Today we’d like to introduce you to Howard Bell.
Hi Howard, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
As a child I developed an absolute fascination with with my great-uncle’s extremely aged tattoos. I had questions about the meanings behind the designs, how he had selected the subject matter and the images specifically, the process to create the work, how it healed, and how it had aged. My Uncle Bob had no idea how to answer those questions but the stories and the memories and thus the emotions attached to the tattoos showed me that the importance of the work was far more personal, far stronger than my “how to” curiosities. Fast forward many years and a now former girlfriend of mine and I won a Halloween costume contest where we could choose either a $50 cash prize or a $100 gift certificate to the local tattoo studio. I had been talking about piercing and stretching my ear lobes so we chose the gift certificate. After meeting with the owner and the staff at the local tattoo shop I left with my ears pierced a game plan to being stretching a few weeks later and I knew that I would talk myself into an apprenticeship and never look back. My apprenticeship began over 22 years ago at this point and I am still learning my craft and I still LOVE being a tattooer,.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I have had a very tumultuous life as a tattooer. It is very much a feast or famine industry. Times you are insanely busy and could book yourself 24 hours a day and days or even weeks between paying clients. I have worked in studios owned by others and owned my own shop in two different states and I have had great success and earned a very good reputation in my chosen industry. Conversely, there have been times I have felt like I am teetering on the edge of homelessness. All of the pain, the struggle, and the sacrifice are worth it when a client is smiling when they see their new tattoo in the mirror. Its all worth it after that moment.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a tattoo artist and I have been for over 22 years. I try to make my specialty customer satisfaction. I try to stay extremely versatile in the style of my work so that I can accommodate any request from any client. I’m probably best known for my color work and my cover-up work, which are pretty much the same thing since trying to do a cover-up in black and gray is usually extremely difficult and rarely successful.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I’m sure a luck is a factor, but there’s no way to discern exactly how much of a factor it is. I won’t let luck be the make or break issue. Consistency, hard work, dedication, loyalty, perseverance: those matter.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://howardtattoos.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/howard.bell.tattoos
