We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Chuck Braden. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Chuck below.
Chuck, so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?
What do you mean? I would feel normal. It’s everyone else that looks like each other. My entire life I have been me…regardless of any repercussions or consequences that would come with it. My mother encouraged individuality and creativity at a very young age. She always made sure to let my brother and I be who we wanted to be….even if she maybe didn’t agree with it. Growing up I listened to a lot of punk rock that heavily influenced how I dressed myself…that later progressed into metal music, black clothes and band tees…I come from a small southern town full of conservative Christian people who knew each other business too well…so you can imagine how high school went for me…everyone in town was certain that I worshipped the devil and summoned demons. Regardless, I persisted to be who I was…so I learned way early on in life how to not let those kind of people have any affect one me, my life, or my success. If anything, eventually , through some of the struggles in my youth, it empowered me to be different…and with that comes the confidence needed to be successful. So yeahjust like that old phrase, “they laugh at me because I’m different…I laugh at them because they are all the same”.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am a tattooer and business owner in a small southern town that I grew up in. We are trying to help push the town into a more progressive era by offering modern day electric tattooing! In the beginning my business partner and I struggled to find a place we could work and thrive as tattooers. After a very long, very troubling, and excruciating past with other tattoo shop and owners in the area we decided that the only remedy to this problem would be to open our own studio and operate it how we felt a tattoo studio should be. We looked for several months for a place to set up our studio and was turned down at every corner. It turns out, trying to put a tattoo studio in a small southern town is harder that we could have expected. We looked several months and had a long list of clients that were getting tired of waiting when finally something broke loose for us in October of 2022 when we found a building and opened Stray Cats Studio to the public in January of 2023. We created SCS with a very clear message behind it…we work for you. Too many times we have been in studios and even worked for some owners that acted as if they were doing the public a favor by opening a shop and giving people tattoos. That kind of arrogant attitude we were meet with at most places is what inspired us to be different. While your at our studio…you’re the boss and we are working for you because ultimately without our clients, we couldn’t be doing what we are doing for a living. So, we are eternally grateful for that and it shows in how we run our business and treat our customers.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Have a good support system for one…without my wife, Sofia, I wouldn’t be where I’m at…she’s helped me so much along the way and supported me through any and every up and down I’ve had. She always pushes me to be better.
Perseverance because often times it takes lots of work and patience to get where you want. My apprenticeship was an absolute circus…I almost didn’t make it through it. I had to endure things that I would have never let stood before…but I did all of that cause I knew this is what I wanted and I had this drive to escape the boring reality of a typical daily 9 to 5.
Evolve. Always keep learning. Your education is the most valuable thing you possess. No one can take it from you and you can always add to it. The more you learn and the more you grow in your craft, the more successful you will be. Never ever think you’re good enough….cause you can always be better!
Tell us what your ideal client would be like?
An ideal client would be someone who gives you general idea about what they are looking for in a tattoo. They trust you and your work enough to just let you just create….this will always be the best way to get the most from your tattooist….or someone who says, “I don’t care, I just want a tattoo.”, this is basically an open invitation to do an original artwork that you’ve been itching to tattoo.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.facebook.com/
countxchuckula - Instagram: @count.chuckula
- Other: Shop Facebook: www.facebook.com/straycatsstudio
