Meet Nick Kohlmeier

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Nick Kohlmeier a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Nick, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.

I keep my creativity alive by supporting so many other great artists and tattooers out there. There is so much great art out there in my industry to admire and draw influence from. Social media is a big help in finding artists to follow, chat with and befriend. Traveling to other shops and conventions is also a plus in meeting fellow artists out there that I probably never would have known about. All in all, my friends, peers and the whole community is what keeps my creativity alive and thriving.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

Hey, my name is Nick and I’m a professional tattooer. I’ve been doing it for 13 years, and been in the business for almost 15 years. I love providing a friendly, fun and safe environment and service for all my clients. I try to give all my clients solid, clean, unique and custom designs every single time. Something no one else will ever have. Whether the smallest personal piece or large scale work(sleeves, back pieces, etc), I always try to create something unique for that person.

My art style leans towards the traditional and stylized. Bold lines, bright colors and solid black and grey. Tattoos that look like tattoos and will stand the test of time. But I’ll always step out of my box for other styles as well. I’ve never been a one trick pony kind of artist.

I’ve been an artist ever since I was a kid. Was always drawing or doing creative things. Growing up, I was drawn to the punk rock/skater lifestyle. I saw all the people with their tattoos and thought “they are so cool. I want to be tattooed just like them.” So I started getting tattooed as soon as I turned 18. Eventually, after going down many different career paths, I finally found tattooing(or maybe it found me). I honestly think it saved my life.

I think the best thing about tattooing is how evolved it has become. Tattoos used to just be for “sailors and whores”, the rough crowd, but now everyone is getting tattooed. In today’s world, if you’re not tattooed, you’re probably in the minority.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

• having some sort of art background
•having the ability to absorb and learn and not thinking you know it all.
•patience and determination

My advice for any young tattooers, artists those aspiring is to always be open to learning, advice and constructive criticism. Learning to tattoo takes years to master. It’s not an overnight thing and definitely not a two week class you can take. Also, be patient. No one is good when they first start learning. It takes repetition, practice, practice, practice. Be in there everyday doing work. The more you hone your skill, the better you will become.

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?

I definitely feel it’s better to be well rounded, especially in my business. I’ve never wanted to be a one trick pony and to limit yourself to only being good at 1 or 2 skills will limit your ability to draw in more business. Yes, we all want to do only the things that we enjoy doing, but life doesn’t always come that way. And to have to turn away business because you’ve never improved in other areas would be a real shame.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.creaturefeaturestl.com
• Instagram: @nick.k.tattoos
• Facebook: Nick Kohlmeier Tattoos