Meet Eden Gutstein

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Eden Gutstein. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Eden, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?

For most people, resilience is built through a set of experiences that you were able to overcome and as a result you become better equipped to deal with things in the future. I believe that all people are resilient in one way or another, as everyone has overcome something in their life, and the fact that they’re still here today makes them resilient. As for me, I experienced different things in my life that made me toughen up a bit. First and foremost, I was born in Tel Aviv Israel, and growing up we experienced war. I remember that around the age of 5 years old, we had to wear gas masks to kindergarten during the war, in case we end up getting bombed. We were trained on what to do in case it happens and what we should do incase the bomb alarms start going off. That was our norm and that is how we grew up. At the age of 8 years old, my parents decided to move to California for a few years. Back then I didn’t know any English, and I remember how nervous I was on the first day of third grade, being the only kid that does not speak the language. But I had no choice, I had to learn how to speak English in order to be able to study in class and to be able to make friends. I remember making a decision where I told myself that within three months I will learn English, and that is what ended up happening. I had to adapt to a whole new culture and environment from what I was used to. Two years after that, when I was 10 years old, I started getting sick. No one really knew what was wrong with me, but I persisted with strange symptoms and I knew something was wrong with me. Later on that year I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. When my mother heard the diagnosis she started crying, but in a strange way I felt a sense of relief. I knew that diabetes isn’t a death sentence and that I would be able to adapt to that too. I had to learn how to give myself insulin injections and prick my finger multiple times a day to check my blood sugar levels. I also didn’t want to over react as I knew it was already hard for my parents. I started turning negatives into positives in my head. I saw diabetes as a way to be more aware of my health and never take anything for granted. Life is really a gift and we need to be grateful for our health and for our bodies. A few months after that my family moved back to Israel and it was another thing I had to readjust to. When I turned 20 years old, I ended up moving back to the U.S, this time by myself. I was scared but at the same time I had to remind myself of everything I overcame before, so in a way I allowed myself to just trust. Trust that things will work out even if I don’t have all the answers, even when it seems like I am hitting dead ends. I think that subconsciously, I made the decision to move so far because I wanted to challenge the limits I had with my self. I wanted to test my own resilience, as I knew that if I remove myself from everything I know and start over, it will force me to grow as a person and try harder. Life gets boring when you stay in your comfort zone, so I always like to challenge the boundaries around me to see how far I can go.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

Hi! First of all, thank you so much for reaching out to me and wanting to learn more about my craft! My name is Eden Gutstein, and I am an illustrator and tattoo artist, originally from Israel, and am now based in Atlanta Georgia. I graduated with a BFA in Illustration from The Savannah College of Art and Design in 2023 and have been working as a freelance illustrator, graphic designer and a tattoo artist ever since. I’d say I have three different styles when it comes to artwork; my digital/graphic work, my paintings and my tattoos. My painting style is very different than the style I use for digital illustrations. For paintings, I mainly create botanical illustrations with watercolor, inspired by the victorian flower dictionary. As for my digital illustrations, I really like to draw inspiration from different periods such as the 50’s, 70’s, and the art deco movement. For a lot of my freelance work, I like to add a certain message to the piece in a round about way. A way that would be open to interpretation and isn’t giving away too much. As for my tattooing, I really enjoy experimenting with different styles. My favorite style would have to be ornamental designs and botanical pieces. However that can change in a week from now, as I always get new inspiration and love changing things around and trying something new. I also have art products I make such as planners, journal and coloring books that are all designed by me and are available for purchase on Amazon.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

There are a lot of qualities and skills that helped me along the way, but the three main ones would have to be patience, practice and persistence. Patience is super important. We live in a world of instant gratification so we don’t exercise patience enough, but it is very crucial. The tree is not going to grow the first day after you plant the seed. However, it doesn’t mean it won’t. You have to hold on to your vision and realize that life is going to take you through the necessary steps to get to where you want to be, as long as you don’t give up. I find that many times when people think they failed, it is not necessarily failure, but it is the lack of patience and giving up too soon. This is where the two other important skills come in; practice and persistence. Those two are similar but a bit different. First you need to figure out what your craft is and practice as much as you can. I remember that one of my college professors said that a good artist is not the one that was born with outstanding talent, but one that keeps practicing and getting better. It’s easy to get discouraged in the beginning and think that you are not good enough, but you have to remember that everything is a game of practice. Just like you practice for a test, a play, a sports game, you have to apply that to anything you want to get good at. And then comes in persistence. Persisting in your practice, but also persisting in your vision and in the faith you have in yourself. A good portion of persistence is your mindset. You have to persist in the belief that it is possible and that you will get there some day. That is the biggest motivator.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

I am always looking to work with new people and new collaborations. One thing I really enjoy doing is guest spotting in different tattoo studios, meeting new clients and exploring a new area. I have done guest spots at a few different places but I would love to do more and travel around the U.S, explore different tattoo environments and meet other tattoo artists. That is one of the things I love about the tattoo industry, it allows you to travel and connect with new artists, new clients and new spaces while doing your craft. I’m always open for new invitations.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.trampstamp420.com
• Instagram: @tramp_stamp_420
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eden-gutstein-192928239/
• Other: Illustration website:
  https://www.aplaceineden.com/

  Tattoo coloring book:
  https://www.amazon.com/Tattoo-Coloring-Book-Original-Designs/dp/B0CS64CNN8/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1GR0RKOH7EUDX&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.I0qpQ94qMcKW7q6GEv3Dn-7dEwo6jAzxyc4WmTy5QUM.VqfKTQBujgsTNEVOQb7LpTGtxvBB0I9QUlgQjxYq7y8&dib_tag=se&keywords=eden+gutstein+tattoo+coloring+book&qid=1718165025&sprefix=edentattoo+coloring+book%2Caps%2C166&sr=8-1

Image Credits