We were lucky to catch up with Abe Denton recently and have shared our conversation below.
Abe, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
Honestly, I’m not sure that there is really such thing as overcoming imposter syndrome. I have struggled with this a lot throughout my career as a tattoo artist and it definitely comes in waves. At the end of the day there is no avoiding it but I have been practicing giving myself grace and trying to focus on the things that I have brought to the artistic table so to speak. I heard something recently that basically said, with how long we have been around as humans there are basically no truly original ideas left. Wether it’s public or has never been shared, most things have already been thought of so it’s fine to pull inspiration and not have to just force yourself to think of something nobody has ever done.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I have been tattooing for approximately five years and it all started when my brother told me that I should do tattoos because he wanted free ones. I have been doing art basically my whole life so even though it was scary to get into at first, it seems like a pretty natural progression. Over the years I have developed my style and finally feel like I have landed on some thing that I am inspired by. My style is best described as a combination of abstract surrealism and graphic print stylization. I love to do pieces that focus on heavy contrast like crystal vases with solid black cartoon flowers, or abstract portraits with heavy blacks. I am based in Pasadena California and usually open my books every three months or so, that info is always updated on my profile on Instagram @lvltattoo so feel free to find me there and shoot me a DM if you have any questions!
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?
I think the biggest thing that helped me in my career was doing art from a young age. I took many art classes as a child and five semesters of art in high school. I didn’t know it at the time, but sketching and drawing was going to be super helpful for me in the future. I even got voted most likely to be an artist my senior year of high school. Aside from that practicing the fundamentals in my early years of tattooing was essential. I did a lot of fine line work and script, which helped me to train my hand before getting into more serious pieces like portraits and realism. This is also sort of unrelated to the actual art itself, but I got a business degree in college and having business knowledge when running your own business has been super helpful for me, I think that’s some thing that a lot of people don’t consider.
Tell us what your ideal client would be like?
The type of person who I would say is my ideal client has nothing to do with who they are, and everything to do with how they feel about my work. I have found in my years of doing this, that the best pieces usually come from the people who are most excited to get tattooed not just in general, but by me specifically. If you look at my work, and really think that it’s some thing you resonate with, then you are my ideal client. If you’re excited about the work, and like what I do, then there will be much more opportunity for collaboration, and generally being on the same page.
Contact Info:
- Website: Lvltattoo.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/lvltattoo?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@lvltattoo?_t=8g4yEI658u2&_r=1
