We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Eleonora Balducchi a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Eleonora, thanks for sitting with us today to chat about topics that are relevant to so many. One of those topics is communication skills, because we live in an age where our ability to communicate effectively can be like a superpower. Can you share how you developed your ability to communicate well?
Very often I get complimented on my communications skills, this is something important to me because I have been in a position where getting my message across wasn’t always easy. As an Italian mother language speaker, the last 17 years have been a journey into the English language that started from a basic scholastic level and is still progressing now. I believe that communication is an indispensable and powerful tool, so I have certainly put a lot of effort in trying to absorbs all the aspects of a new language; in particular, I’ve always worked in a professional field where conveying an idea and understanding a conversation is the actual foundation of it. Socialising with English speaking people, reading in English, immersing myself in the local life and having friends who helped me learn is how I got here. Additionally, I’ve always been interested in language and literature so the learning has always felt quite a natural process. However, being a good communicator is not just based on the knowledge of the language. I think it’s a skill that gets perfected throughout life by experience, by meeting different people, reading and learning and certainly, some people are more adept at this than others.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am a tattoo artist based in Los Angeles. As I’ve already mentioned I am Italian and left Italy in 2007 to pursue a new life in England, or as everyone used to say to their parents ‘I’m going to England to learn English!’. At the time I was working as an architect and I ended up working in that field for the next 15 years, after which, I decided to change my career and learn how to tattoo.
What brought me into this field of work is my passion for art, which has roots in my childhood and has accompanied me throughout my life. In this incredibly unique form of art which is tattooing, I specialize in fine line and single needle tattoos, using both color and black and gray.
One of my most requested subjects is floral compositions, but I’m always happy to accept a variety of requests ranging from realism, to lettering and minimalist geometrical tattoos. I love creating a unique custom piece for each client, based on their vision, which can be as detailed as a book or as vague as a single word. The creative process is something I thoroughly enjoy and I value every single project that comes my way.
Furthermore, I believe that getting a tattoo goes beyond the merely technical practice or artistic aspect of it. For both the client and the artist, this is a meaningful experience and I care about making my client feel part of something special and yet, in a place of peace and comfort. I do my best to listen to them, read their vision and work with them to see it through their skin. Forever.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The most important thing is probably knowing how to draw and in this, regular practice is fundamental. Having a good understanding of drawing principals and composition, gives the opportunity to fully focus on the technical aspect of tattooing which is an excellent advantage.
Other fundamental requirements in every career are discipline and professional ethic. In tattooing, this aspect is crucial when considering that you are your own boss. Learning how to efficiently manage time in order to meet the daily deadlines is fundamental for the success of your business, so create a reasonable schedule and don’t forget to show up. A professional attitude will also help building healthy client relationships based on transparency, collaboration and mutual respect.
Finally, I must recommend to never stop learning. Other than the direct learning experience that can happen in the tattooing studios, there are plenty of courses, seminars and art clubs both online and in person that are incredibly useful and enriching. In general, being exposed and open to the creative world or, in fact, to any form of culture feeds inspiration.
Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?
This is a very interesting question on which I’ve been debating for some time coming to the conclusion that one needs to find what’s right for them. Being super-specialized in this profession is very common, many artists focus on developing one specific skill bringing it to the highest level of competence, for instance most artists focus on color vs black and grey, on specific subjects and even more so on a specific style which often becomes a distinctive signature element. Personally, I believe that mastering every aspect of tattooing is probably impossible and unnecessary so a certain degree of specialization is inevitable; however where to draw the line is a very personal decision. As for myself, I believe I stand in the middle: I love mixing color work to black and grey or tattooing a variety of subjects and sizes, this diversity significantly helps my creative flow. However, I always work in the same style which is based on fine line work, as this is something that comes naturally to me both on paper and skin so I believe that’s how I can deliver my best.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Balducchitattoo
Image Credits
Personal photo: Madison Truscan, @madisonfeomdallas, @loudagency
