worked with my father for 7 years. After Quarantine in 2020, my heart felt the need for change and we parted ways as I set out to partner with another artist to open a studio together although, he ended up moving back to Atlanta and I stayed to break ground in Greenville setting my sights on opening the first tattoo facility allowed in Downtown since the legalization of tattooing in 2004. After 3 years of waiting, challenging bureaucracy, and heartbreak from our initial location falling through due to a fire half way through construction, I finally made my mark in tattoo history by opening the first tattoo shop in Downtown Greenville. Something I was told wasn’t possible. But that is the spirit I hope to share with the world through my work and studio. Tattooing is grit, tenacity, patience and determination. That’s why I’ve chosen to practice tattooing traditionally while reimagining the iconic imagery of Americana and Japanese with a Westerner’s perspective as the motifs found are often symbolic representations or interpretations of heroes, legends, myths and stories; it is same well of inspiration that my father and forefathers of tattooing were drawing from. A well full of blood, sweat and ink. My fathers pursuit of a better life for his family and my forefathers pursuit of how to be a positive light in a community shunned by society. But this torch I carry must be handed down someday that’s why I am also dedicated to education and global connection to inspire, equip and encourage the next generation. This is the tradition and burden I have been blessed with. To paint, tattoo, inspire and build an empire not for my personal gain but to preserve the oldest living art form known to mankind in a digital age. I am a tattooist of the old school in the modern era here service a select few and to do what good I can do for the rest of my life.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
The boy who was never seen. I grew up in an abusive home but the kind no one would believe me or could save me. My father left when I was 5 and while we reconnected later in life, he was even still like a stranger in way. At the end of all the roads of misery and heartache, I was a boy who had to learn to be a man on his own. Life is scary for a child. Monsters under the bed turn into nightmares making homes in their head. But I have a family now. A wife who loves and tolerates me. Children who don’t worry if dad is coming home or if he loves them. My childhood was a ghost that haunted me but now it is a story of a man in the making. That boy may have never been seen. But he will be remembered as a hero that saved this broken hearted man, who became a legend no one will forget.

When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
When I found the beauty in fallibility. I taught myself to draw ambidextrous as a homage to Pinky Yun, a tattooist who has now passed away. But that taught me to embrace shakey lines and treat every “mistake” as a surprise. I often find that lessons learned in art or technique have a deep symbolic value and lesson I can apply to life. This one showed me that success is on the other side of failure. And even then, who determines failure but the critique and standards of another? So it’s a waste. The measure of value for something you create is never in your control. You will often hate it and love it all at the same time. But there will always be someone out there who sees something “imperfect” and says “there it is! Just like me! I’ll take it!” Failure can be painful. Especially in a world where failure is punished and shamed. But I’ve learned there are people who have big hearts and brains so no point in being afraid cause you will always find someone who loved what you made.

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Is the public version of you the real you?
It’s a real version in the sense of I’m really giving people a real experience as much as I can for them to be comfortable with me. As you could tell, I am a poet at heart. I think literature is powerful and I was very influenced by ancient literature like the bible, authors stoicism, philosophers and works of poetry. But in my experience, most are uncomfortable with it for any given reason. However, there are times when the pressure has to be released so, if you’re reading this, when you get to know the real me, you will find I am like a jukebox. You put a coin in it, you’re gonna hear the full song whether you like it or not. I’ve just learned to also maintain a certain amount of composure for the sake of professionalism and respect for people’s intelligence or my presence. I truly do not intend for that to come off pretentious or contentious. It is only because I have experienced the general public’s comments, concerns or criticism first hand due to social media’s influence on our perception that projects a misconception of “sanity”. I found that my position and in my profession, this “kind of talk or behavior” for a man covered in pictures can have implications. Maybe I am insane, but at least I have a brain.

Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What light inside you have you been dimming?
I guess the one just mentioned. Maybe other men and women of renaissance out there would understand but I am a misfit of misfits. I have struggled to find a puzzle in which I fit. I love to skateboard, listen to rap, metal, country, all of it but I also bake, read, write, play video games day and night. I’m a bit elusive like a fox whose tail the hound can’t seem to catch but I like that. I embrace the me but I also embrace that I am a service provider who has dedicated his life to mastering his craft, providing a service and doing all of this with clarity. So while yes, sometimes I may be a bit shy and disobey the Lord’s advice to not shade my light, I do so only because I am still in a place where I haven’t found freedom from financial distress and my family needs me to be my best. So maybe one day, I’ll let put that lamp back on my nightstand but I promise, that flame can never die or burnout. I’ve already been to my mind’s “abyss” and found my way out.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Justinwalkertattoo.com
• Instagram: @Justinwalkertattoo
• Linkedin: justinwalkertattoo
• Twitter: justinwalkertattoos
• Facebook: justinwalkertattoo
• Youtube: justinwalkertattoo

Image Credits
Kaydee Hughes Photography
[email protected]