We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ronnie Robles a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Ronnie , so great to have you with us and thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with the community. So, let’s jump into something that stops so many people from going after their dreams – haters, nay-sayers, etc. We’d love to hear about how you dealt with that and persisted on your path.
I came into the tattoo industry late in life. I was in my mid thirties the first time I even touched a tattoo machine. I was in my 40s when I first worked in a shop and that was a struggle to get into. This is a close knit industry. There are cliques who stick together and they don’t necessarily embrace outsiders. I came in with no formal training, I knew nobody and I was from another state. I learned quickly that I was on my own and that my failures and successes in the tattoo industry would depend only on me. I decided not to follow the crowd, not to go with the flow. I didn’t care about being a part of the local tattoo community. I focused on the people who would potentially be sitting in my chair and not on what other artists were doing. I didn’t even follow anyone on social media. I focused squarely on my art and what I was doing.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am a tattoo artist and I’ve had my own studio for over three years. I specialize in black and grey realism but I like trying different styles. I do a lot of freehand art and I particularly love doing flowers and animal portraits. I think my freehand art separates me from a lot of other artists. We just did our first tattoo convention as a shop this past November, it was a huge success. We plan on doing three or four more this year, possibly in other states.
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?
The most important lesson I learned early on, especially when I felt “stuck” in the middle of a project was keep going. Just keep going. I have to remind myself that I’m an artist and I know how to make art. The second lesson was to forget about past failures. I tell myself all the time that there is always another chance to start over. Thirdly I would say that I had to discipline myself to stay focused on my craft. The only way I was going to become a better tattoo artist was to keep tattooing so that’s what I did. I took on every project, used every opportunity, kept busy mastering my craft and I still do that today. There is always room for growth.
How would you describe your ideal client?
Jokingly I have 4 rules for clients that I’ve always maintained. The first is don’t ask questions. The second is don’t try to help me. The third is don’t go out of your way to see what I’m doing. And the forth is don’t move. The ideal client for me would be someone who doesn’t break any of these rules. I’ve never met a client who doesn’t at least break one haha.
Contact Info:
- Website: Finishwelltattoo.com
- Instagram: @finishwelltattoo and @raideron
- Facebook: Finish Well Tattoo
- Twitter: Ronnie Robles
- Youtube: Ronnie Robles
- Other: @threads Ronnie Robles
