Ep. 233 "A Better Life" (Diary Entry 1:2 with Lewis Bunn)

[00:00:00] Hello, Diary listeners. This week, I am very honored to introduce to you all a friend that I've had since the beginning of the podcast, Lewis Bunn.

[00:00:12] Louis, as I call him, I think he is polite and he doesn't correct me. He just lets me call him what I'd like. I don't know why I like Louis so much. Probably, I don't know.

[00:00:24] It has, to me, a very Aussie vibe, which is where we find Lewis in Australia. He works at Sage Leaf Gallery there. And he has a two part podcast with us.

[00:00:39] Now, I do apologize as the audio in this podcast, just to let you guys know, is a little dodgy.

[00:00:47] Um, it, we have to cross seas and all that stuff. And, um, I'd be lying if I said that I, I know how to control audio that well.

[00:01:01] Uh, so, Lewis, I, I, I'm sorry I'm limited here. Diary listeners, I apologize, but I hope that this will carry you into the kind of love that I hold for Lewis and, uh, his journey.

[00:01:17] And him as a person, please go follow him. Uh, we will be giving out his credentials at the end of this podcast.

[00:01:25] So please, you know, if, if the audio is awful and you're in the, uh, in the area and, and you're gripped by him as I was right away, his personality, his kindness, uh, at least get to the end and figure out where you can follow him because he is worth every bit.

[00:01:43] And he's a very passionate human. We're calling this first part of his two part diary entry, a better life. So enjoy listeners. Thank you so very much. And thank you, Lewis.

[00:01:59] Welcome to the apprenticeship diaries where raw meets refined. Let's be real. We're still working on what it took, what it takes and the stories that are made.

[00:02:08] Join us as we learn from professionals about how their stories begin.

[00:02:14] It's my first ever zoom ever, ever, ever.

[00:02:18] Nuh-uh, we had one when we first met.

[00:02:21] Oh no, that was on WhatsApp though, eh?

[00:02:23] Was it?

[00:02:25] That's before Zoom was a thing.

[00:02:28] Oh wow.

[00:02:29] That's hilarious.

[00:02:32] I'm so behind.

[00:02:34] That's hilarious.

[00:02:36] Oh, why don't I think?

[00:02:37] Well, yeah, WhatsApp's pretty dope.

[00:02:40] WhatsApp's pretty dope.

[00:02:42] It helps when you're from different countries anyway.

[00:02:45] Yeah.

[00:02:46] Zoom's good for, um, consultations.

[00:02:50] I find if you, I mean.

[00:02:53] The whole image here is better though.

[00:02:57] Yeah.

[00:02:58] It might drop out.

[00:02:59] This is Australia.

[00:02:59] We've only just discovered wifi.

[00:03:01] So it might just cut out all of a sudden.

[00:03:04] Really?

[00:03:05] Well, no, not really, but they're a bit behind.

[00:03:11] So nobody knows who you are yet.

[00:03:13] Let me, let me, let me say who you are.

[00:03:16] This is Louie.

[00:03:17] Louie, remind me.

[00:03:19] I just had to turn off my phone.

[00:03:21] What's your last name, hon?

[00:03:22] I'm really bad at introducing you right now.

[00:03:24] Oh, Louis Bun.

[00:03:25] Louis B tattoos.

[00:03:27] Louis B tattoos.

[00:03:29] Louis Farm?

[00:03:31] Bun.

[00:03:31] B-U-N-N.

[00:03:32] Bunny.

[00:03:33] Bunny rabbit.

[00:03:34] Bun.

[00:03:35] That's awesome.

[00:03:37] Louis B.

[00:03:37] It's weird, but.

[00:03:39] No, I like it.

[00:03:41] The, I have, um, on my screen,

[00:03:43] it does like a translation thing.

[00:03:46] And it heard farm, Lewis farm.

[00:03:50] I love that you need a translator for the English language.

[00:03:56] It's true.

[00:03:57] It's true.

[00:03:58] I just like to, you know what I like it for?

[00:04:01] Is because I'm really trying to speak grammatically well.

[00:04:07] And when AI tools don't pick up how I speak well, I'm like, Oh, I'm really.

[00:04:14] Yeah.

[00:04:14] I don't speak well at all.

[00:04:16] I'd like to be able to speak well, but.

[00:04:20] It's not fun.

[00:04:22] I'm just not that intelligent.

[00:04:24] And I'm happy to admit, oh, my hands up.

[00:04:27] I'm not either, but that's the reason why I need work.

[00:04:32] And I'm a nerd.

[00:04:33] So I'm like, you know, I'm like, Oh, that's kind of, that's kind of cool.

[00:04:36] When it, like, when you watch it bounce back at yourself, you're like,

[00:04:39] that's how I sound.

[00:04:41] That's like.

[00:04:42] That's how I sound.

[00:04:44] That's what a robot.

[00:04:45] That's how I sound.

[00:04:45] I've never recorded myself again.

[00:04:47] That's what I think.

[00:04:49] Well, you know, the way that we interact colloquially, you know, there's,

[00:04:53] I had a tech guy on here and he was like, you know,

[00:04:55] in person, there's like so many different forms of communication that you're

[00:05:00] negating when you're online.

[00:05:03] And he's like,

[00:05:04] there's so much body language and situational kind of stuff that informs our

[00:05:08] communication.

[00:05:09] He's like, this cuts it down.

[00:05:10] Like, I don't know what the percentage was.

[00:05:13] I don't remember, but he said it takes away a significant amount of our,

[00:05:17] you know, our interaction.

[00:05:19] He's like, you know, some of it's just like vibes.

[00:05:23] And I was like, yeah,

[00:05:24] surely like there's no body language here.

[00:05:26] It's just two heads.

[00:05:28] Yeah.

[00:05:29] Yeah.

[00:05:29] Well, and, and awesome artwork behind us.

[00:05:32] Yeah.

[00:05:33] True.

[00:05:35] I've only got a shirt on today.

[00:05:37] The rest is nothing else there.

[00:05:38] That's all.

[00:05:39] Well, that's great.

[00:05:40] Good for you.

[00:05:41] Air it out, my friend.

[00:05:45] I'll never know.

[00:05:47] And no, no one else will either.

[00:05:49] It's fine.

[00:05:50] It's fine.

[00:05:51] It's fine.

[00:05:52] It's good.

[00:05:52] It's good.

[00:05:53] It could have been real for a second.

[00:05:54] I would have been like, oh,

[00:05:56] I just got assaulted from another continent.

[00:06:07] So when we met,

[00:06:09] it was when I,

[00:06:10] I think it was when I first started the podcast.

[00:06:13] Right.

[00:06:13] Like we.

[00:06:14] It was like 2019.

[00:06:16] Was it?

[00:06:17] Yeah.

[00:06:17] It was,

[00:06:18] it was right when I was starting the podcast.

[00:06:21] And,

[00:06:21] and you hadn't started tattooing yet.

[00:06:24] You were interested in how to get into it.

[00:06:27] Yeah.

[00:06:27] Yeah.

[00:06:28] And I tried to give you some insight from where I am.

[00:06:32] Yeah.

[00:06:33] Yeah.

[00:06:33] Don't do it, dude.

[00:06:36] Which is like,

[00:06:37] you know,

[00:06:38] it's in the AM for you right now.

[00:06:41] Tomorrow for me.

[00:06:43] So I was like,

[00:06:44] we're not even working on the same day.

[00:06:48] Yeah.

[00:06:48] Like your podcast helped a lot though.

[00:06:50] Like in the UK,

[00:06:53] I used to mess around as you do with mates and stuff.

[00:06:56] But then.

[00:06:57] I just thought nothing of it.

[00:06:59] And later on,

[00:07:00] I was like,

[00:07:00] fuck it.

[00:07:00] I've got another like 40 years left of working.

[00:07:04] I might as well do something I enjoy.

[00:07:06] Yep.

[00:07:07] And you were in construction before,

[00:07:08] right?

[00:07:09] That's right.

[00:07:09] Yeah.

[00:07:10] I was a carpenter,

[00:07:11] a chippy.

[00:07:12] Which is pretty cool that you still carry that background.

[00:07:16] I think.

[00:07:18] Yeah.

[00:07:18] I mean,

[00:07:18] it's like me,

[00:07:19] my old mom used to say,

[00:07:21] always get a trade.

[00:07:22] You'll go far with a trade.

[00:07:24] But now I've got two trades.

[00:07:25] Yes.

[00:07:26] And one can inform the other quite a bit because now you can engineer things that not,

[00:07:32] not every tattoo artist can because of your knowledge in construction.

[00:07:36] I'm sure.

[00:07:37] Exactly.

[00:07:37] Sometimes I'm a bit OCD with like precision,

[00:07:40] which is my downfall,

[00:07:42] but also a good thing as well,

[00:07:44] I guess.

[00:07:45] Yeah.

[00:07:45] No,

[00:07:46] that's a great thing in tattooing.

[00:07:48] Yeah.

[00:07:49] Yeah,

[00:07:49] it is.

[00:07:50] And to my sense has been on 15 times and the client's like,

[00:07:53] dude,

[00:07:53] just fucking tattoo me already.

[00:07:55] Right.

[00:07:58] Oh,

[00:07:59] my thing just cut out.

[00:07:59] I hope.

[00:08:01] My speaker.

[00:08:03] Hey,

[00:08:03] hopefully this holds out on me.

[00:08:05] It changed.

[00:08:05] So we're good.

[00:08:06] I hope my,

[00:08:07] I hope my microphone isn't going out.

[00:08:09] If it has,

[00:08:10] I'm just going to have to invest in another one.

[00:08:12] It's whatever.

[00:08:13] You can hear me.

[00:08:14] Right.

[00:08:14] I can hear you.

[00:08:16] Good.

[00:08:16] Good.

[00:08:17] It cut out for a second.

[00:08:19] It's either the wire,

[00:08:20] which you never know.

[00:08:21] And you know,

[00:08:22] in the tattoo world,

[00:08:23] wires are,

[00:08:24] well,

[00:08:24] not anymore.

[00:08:25] We do a lot of wireless and cordless now,

[00:08:27] but it's fucking wires,

[00:08:30] man.

[00:08:31] Anyway,

[00:08:31] it could be that or the mic.

[00:08:33] I don't know.

[00:08:33] I'm,

[00:08:34] I'm,

[00:08:34] that's why I do this is to keep technologically in the know.

[00:08:38] Just enough.

[00:08:40] Us old heads.

[00:08:43] I know.

[00:08:44] I'm feeling it,

[00:08:45] man.

[00:08:47] So yeah.

[00:08:48] And in construction,

[00:08:49] like getting back to what I was saying,

[00:08:50] you,

[00:08:50] you measure twice,

[00:08:51] cut once kind of deal,

[00:08:53] you know,

[00:08:55] precision's good.

[00:08:57] So how was it?

[00:08:58] Like,

[00:08:58] I know when we talked,

[00:09:00] um,

[00:09:02] you,

[00:09:03] you were,

[00:09:04] well,

[00:09:04] you had,

[00:09:05] you had actually moved from the UK to Australia.

[00:09:08] So that was a whole changeup,

[00:09:10] right?

[00:09:10] Yeah.

[00:09:11] So that was like 2014.

[00:09:13] We packed up seven suitcases,

[00:09:16] two kids moved to Australia.

[00:09:19] And then,

[00:09:19] yeah,

[00:09:20] that was just hectic.

[00:09:21] It was just a whirlwind.

[00:09:23] And why did you do that again?

[00:09:25] I'm trying to catch up.

[00:09:27] Why did I?

[00:09:28] Mm hmm.

[00:09:29] Oh,

[00:09:29] just like a better life for the kids.

[00:09:31] Really?

[00:09:32] Like you can't do a great deal in England due to the weather.

[00:09:36] Oh,

[00:09:37] yeah.

[00:09:38] You think it's 80% rain.

[00:09:40] It's just miserable.

[00:09:41] Everyone's just so angry here.

[00:09:43] The kids are very active outside.

[00:09:46] Yeah.

[00:09:47] And it's just beautiful.

[00:09:48] Yeah.

[00:09:49] Oh,

[00:09:49] that's good.

[00:09:50] Yeah.

[00:09:51] Kids love it.

[00:09:51] Kids are thriving here.

[00:09:53] I mean,

[00:09:53] there's more opportunities for everyone,

[00:09:55] children,

[00:09:55] adults.

[00:09:56] I mean,

[00:09:56] look at me.

[00:09:56] Yeah.

[00:09:58] Yeah.

[00:09:58] totally.

[00:09:59] Totally.

[00:09:59] Totally.

[00:10:00] I mean,

[00:10:01] I don't know.

[00:10:01] I've never,

[00:10:01] I've never been to either place.

[00:10:03] Um,

[00:10:04] but one does strike me as vastly more sunny than the other.

[00:10:08] And more deadly.

[00:10:10] Well,

[00:10:10] and you know,

[00:10:12] so much sun that I might burst into flame.

[00:10:15] Like,

[00:10:17] it's like on the equator.

[00:10:19] You'll be fine.

[00:10:19] Just have an umbrella.

[00:10:20] You'll be all right.

[00:10:21] Oh my God,

[00:10:22] dude.

[00:10:22] I have a mess,

[00:10:25] man.

[00:10:26] Like I,

[00:10:26] I have to put on SPF like a million.

[00:10:29] And,

[00:10:30] uh,

[00:10:30] all my friends,

[00:10:31] I went to a music festival.

[00:10:33] I was only there for like four days.

[00:10:35] And they were like,

[00:10:36] Amy,

[00:10:37] what are you doing,

[00:10:38] man?

[00:10:38] Like,

[00:10:38] get out.

[00:10:39] Like it was hurting them to watch me stand in the sun.

[00:10:42] They were like,

[00:10:43] you're going to burst in the flame.

[00:10:45] So maybe England would be your best bet to visit first.

[00:10:49] Yeah,

[00:10:51] I know.

[00:10:52] I mean,

[00:10:52] I don't,

[00:10:52] I would go anywhere,

[00:10:53] honestly.

[00:10:54] Like I would just dress for it,

[00:10:55] you know,

[00:10:56] do my research,

[00:10:57] you know,

[00:10:57] try not to be a dick.

[00:10:58] they say like,

[00:10:59] uh,

[00:10:59] where I am in Queensland,

[00:11:01] the cancer capital of like the world.

[00:11:03] Really?

[00:11:04] Yeah.

[00:11:05] I've had two melanomas cut out of me since living here,

[00:11:08] but that's because I was surfing all the time with no top on,

[00:11:11] no sunscreen.

[00:11:12] So just like an idiot,

[00:11:13] really.

[00:11:14] Don't do,

[00:11:14] don't do things like that.

[00:11:18] Don't do that.

[00:11:19] And you won't die cancer.

[00:11:22] I can't do it.

[00:11:23] Like I can't,

[00:11:24] whenever they have the shows naked and afraid,

[00:11:26] I'm like,

[00:11:27] I'm already freaking afraid,

[00:11:28] man.

[00:11:29] Like I,

[00:11:31] I,

[00:11:32] I can't be naked.

[00:11:33] Like for,

[00:11:34] first of all,

[00:11:36] if you haven't been naked outside,

[00:11:38] like,

[00:11:38] and really felt the very visceral reason why we wear clothes,

[00:11:44] like at all,

[00:11:46] you have no idea how scary that is just to be like for a debt,

[00:11:50] like forget survival.

[00:11:53] Like,

[00:11:54] forget survival.

[00:11:54] Like just being naked outside is like,

[00:11:57] Oh my God.

[00:11:58] That's like next level.

[00:11:59] I would have cancer going off my face in a day.

[00:12:03] I did gardening and stuff.

[00:12:04] imagine doing gardening naked.

[00:12:07] Dude,

[00:12:08] dude,

[00:12:08] anything.

[00:12:09] Just what I,

[00:12:11] I did a whole shoot out in the forest.

[00:12:13] I was naked.

[00:12:15] And I was like,

[00:12:18] I could have any number of things crawl up my bum right now.

[00:12:23] That's where my brain just went anyway.

[00:12:26] If I fell,

[00:12:27] if I tripped,

[00:12:28] if I like anything,

[00:12:30] I was like,

[00:12:31] this is super vulnerable.

[00:12:33] So I would,

[00:12:34] I can't do it.

[00:12:36] I can't do it.

[00:12:37] Like a lot of my life,

[00:12:38] praise God is limited by how not adequate.

[00:12:43] My body is physically.

[00:12:47] For things to crawl up.

[00:12:48] I just pray.

[00:12:49] I praise God for it.

[00:12:50] The other day I was like,

[00:12:51] thank you God for making me really flawed physically because otherwise I,

[00:12:56] I would be an asshole.

[00:12:58] Like I would,

[00:12:58] I would be a tyrant of a human being.

[00:13:01] I would just,

[00:13:02] I would just be flying high.

[00:13:04] I'm way too much confidence.

[00:13:05] It would be bad.

[00:13:07] It would be really bad.

[00:13:11] So,

[00:13:12] okay.

[00:13:12] So you moved for opportunity for the kids.

[00:13:14] That's all been great.

[00:13:16] And we were,

[00:13:18] you were,

[00:13:19] you were doing some beautiful,

[00:13:21] uh,

[00:13:22] black and gray pencil drawings.

[00:13:24] That's what I remember.

[00:13:25] That's right.

[00:13:26] Yeah.

[00:13:26] I've been like,

[00:13:27] I've always been drawing.

[00:13:28] I've always been artsy musical.

[00:13:30] So I've always been in that scene.

[00:13:32] And then I was just drawing.

[00:13:34] I was doing loads of like realism classes.

[00:13:36] And then that's where I just went,

[00:13:38] went around with my portfolio trying to get in.

[00:13:41] But I think I only went to,

[00:13:43] I went to two shops and the second one was like,

[00:13:47] well,

[00:13:47] just come and sit in,

[00:13:49] hang out.

[00:13:50] So I've just hung out for like six to eight months.

[00:13:53] Just drawing and doing bits and pieces.

[00:13:57] Right on.

[00:13:58] Did they give you a lot of,

[00:14:00] um,

[00:14:01] I mean,

[00:14:02] what did they give you as far as like work and stuff?

[00:14:04] I know you hung out,

[00:14:05] but like,

[00:14:05] do they ask you to do anything specifically?

[00:14:08] Not for the hangout section.

[00:14:11] It was basically hang out,

[00:14:13] get beer,

[00:14:15] drink beer,

[00:14:16] um,

[00:14:17] and answer the phone.

[00:14:18] Oh,

[00:14:19] cool.

[00:14:19] And because I wasn't an apprentice or anything,

[00:14:22] it was like,

[00:14:23] just hang out.

[00:14:24] Oh,

[00:14:24] right on.

[00:14:25] Right on.

[00:14:26] Yeah.

[00:14:26] That's interesting.

[00:14:27] I finished,

[00:14:27] like I do my job,

[00:14:28] which was,

[00:14:29] I think I was working like six in the morning until half two in the afternoon.

[00:14:34] And then I'd go to there and hang out from like half two,

[00:14:37] six.

[00:14:39] Wow.

[00:14:41] Chilling out and trying as much as possible.

[00:14:43] Soaking it all in.

[00:14:45] What happened after you hung out for a while?

[00:14:47] Like how did it progress into like,

[00:14:48] Hey,

[00:14:49] you know,

[00:14:50] you've been hanging out.

[00:14:51] Yeah.

[00:14:52] So like he,

[00:14:52] he was watching me and helping me do some drawings and he was like,

[00:14:56] yeah,

[00:14:56] well,

[00:14:57] I'll offer you the apprenticeship if you want it.

[00:14:59] Your work's got better.

[00:15:00] I was like,

[00:15:01] yeah,

[00:15:01] fuck yeah.

[00:15:02] I'll do this.

[00:15:04] What am I here for?

[00:15:05] Yeah.

[00:15:06] I'll offer it.

[00:15:07] If you want it.

[00:15:11] It was driving me crazy because you had such great artwork right away.

[00:15:16] And,

[00:15:16] um,

[00:15:16] yeah,

[00:15:17] it's kind of a,

[00:15:19] I don't know.

[00:15:19] I saw,

[00:15:21] I saw so much hustle in you.

[00:15:23] And especially with like that kind of wild move from one area of the world to another,

[00:15:29] you know,

[00:15:29] just for your family.

[00:15:31] It shows.

[00:15:31] It's undiagnosed ADHD though.

[00:15:33] I'm pretty sure.

[00:15:35] Yeah.

[00:15:35] But that's awesome in tattoo world.

[00:15:37] Like we need all of it.

[00:15:40] You should know.

[00:15:41] Yeah.

[00:15:42] You should know.

[00:15:42] I was messaging you like six months ago.

[00:15:45] I think I might be moving to America.

[00:15:47] Can you help us out?

[00:15:48] Yeah.

[00:15:49] I'm like,

[00:15:50] I will try.

[00:15:51] I'll do what I can.

[00:15:53] But then like two months after that was like,

[00:15:56] yeah,

[00:15:56] let's just move to France.

[00:15:58] So we're always like,

[00:16:00] but I don't think we're going to just like,

[00:16:02] well,

[00:16:02] our heads are always ticking over.

[00:16:03] I'm learning French.

[00:16:05] Yeah.

[00:16:06] We want to just move everywhere.

[00:16:08] That's awesome.

[00:16:09] That's really cool.

[00:16:11] France,

[00:16:12] the certain parts of France I've heard are gorgeous.

[00:16:15] Really good.

[00:16:16] I've heard it's good.

[00:16:17] But I've also heard like now,

[00:16:20] like with a lot of asylum seekers and stuff coming into Europe.

[00:16:24] So I'm not too sure how it is,

[00:16:26] but I think we'll probably just stay here.

[00:16:28] I mean,

[00:16:28] we're pretty lucky.

[00:16:30] Yeah.

[00:16:31] I think we're just very grateful to be honest with you.

[00:16:35] Well,

[00:16:35] you're very honest.

[00:16:39] Very grounded in the truth.

[00:16:43] What's the saying?

[00:16:44] You don't know what you've got until it's gone.

[00:16:46] Very true.

[00:16:47] Very,

[00:16:48] very true.

[00:16:49] It,

[00:16:49] you know,

[00:16:50] I,

[00:16:50] I always,

[00:16:51] um,

[00:16:52] just try to do a lot of vacationing or try to,

[00:16:56] with the job that you have now,

[00:16:58] since you are a tattoo artist,

[00:16:59] you can always go and convention in another country.

[00:17:03] This is what I'm looking at doing.

[00:17:04] I think next year,

[00:17:05] I'm going to start doing more of that.

[00:17:06] But I,

[00:17:07] the only reason I haven't at the moment is because I just feel guilty.

[00:17:10] Cause the kids are like,

[00:17:11] I want to go there.

[00:17:12] I want to go there.

[00:17:13] I'm like,

[00:17:13] I can't take everyone.

[00:17:14] It's just expensive.

[00:17:16] We're firing up.

[00:17:17] Free kids and a missus tagging along.

[00:17:20] Absolutely.

[00:17:21] Absolutely.

[00:17:22] Though,

[00:17:23] you know,

[00:17:23] if you rolled it into like your one vacation,

[00:17:26] you know,

[00:17:27] you can do that.

[00:17:28] I don't know.

[00:17:29] Yeah.

[00:17:30] The family vacation,

[00:17:31] 40 minutes down the road,

[00:17:33] my vacations,

[00:17:34] five countries a year.

[00:17:36] Yeah.

[00:17:37] Yeah.

[00:17:38] Yeah.

[00:17:39] There you go.

[00:17:40] No,

[00:17:41] I hear you.

[00:17:41] I,

[00:17:41] I,

[00:17:42] it gets really pricey.

[00:17:44] The people that I know that have done it,

[00:17:48] they,

[00:17:48] they pick like one,

[00:17:50] like one big convention where like,

[00:17:52] it's really awesome.

[00:17:54] Like in,

[00:17:56] in the States,

[00:17:58] one that I think of that could be really nice for the whole family and a

[00:18:02] great convention would be Tahoe because Tahoe is just gorgeous.

[00:18:06] It's stunning.

[00:18:07] I don't even think I've ever heard of it.

[00:18:09] It's a,

[00:18:09] it's on the California line really.

[00:18:14] Yeah.

[00:18:15] But it's like beautiful,

[00:18:17] like just beautiful forests.

[00:18:20] There's,

[00:18:21] there's casinos there and stuff like that.

[00:18:23] So if you like to do a little bit of gambling,

[00:18:24] but Tahoe is Lake Tahoe and it's gorgeous lake.

[00:18:30] And there's all these water sports.

[00:18:31] It's not cheap,

[00:18:32] but at the same time,

[00:18:34] it's so beautiful.

[00:18:36] And it's so kind of made for that kind of thing.

[00:18:40] Plus the tattoo.

[00:18:42] It's like very elite tattoo artists,

[00:18:45] small,

[00:18:46] small crowd,

[00:18:47] but very integral.

[00:18:49] And,

[00:18:49] um,

[00:18:50] I think you could get busy really quickly,

[00:18:52] uh,

[00:18:53] doing it because you have,

[00:18:54] you have the people that walk through.

[00:18:57] I mean,

[00:18:57] I was never not busy.

[00:18:58] It not always was a dope piece that I got to do.

[00:19:03] Um,

[00:19:03] but you know,

[00:19:04] you have people walking through from like all of the different sites and stuff

[00:19:07] too.

[00:19:08] They're like,

[00:19:08] Oh,

[00:19:08] there's a little tattoo convention.

[00:19:09] Let's go in here.

[00:19:10] You know,

[00:19:11] like it's a vacation,

[00:19:13] but you're making money as well.

[00:19:14] Hey,

[00:19:15] yes.

[00:19:16] Yes.

[00:19:16] And if nothing else,

[00:19:17] you,

[00:19:17] you know,

[00:19:18] you break even,

[00:19:19] whereas on a vacation,

[00:19:21] you know,

[00:19:22] it's all done.

[00:19:23] You know,

[00:19:23] you make memories,

[00:19:24] but it's all in the sense,

[00:19:29] you know,

[00:19:30] but it's just gorgeous.

[00:19:31] Like just being there,

[00:19:32] like just being there on the lake,

[00:19:34] you know,

[00:19:34] just hanging out for the day,

[00:19:35] renting an Airbnb.

[00:19:36] The whole thing is really just wonderful.

[00:19:39] That's awesome.

[00:19:40] I'll have to get a link for that off of you.

[00:19:43] Yeah.

[00:19:43] It's,

[00:19:44] it's a good one.

[00:19:44] Um,

[00:19:45] I,

[00:19:45] I really enjoyed it and just,

[00:19:47] you can go on like,

[00:19:49] cause that's the thing is that,

[00:19:50] you know,

[00:19:50] you have the convention,

[00:19:51] but then,

[00:19:52] you know,

[00:19:53] stay out there a couple of days,

[00:19:54] extra.

[00:19:55] And then the hikes are incredible,

[00:19:59] incredible around there.

[00:20:00] It's just,

[00:20:01] it sounds very similar to here.

[00:20:03] Then like with the views and whatever and that,

[00:20:05] not as dangerous.

[00:20:08] I don't know.

[00:20:09] Well,

[00:20:09] no,

[00:20:09] we don't have data.

[00:20:10] There's not nearly as many things that can kill you.

[00:20:15] Not nearly.

[00:20:16] I mean,

[00:20:16] if you trip and fell,

[00:20:17] I can't help you,

[00:20:18] but look,

[00:20:20] I've been here 10 years and I've never been bitten by a snake yet.

[00:20:23] I know,

[00:20:24] but so.

[00:20:26] I don't know.

[00:20:27] I've been going over my foot,

[00:20:28] but I've not been bitten.

[00:20:30] My Lord.

[00:20:31] Wow.

[00:20:32] I mean,

[00:20:32] maybe I'm underestimating it.

[00:20:34] Maybe.

[00:20:34] I don't know.

[00:20:35] It's been a while since I've been out there,

[00:20:37] but from what I remember,

[00:20:38] like the chipmunks,

[00:20:39] because they don't let dogs really out on the,

[00:20:41] on the trails very much.

[00:20:43] Cause they want to preserve the wildlife.

[00:20:44] You know,

[00:20:45] chipmunks will like come right up to you.

[00:20:47] And they're like,

[00:20:47] Hey,

[00:20:49] we know you fuckers have food.

[00:20:51] Beat us.

[00:20:53] They're just like,

[00:20:54] Oh my God.

[00:20:54] Look,

[00:20:54] the people,

[00:20:55] the people,

[00:20:57] the wildlife is like,

[00:20:58] Oh my God.

[00:20:59] Our food source is here.

[00:21:03] I'm envisioning chipmunks with our little razor blades.

[00:21:06] Like,

[00:21:06] I'm telling you,

[00:21:07] they're pretty.

[00:21:14] It was really cool.

[00:21:16] But there's some really great,

[00:21:18] there's some really great spots out here for stuff like that.

[00:21:20] I haven't gone international either.

[00:21:22] So if you ever want to do something like that,

[00:21:25] I would like to go to France at some point.

[00:21:27] I have been doing Duolingo now for two years.

[00:21:33] I think I can ask,

[00:21:34] I can ask my way to the bathroom.

[00:21:36] I definitely can go to the bathroom in France and not have a problem.

[00:21:39] Like finding the bathroom.

[00:21:41] I mean,

[00:21:42] two years,

[00:21:43] two years.

[00:21:44] That's all you got.

[00:21:45] What have you really been doing,

[00:21:46] mate?

[00:21:46] You have definitely not been learning.

[00:21:48] They're still going to make fun of me.

[00:21:50] I assure you.

[00:21:53] I don't know if I'm going to do an adequate consultation in France or not,

[00:21:57] or in French or not,

[00:21:58] but I,

[00:21:59] I can,

[00:22:00] I can,

[00:22:01] I can find the boulangerie.

[00:22:04] You just got to do what the English do when they go abroad.

[00:22:07] If they don't understand you,

[00:22:08] you just shout loud until they do understand.

[00:22:10] Is that what the English do?

[00:22:12] That's what the English do.

[00:22:14] Yeah.

[00:22:14] Okay.

[00:22:16] I mean,

[00:22:17] it's rude,

[00:22:18] but it works.

[00:22:19] I feel like that's the American.

[00:22:23] I'm hoping that I'll just butcher the language so badly.

[00:22:25] They're like,

[00:22:26] just stop.

[00:22:27] Just,

[00:22:28] just stop.

[00:22:29] We can't hear this from you.

[00:22:30] Like we know how to speak English.

[00:22:32] I just quit.

[00:22:34] This is painful.

[00:22:39] Okay.

[00:22:40] So he offered you the apprenticeship getting back on track.

[00:22:43] I'm sorry.

[00:22:45] It's been too long,

[00:22:46] my friend.

[00:22:47] You're too cool.

[00:22:49] I don't know.

[00:22:50] Define cool.

[00:22:51] I'm probably the opposite.

[00:22:53] I mean,

[00:22:54] you're my version of cool.

[00:22:55] Like,

[00:22:56] you know,

[00:22:56] people who hustle hard,

[00:22:58] just try to,

[00:22:59] you know,

[00:23:01] hustling.

[00:23:02] It keeps me going.

[00:23:03] I love it.

[00:23:04] Yeah.

[00:23:05] Yeah.

[00:23:06] Well,

[00:23:06] and you know,

[00:23:07] you're,

[00:23:07] you're interested and passionate and,

[00:23:09] you know,

[00:23:10] dedicated to what you are.

[00:23:11] So that,

[00:23:12] that to me is cool.

[00:23:13] You know,

[00:23:14] can kind of throw the rest out.

[00:23:17] You know,

[00:23:17] it doesn't mean that you like a rock star or nothing.

[00:23:20] Like actually,

[00:23:21] no,

[00:23:21] half those people are assholes.

[00:23:24] Yeah.

[00:23:25] They're fucking assholes.

[00:23:27] Yeah.

[00:23:28] I mean,

[00:23:28] the ones I've met.

[00:23:32] When people say about my hustling,

[00:23:34] I'm like,

[00:23:34] well,

[00:23:35] I've got a hustle.

[00:23:36] I've got mouths to feed.

[00:23:37] I can't fail.

[00:23:38] I've got to keep going.

[00:23:40] Yeah.

[00:23:41] Yeah.

[00:23:41] No,

[00:23:42] but on top of it too,

[00:23:43] it seems like you take a lot of joy in it too.

[00:23:47] Oh,

[00:23:47] massively.

[00:23:47] Yeah.

[00:23:48] Yeah.

[00:23:48] I mean,

[00:23:49] I think that probably stems from when I used to be in bands and that.

[00:23:51] I was always the one booking the gigs,

[00:23:53] doing like driving everyone around,

[00:23:56] just staying busy.

[00:23:57] If I'm not busy,

[00:23:58] then I just become destructive,

[00:24:00] I guess.

[00:24:00] I don't know.

[00:24:01] Yeah.

[00:24:02] No,

[00:24:02] that's good.

[00:24:03] That's good.

[00:24:05] Rico,

[00:24:05] Rico takes that out on the,

[00:24:07] on the weights.

[00:24:08] He's always like,

[00:24:09] he just always,

[00:24:09] he's,

[00:24:09] he's weightlifting,

[00:24:10] now.

[00:24:11] He's always,

[00:24:12] always weightlifting.

[00:24:14] Does he not stop?

[00:24:16] I mean,

[00:24:17] you wouldn't think.

[00:24:20] I've been restricting a lot until we get married,

[00:24:22] which is coming up soon.

[00:24:24] And,

[00:24:24] uh,

[00:24:25] I I've even cut off a lot of intimacy kind of stuff because I want to do it

[00:24:29] biblical this time.

[00:24:30] I,

[00:24:30] I was a tramp for a long part of my life.

[00:24:33] I said,

[00:24:33] I'm sorry,

[00:24:35] I'm going with God.

[00:24:36] I'm going with God this time.

[00:24:38] And he's like,

[00:24:39] what?

[00:24:40] But we've already,

[00:24:42] we've already done that.

[00:24:43] I said,

[00:24:43] I don't care.

[00:24:43] And we have to keep doing it.

[00:24:45] That's all right.

[00:24:46] So when you say,

[00:24:48] when you say he's doing weight,

[00:24:50] he's not doing weights,

[00:24:51] is he?

[00:24:52] I don't care what he's doing.

[00:24:53] He's,

[00:24:54] he calls it,

[00:24:55] taking it out on the weights.

[00:24:56] And there's a lot of noise down there.

[00:24:59] And I don't know,

[00:25:01] but I think I'm going to stop calling it that as well.

[00:25:05] I'm just going to go.

[00:25:08] Meanwhile,

[00:25:08] your one arm,

[00:25:10] your one dominant arm just gets bigger.

[00:25:14] Like babe,

[00:25:15] I think you need to balance it out a little.

[00:25:19] Like quagmire.

[00:25:23] No,

[00:25:24] I mean,

[00:25:24] but that's what he says.

[00:25:25] He's like,

[00:25:25] dude,

[00:25:26] I just,

[00:25:26] you know,

[00:25:27] it's been rough.

[00:25:28] It has not been easy,

[00:25:29] but he's like,

[00:25:29] I just take it out on the weights.

[00:25:34] That's awesome.

[00:25:35] That is awesome.

[00:25:35] I admire him greatly.

[00:25:37] I need to get on that level.

[00:25:38] I'm not as disciplined as he is.

[00:25:41] So yeah.

[00:25:42] Yeah.

[00:25:43] He's,

[00:25:43] he's very disciplined and I need to get on that level because I,

[00:25:47] I need to just for the physical aspects of it.

[00:25:50] Yeah.

[00:25:51] But yeah,

[00:25:52] he's,

[00:25:52] he's really amazing.

[00:25:54] Like really amazing.

[00:25:56] No,

[00:25:56] I feel you.

[00:25:57] If he did not have that,

[00:25:59] I,

[00:26:01] the world would be on fire.

[00:26:04] Like it would just,

[00:26:06] the shit he tells me,

[00:26:08] I am like,

[00:26:09] babe.

[00:26:09] And he's like,

[00:26:10] it's fine.

[00:26:11] It's,

[00:26:11] I'm not going to do it.

[00:26:14] I'm not going to really do it.

[00:26:15] I'm fine.

[00:26:16] I'm cool.

[00:26:17] I'm just telling you.

[00:26:22] He's always like,

[00:26:23] he calls her bluff.

[00:26:25] He's like,

[00:26:25] Oh,

[00:26:25] you think you're extreme?

[00:26:26] Let me tell you what's going on in my head.

[00:26:28] Yeah.

[00:26:29] Yeah.

[00:26:31] I'm like,

[00:26:31] Whoa.

[00:26:32] Okay.

[00:26:32] Yeah.

[00:26:32] We're not ready for that yet.

[00:26:34] You can stop putting the knives away.

[00:26:37] Oh,

[00:26:37] I'm telling you,

[00:26:38] man.

[00:26:38] Like sometimes he just lets a lot,

[00:26:40] a lot come out and I'm like,

[00:26:42] you've got to tuck that shit back in.

[00:26:43] You're like,

[00:26:44] that's not,

[00:26:45] that's not what you wear.

[00:26:50] I don't even know what's safe for me.

[00:26:52] At least he's getting it out.

[00:26:53] At least he's getting it out there.

[00:26:54] Oh no,

[00:26:55] no,

[00:26:55] no.

[00:26:55] I know.

[00:26:56] And you know,

[00:26:56] it's,

[00:26:57] it's,

[00:26:57] there's different levels too.

[00:26:59] Like one of the things that,

[00:27:01] um,

[00:27:02] I,

[00:27:03] I now know,

[00:27:04] and I never really fully appreciated it.

[00:27:07] And again,

[00:27:07] guys,

[00:27:08] guys and women are really different and like men,

[00:27:11] men bonding and men friendship.

[00:27:13] Very necessary.

[00:27:14] So.

[00:27:15] Yeah.

[00:27:16] Yeah.

[00:27:16] That's just accusing each other basically whilst drinking a beer.

[00:27:20] No,

[00:27:20] but it's very essential because you guys got to get it out.

[00:27:23] Like,

[00:27:23] you know,

[00:27:24] like you said,

[00:27:25] if I don't do it,

[00:27:25] I'm not,

[00:27:26] I'm destructive,

[00:27:27] you know?

[00:27:29] And what I've seen is men have to like make stuff together.

[00:27:33] They have to build stuff together.

[00:27:34] Like they're,

[00:27:35] if it's not going to be war,

[00:27:37] then it has to be,

[00:27:38] we're building something.

[00:27:39] We gotta,

[00:27:40] we gotta be doing stuff as a team or else we're just wanting to,

[00:27:46] we kill each other.

[00:27:47] So.

[00:27:49] I'm like,

[00:27:49] okay,

[00:27:49] cool.

[00:27:50] You know,

[00:27:51] like that's whatever.

[00:27:52] I get it.

[00:27:53] Whatever you need.

[00:27:55] Yeah.

[00:27:58] No,

[00:27:59] but I like,

[00:27:59] I like your style.

[00:28:00] I mean,

[00:28:00] I,

[00:28:01] I don't,

[00:28:01] I've never been cool.

[00:28:03] Louie.

[00:28:04] I never,

[00:28:05] but no,

[00:28:06] here we are.

[00:28:07] Yeah.

[00:28:07] You know,

[00:28:08] whatever.

[00:28:08] And maybe if I keep doing it long enough,

[00:28:11] maybe one day.

[00:28:13] But then maybe there's people out there who you interviewed.

[00:28:16] They're like,

[00:28:16] wow,

[00:28:17] she's fucking cool.

[00:28:18] But they just don't tell you.

[00:28:20] They just don't know me.

[00:28:22] That's why.

[00:28:23] That's what it is.

[00:28:25] Yeah.

[00:28:25] I was like,

[00:28:26] I'll disappoint you.

[00:28:27] I promise.

[00:28:28] Yeah.

[00:28:29] You don't know.

[00:28:30] Give me time.

[00:28:31] I'm a fucking asshole.

[00:28:33] Yeah.

[00:28:34] I'm a good,

[00:28:34] I'm a good fast food meal.

[00:28:40] Well,

[00:28:40] gratifying for that.

[00:28:42] You give it time.

[00:28:43] You'll get tired of it.

[00:28:47] Which is another reason why I am really happy to finally find the guy for me.

[00:28:52] Cause it took a while,

[00:28:53] man.

[00:28:53] Like,

[00:28:53] I'm like,

[00:28:54] wow,

[00:28:54] are you sure?

[00:28:55] Are you really?

[00:28:56] But you guys have been together a while now.

[00:28:58] Yeah.

[00:28:59] Yeah.

[00:29:00] Yeah.

[00:29:01] I tell people all the time.

[00:29:03] I don't envision.

[00:29:05] I don't want him to die.

[00:29:08] You know,

[00:29:09] like,

[00:29:12] sometimes I want to kill him.

[00:29:14] That's a normal thing to say.

[00:29:16] Yeah.

[00:29:17] I know.

[00:29:17] That's why I'm saying I'm not a good person.

[00:29:19] Like,

[00:29:20] I know the darkness in my soul.

[00:29:21] Like,

[00:29:22] I know what I felt about other people.

[00:29:25] And I'm just like,

[00:29:26] maybe just die.

[00:29:27] I won't have to break up with you.

[00:29:30] And then I,

[00:29:31] and then I'm like,

[00:29:32] Oh my God,

[00:29:32] that's so terrible.

[00:29:33] Like,

[00:29:34] how would you think that way?

[00:29:35] But at the same time it was like,

[00:29:36] but it would be relieving.

[00:29:41] And then I was like,

[00:29:42] okay,

[00:29:42] this has to end.

[00:29:43] But with Rico,

[00:29:45] it's just,

[00:29:45] when I picture that,

[00:29:46] I get really sad.

[00:29:48] So I'm like,

[00:29:49] he's gotta be the one.

[00:29:54] It's terrible.

[00:29:57] How is your,

[00:29:58] that's a thing.

[00:29:59] How has your wife been handling all of like this,

[00:30:02] this,

[00:30:03] you know,

[00:30:03] cause you had to,

[00:30:04] you had to dedicate a lot of time,

[00:30:06] like hanging out for like six months,

[00:30:08] eight months.

[00:30:09] Yeah.

[00:30:09] I mean,

[00:30:10] it was,

[00:30:11] it was hard,

[00:30:11] but you just roll with the punches.

[00:30:14] You just get on with it.

[00:30:15] Hey,

[00:30:16] we didn't really think much about it.

[00:30:18] I mean,

[00:30:18] we've always stressed about money for the first couple of years when you're

[00:30:22] apprenticing and that,

[00:30:23] but I was working two jobs anyway.

[00:30:25] Yeah.

[00:30:26] So I was bringing in the coins still,

[00:30:28] but it was mainly just,

[00:30:30] if I slowed down,

[00:30:32] then we'd be buggered,

[00:30:33] but I just trotted on through with it.

[00:30:35] She knew what she was getting into.

[00:30:37] Yeah.

[00:30:38] Yeah.

[00:30:38] We both knew like,

[00:30:39] we've been talking for years and years about it.

[00:30:41] So she knew what was going to happen,

[00:30:44] how it's going to go down.

[00:30:45] That's awesome.

[00:30:46] Is she excited about,

[00:30:48] you know,

[00:30:48] what you've been doing lately and cause you've been advancing,

[00:30:51] right?

[00:30:52] Like,

[00:30:53] yeah.

[00:30:54] Yeah.

[00:30:54] Keep talking stuff.

[00:30:55] Yeah.

[00:30:56] Yeah.

[00:30:57] I'm,

[00:30:58] I'm,

[00:30:58] uh,

[00:30:58] I'm excited about what you're playing with now.

[00:31:01] It looks like there's a lot of precision and,

[00:31:03] you know,

[00:31:04] you can tell that you're really,

[00:31:06] um,

[00:31:07] you know,

[00:31:08] going beyond what you even thought you would be doing.

[00:31:10] Yeah.

[00:31:11] But I kind of feel like that's helped with the guy who I'm with now.

[00:31:15] I'm in another studio and like,

[00:31:17] he sat me down.

[00:31:19] He's like,

[00:31:19] you need to scrap doing this,

[00:31:20] scrap doing this,

[00:31:21] do this,

[00:31:22] this,

[00:31:22] this,

[00:31:22] this.

[00:31:22] He goes,

[00:31:23] I've been in the industry for 20 years ago.

[00:31:25] You don't have to take my advice.

[00:31:27] I'm like,

[00:31:27] fuck it.

[00:31:27] I'm a sponge.

[00:31:28] I would take it on like a five year old.

[00:31:30] Yeah.

[00:31:31] Yeah.

[00:31:31] Why not try it on?

[00:31:32] See if it works.

[00:31:33] Yeah.

[00:31:34] And I've always been into like fine line and black and gray realism.

[00:31:37] So I'm happy just to stick with that.

[00:31:39] But then I do like doing the watercolor and I do like doing geo as well.

[00:31:42] Mm hmm.

[00:31:43] Yeah.

[00:31:44] As long as there's a needle in skin,

[00:31:47] I'm happy as a pig and shit.

[00:31:51] It's very challenging,

[00:31:53] isn't it?

[00:31:54] Yeah,

[00:31:54] it really is.

[00:31:55] Yeah.

[00:31:55] It's great for ADD because it always presents another puzzle to solve.

[00:32:02] I feel.

[00:32:03] And all artists are either autistic,

[00:32:06] ADD,

[00:32:07] ADHD.

[00:32:08] We're all the same.

[00:32:09] Mm hmm.

[00:32:10] Yeah.

[00:32:11] Yeah.

[00:32:11] I,

[00:32:12] uh,

[00:32:13] I'm still not bored by it.

[00:32:14] I still feel after 16 years of doing it,

[00:32:17] that I need a lot of work.

[00:32:19] Yeah.

[00:32:20] You know,

[00:32:21] you're always an apprentice your whole life.

[00:32:23] You'll be an apprentice.

[00:32:24] You're always just,

[00:32:25] it's not like any other job you're learning.

[00:32:27] You got to learn.

[00:32:28] If you don't learn,

[00:32:29] you get left behind.

[00:32:30] Absolutely.

[00:32:31] Absolutely.

[00:32:32] And you know,

[00:32:33] like you said,

[00:32:34] you just said going to another shop,

[00:32:36] that's like a whole other lesson.

[00:32:38] Yeah.

[00:32:39] And that's a private studio as well.

[00:32:41] So I've had to like hustle even more.

[00:32:43] It's not like we do walk in telephone calls.

[00:32:46] It's just getting out there and just fucking hustling hard.

[00:32:50] What's been,

[00:32:51] uh,

[00:32:51] what's been different as you've transitioned over to the private studio?

[00:32:56] Oh,

[00:32:56] everything clientele.

[00:32:57] Cause I'm,

[00:32:58] I'm in just,

[00:32:59] uh,

[00:32:59] my own little room.

[00:33:01] So there's five or six rooms,

[00:33:03] I think in the studio and we've all got our own room.

[00:33:05] Okay.

[00:33:06] So it's just,

[00:33:07] everything's completely different.

[00:33:08] Just from the clientele to the artwork,

[00:33:12] the way you're talking to people.

[00:33:13] It's not like someone's walking in,

[00:33:15] you're like,

[00:33:16] okay,

[00:33:16] you want to sleep?

[00:33:17] Let me just draw this up for you.

[00:33:19] You can sit down for two hours.

[00:33:20] Yeah.

[00:33:21] And then panic in.

[00:33:22] Cause you're starting to tell you were like two in the afternoon.

[00:33:25] You've been there since half nine in the morning.

[00:33:27] You're like,

[00:33:28] I'm going to do a late one tonight.

[00:33:30] Yeah.

[00:33:31] I'm not getting home.

[00:33:33] Yeah.

[00:33:33] I just love,

[00:33:34] like,

[00:33:35] I love that.

[00:33:36] I can plan and I can design like a week or two weeks before each

[00:33:40] appointment.

[00:33:41] I'm like,

[00:33:41] this is sick.

[00:33:41] I love it.

[00:33:42] But it's a lot better.

[00:33:44] I,

[00:33:45] I think it's so much more conducive to what we're doing.

[00:33:48] Right.

[00:33:48] Cause you know,

[00:33:49] yeah,

[00:33:51] I think,

[00:33:52] you know,

[00:33:52] you,

[00:33:53] you wander like a,

[00:33:55] an art festival and maybe pick up a piece of artwork that you're

[00:33:58] collecting.

[00:33:58] And I guess you can collect tattoos that way too,

[00:34:01] but not a whole sleeve.

[00:34:03] You know,

[00:34:04] I wouldn't.

[00:34:05] It's good.

[00:34:06] Cause it's a private studio.

[00:34:07] It's not like one way you've got someone on their own.

[00:34:12] I'm with other eyes.

[00:34:13] So I'm always like nothing out and seeing if I can get any ideas from

[00:34:17] men.

[00:34:17] If I'm not sure I'll ask other people kind of thing.

[00:34:19] Whereas I don't know how these people do it on their own.

[00:34:22] Like they've done it for free,

[00:34:23] free,

[00:34:24] four years and then gone on their own.

[00:34:25] It's like,

[00:34:26] no way.

[00:34:27] That's scary.

[00:34:28] Yeah.

[00:34:29] Um,

[00:34:31] I know I,

[00:34:32] I wouldn't want to do that.

[00:34:33] I don't even like it now.

[00:34:35] Like,

[00:34:35] I mean,

[00:34:36] I love it for my clients because I'm able to,

[00:34:40] it's nice for them.

[00:34:42] You know,

[00:34:42] they get to have my full attention.

[00:34:45] They get to,

[00:34:46] you know,

[00:34:46] have the atmosphere all for themselves.

[00:34:48] I think,

[00:34:50] you know,

[00:34:50] after COVID it's nice to have a room that you can fully clean and

[00:34:54] control and all that kind of stuff.

[00:34:56] Um,

[00:34:57] so I feel like it's nice for them.

[00:34:59] But like you said,

[00:35:01] I love,

[00:35:02] I love the influences of other artists.

[00:35:04] And yeah.

[00:35:06] So I just try to do a lot of guest spots now as much as possible.

[00:35:10] That's what I'm hoping to do next year as well.

[00:35:12] Like just chuck out a few guest spots just around Australia and then

[00:35:15] hopefully do one big one.

[00:35:17] Like you're saying abroad to a convention.

[00:35:19] There's some dope artists out in Australia.

[00:35:22] Yeah,

[00:35:22] there really is.

[00:35:24] Yeah.

[00:35:26] Definitely do the tour.

[00:35:27] Cause you could learn a lot from a lot of them.

[00:35:29] I'm sure.

[00:35:30] Really.

[00:35:31] Um,

[00:35:32] the guy who I'm in his studio now,

[00:35:34] he,

[00:35:34] that's how he built up his portfolio.

[00:35:36] He said,

[00:35:37] he just guest spot it around a whole of us.

[00:35:39] Yes.

[00:35:39] And finally,

[00:35:40] I'm in place.

[00:35:41] So he's never been prominent anywhere.

[00:35:43] He just traveled.

[00:35:44] It's a big place.

[00:35:46] So like,

[00:35:47] um,

[00:35:48] you know,

[00:35:48] it's a huge continent.

[00:35:49] Um,

[00:35:52] I would imagine.

[00:35:55] I'm trying to think the,

[00:35:56] the equivalency of here probably would be like the size of Texas,

[00:36:00] right?

[00:36:02] Well,

[00:36:03] Australia.

[00:36:03] Yeah.

[00:36:04] Yeah.

[00:36:04] Is it bigger?

[00:36:05] No,

[00:36:06] it's bigger than that.

[00:36:07] Yeah.

[00:36:07] So I think you can bad at geography.

[00:36:11] Yeah.

[00:36:11] I think like from what I know where I live,

[00:36:14] the state of Queensland,

[00:36:16] apparently you can fit seven or eight Englands in size.

[00:36:19] Queensland alone.

[00:36:21] I think it's probably,

[00:36:23] probably the same kind of size as America.

[00:36:27] I turned my phone off.

[00:36:29] It's so stupid.

[00:36:30] Yeah.

[00:36:30] I'd have to look at it.

[00:36:31] Cause I'm just saying like coast to coast,

[00:36:35] like what you in traveling around it and stuff,

[00:36:39] because that was a big thing for me.

[00:36:41] Also post COVID was like getting on a plane.

[00:36:44] Didn't really feel fun anymore.

[00:36:47] Like,

[00:36:49] it took a nosedive literally.

[00:36:53] And figuratively,

[00:36:55] I was just like,

[00:36:55] I'm not spending all that money to like go on a plane and,

[00:36:59] and just deal with all that crap.

[00:37:02] Not to mention try to travel with tattoo gear.

[00:37:06] I was like,

[00:37:08] I'm going to have to really want to go.

[00:37:12] But yeah,

[00:37:13] the I'm just thinking about like,

[00:37:15] cause that's what I started to do is going a lot more around the United States.

[00:37:20] And I've really enjoyed it.

[00:37:21] I really like middle America too.

[00:37:23] It's it.

[00:37:24] They're always like,

[00:37:25] really?

[00:37:26] You want to come here?

[00:37:27] Why do you want to come here?

[00:37:29] I'm like,

[00:37:29] because it's dope.

[00:37:32] Because you got no.

[00:37:34] Yeah.

[00:37:35] I mean,

[00:37:35] you know,

[00:37:35] it's like people are chill here,

[00:37:37] man.

[00:37:38] Like they're,

[00:37:39] you can sell great cowboy boots and shit.

[00:37:42] Yeah.

[00:37:43] You're like America's kind of like England where you drive an hour somewhere.

[00:37:49] There's a different accent,

[00:37:51] different people.

[00:37:52] Here.

[00:37:53] Here I find everyone's very similar.

[00:37:55] You drive,

[00:37:56] you can fly four hours and then get off the plane.

[00:38:00] And then it's like,

[00:38:00] Hey,

[00:38:00] good night,

[00:38:01] mate.

[00:38:01] Hey,

[00:38:01] yeah.

[00:38:05] I'm going to look at the map of the world.

[00:38:07] Here,

[00:38:07] let me look at the map of the world.

[00:38:08] Yeah.

[00:38:09] It's as big as the United States.

[00:38:10] I don't know why I didn't make this.

[00:38:12] But I'm thinking of like the continent of North America,

[00:38:15] which is vastly different than these United States,

[00:38:19] because that includes Canada.

[00:38:21] All right.

[00:38:22] I think you guys are probably slightly bigger,

[00:38:24] but it's just the same kind.

[00:38:26] But with America,

[00:38:27] you've got people in the middle where here,

[00:38:30] there's not many people in the middle.

[00:38:32] Everyone's just around the outskirts kind of thing.

[00:38:35] Very cool.

[00:38:37] Very,

[00:38:37] very cool.

[00:38:39] So no middle Australia for you.

[00:38:42] All right.

[00:38:43] Cool.

[00:38:44] That's awesome.

[00:38:45] Yeah.

[00:38:46] It's pretty dope.

[00:38:47] Yeah.

[00:38:47] I would travel to a lot of places there,

[00:38:49] man.

[00:38:49] Well,

[00:38:50] okay.

[00:38:50] Well,

[00:38:51] what,

[00:38:53] what were the first things that you did in your apprenticeship at the old

[00:38:57] studio?

[00:38:58] And what were like,

[00:38:59] you know,

[00:38:59] some of the things that he put you to?

[00:39:02] It's mainly just drawing,

[00:39:04] like up in the drawer and answering the fines,

[00:39:06] cleaning up,

[00:39:07] cleaning up every station,

[00:39:09] setting up every station.

[00:39:11] Very cool.

[00:39:12] Just like,

[00:39:12] I kind of feel like it was a,

[00:39:15] a modern day,

[00:39:17] traditional apprenticeship.

[00:39:18] Like,

[00:39:19] I said to him,

[00:39:20] I want to learn it the proper way with coils and all that kind of stuff.

[00:39:24] So then that's how he did it.

[00:39:27] He was like,

[00:39:27] this is a coil machine.

[00:39:28] Take this bit apart.

[00:39:29] Put this bit back here.

[00:39:30] This is our needles guy.

[00:39:32] So he taught me the old school way.

[00:39:35] Did you know anything about it before you went in?

[00:39:38] No,

[00:39:38] no.

[00:39:40] I mean,

[00:39:40] I've done research,

[00:39:41] but again,

[00:39:43] there's only so much you can know until someone showing you.

[00:39:46] I'm better at being done and reading.

[00:39:49] Same.

[00:39:50] Same.

[00:39:50] Yeah.

[00:39:52] Yeah.

[00:39:53] I,

[00:39:53] I'm,

[00:39:54] I am the same way.

[00:39:55] Um,

[00:39:56] did you like coils?

[00:39:59] Um,

[00:40:00] I did like them,

[00:40:02] but I,

[00:40:03] it just got annoying.

[00:40:05] Like a sound of a brat now,

[00:40:06] but it gets annoying changing the needles and all that shit.

[00:40:10] But I liked,

[00:40:11] I liked having to tune it up and doing all that yourself.

[00:40:14] That was like,

[00:40:15] well,

[00:40:15] I've done all of this and now I've just made that out of this.

[00:40:18] Yeah.

[00:40:18] Yeah.

[00:40:19] Yeah.

[00:40:19] Now that stuff is very cool.

[00:40:21] No,

[00:40:21] I say I'm,

[00:40:23] I don't,

[00:40:24] you know,

[00:40:26] there's a,

[00:40:27] there's a beautiful simplicity to just having a liner,

[00:40:32] just having a shader and being able to do a whole piece with just those two machines.

[00:40:38] And I'm not that beautifully simple.

[00:40:42] Yeah.

[00:40:43] Yeah.

[00:40:43] I'm just not,

[00:40:44] I'm,

[00:40:45] I'm a mess.

[00:40:46] I,

[00:40:46] it's been a critique my entire life.

[00:40:48] Um,

[00:40:49] I get,

[00:40:50] I get really marred up in the deets.

[00:40:52] Uh,

[00:40:52] I really liked the details.

[00:40:54] Um,

[00:40:54] and it's been a hard,

[00:40:56] it's been a hard thing for me to keep zooming out,

[00:40:58] but I would say that's my biggest criticism of my work as of right now.

[00:41:02] Yeah.

[00:41:02] Um,

[00:41:04] which,

[00:41:04] you know,

[00:41:05] the end,

[00:41:05] and the cords,

[00:41:06] the fucking cords,

[00:41:08] they're just driving mental.

[00:41:10] Yeah.

[00:41:10] Yeah.

[00:41:11] No,

[00:41:11] no,

[00:41:11] I feel you.

[00:41:12] I mean,

[00:41:12] look,

[00:41:13] you can be bougie about it.

[00:41:15] It's fine.

[00:41:15] Yeah.

[00:41:16] But it's like,

[00:41:17] cause I couldn't afford my own gear.

[00:41:20] I was out in the back store,

[00:41:21] like digging out old coils,

[00:41:24] digging out old leads.

[00:41:25] So the leads wouldn't work.

[00:41:27] Cause I'd sold her the leads back up.

[00:41:28] One of the wires,

[00:41:29] the machine works.

[00:41:30] I sold her that back.

[00:41:31] I'm like,

[00:41:31] this is fucking like proper old school now.

[00:41:34] Yeah.

[00:41:35] Cause I could,

[00:41:35] I could solder anyway.

[00:41:37] The only thing I didn't do is make my needles,

[00:41:38] but I wouldn't mind it.

[00:41:40] I'd like to have learned how to do that.

[00:41:42] Same,

[00:41:43] same.

[00:41:44] I only did it once.

[00:41:45] Apocalypse.

[00:41:47] Yeah.

[00:41:47] I only,

[00:41:48] I only went through it once with,

[00:41:50] with my mentor,

[00:41:50] my very first one.

[00:41:52] And,

[00:41:52] uh,

[00:41:52] I knew enough to know how it was done,

[00:41:54] but I had a jig and all of that,

[00:41:58] but I never used it really.

[00:41:59] Never,

[00:42:00] never really.

[00:42:01] I'm sure I could figure it out.

[00:42:03] I'm sure you could too.

[00:42:04] Um,

[00:42:05] I know a lot of artists.

[00:42:06] That's all they do.

[00:42:07] Like they'll,

[00:42:07] they'll every tattoo they make,

[00:42:09] they make the needles for that tattoo that morning,

[00:42:12] autoclave it,

[00:42:14] then do a full day.

[00:42:16] That too.

[00:42:17] I feel like that's like,

[00:42:18] I feel like that's American kind of thing though.

[00:42:20] I feel like there's more people over your way doing that than there is

[00:42:23] here and in Europe.

[00:42:28] Diary listeners,

[00:42:29] pardon this brief interruption,

[00:42:31] but I wanted to shout something out.

[00:42:33] Uh,

[00:42:34] a new social space called tattoo social has been created.

[00:42:39] It's a very cool space.

[00:42:40] And I wanted to let you guys know that in the show notes of this,

[00:42:44] uh,

[00:42:45] podcast,

[00:42:46] we will be giving you a link.

[00:42:48] If you would like to check out this,

[00:42:50] this space,

[00:42:51] it's not just for tattoo artists.

[00:42:52] It's for a tattoo enthusiast,

[00:42:54] people who want to keep up with discussions and ask questions and,

[00:42:58] uh,

[00:42:59] show artwork and show tattoos and,

[00:43:02] and share travel.

[00:43:04] And for,

[00:43:04] I mean,

[00:43:04] it's the gauntlet.

[00:43:05] It's really,

[00:43:06] really cool.

[00:43:07] Um,

[00:43:08] I am very excited about this space.

[00:43:10] I think it's a wonderful hub where,

[00:43:13] you know,

[00:43:13] a bunch of people can gather and figure out what's,

[00:43:16] you know,

[00:43:17] next,

[00:43:17] how to collaborate.

[00:43:18] It's pretty cool.

[00:43:19] So,

[00:43:20] uh,

[00:43:20] check it out.

[00:43:21] Uh,

[00:43:22] set up your own account,

[00:43:23] your own,

[00:43:24] uh,

[00:43:25] your own voice and character there and introduce yourself.

[00:43:29] Like I said,

[00:43:29] it's not just for tattoo artists.

[00:43:31] It's for enthusiasts,

[00:43:32] collectors to go tattoo social.

[00:43:36] The link will be in this show notes.

[00:43:38] Thank you listeners.

[00:43:40] Back to our podcast.

[00:43:44] I don't know the guy that I,

[00:43:46] um,

[00:43:49] it's,

[00:43:49] I think it's very,

[00:43:50] he,

[00:43:51] he considers it to be,

[00:43:53] um,

[00:43:54] an added value to what he offers his client.

[00:43:57] Like that's his way of being like,

[00:44:00] you know,

[00:44:02] everything was made for this,

[00:44:05] you know,

[00:44:05] this one feet.

[00:44:06] And it just adds to the level of things that he knows how to do.

[00:44:11] And,

[00:44:12] um,

[00:44:12] he,

[00:44:13] he has,

[00:44:14] um,

[00:44:14] actually trained in Japan and under Shige.

[00:44:19] And then come back.

[00:44:20] Like,

[00:44:20] I know.

[00:44:21] So like he's,

[00:44:23] he's dope.

[00:44:24] It's gross.

[00:44:24] And it's awesome at the same time,

[00:44:26] because it's just so fun to watch him.

[00:44:28] So the people who he's tattooing him are really like fans,

[00:44:32] collectors,

[00:44:33] or like the majority,

[00:44:35] probably 80% of the population are like,

[00:44:38] I'll only go in with you if you're cheaper than this guy.

[00:44:40] Yes.

[00:44:41] Yeah.

[00:44:42] His main clientele at this point,

[00:44:43] I would imagine is other tattoo artists.

[00:44:46] Yeah.

[00:44:46] Yeah.

[00:44:47] I was like,

[00:44:47] I made this needle.

[00:44:49] Do you want to get a tattoo?

[00:44:49] How much?

[00:44:50] I'm like,

[00:44:50] fuck,

[00:44:51] I'm going.

[00:44:52] Yeah.

[00:44:53] No,

[00:44:53] no.

[00:44:54] How much doesn't even come into it.

[00:44:55] They're like,

[00:44:56] they're like,

[00:44:57] I will be tattooed by you whenever you just tell me,

[00:45:00] I don't care if it's five years from now.

[00:45:03] Cool.

[00:45:04] I'll figure it out.

[00:45:08] I'm talking about Jeff Gogway,

[00:45:10] by the,

[00:45:10] by the way,

[00:45:11] I'd love to have him on the show.

[00:45:12] He's a really sweet,

[00:45:13] sweet human.

[00:45:15] Yeah.

[00:45:16] Have you seen,

[00:45:19] it's Olin jar,

[00:45:20] I believe,

[00:45:20] or Olin jar.

[00:45:22] I think that's how you say it is the,

[00:45:24] it's a magazine publication.

[00:45:27] Him and his,

[00:45:30] his partner,

[00:45:32] Laura Jade,

[00:45:33] who's also dope,

[00:45:35] dope,

[00:45:35] dope,

[00:45:35] dope tattoo artist.

[00:45:37] They are creating it.

[00:45:39] It's really good.

[00:45:40] I have to look it up.

[00:45:41] I have to look them both up actually.

[00:45:43] I'll have to get a subscription to it.

[00:45:45] I've spoken about it a couple of times,

[00:45:47] but I haven't.

[00:45:48] I've seen,

[00:45:48] I've seen like the headliners and I'm like,

[00:45:50] Oh God,

[00:45:51] that's so good.

[00:45:52] They're so good.

[00:45:54] Everything he does is really great.

[00:45:57] Um,

[00:45:57] and he,

[00:45:58] he's very,

[00:45:59] um,

[00:46:00] it's a very cool guy.

[00:46:02] I'm very,

[00:46:03] very cool guy.

[00:46:04] Um,

[00:46:05] he's like half the time.

[00:46:06] He's like,

[00:46:07] he doesn't,

[00:46:07] he's like,

[00:46:08] I don't know why people think I'm cool.

[00:46:11] You know,

[00:46:12] like he's same thing.

[00:46:14] Very,

[00:46:14] very awesome person.

[00:46:15] Just,

[00:46:16] you know,

[00:46:17] very,

[00:46:18] very dedicated hustles,

[00:46:20] hustles hard.

[00:46:21] I think has to be around people who hustle hard,

[00:46:24] you know,

[00:46:24] that kind of stuff.

[00:46:25] Yeah.

[00:46:26] Really amazing.

[00:46:28] Just hold my mind.

[00:46:30] Mm hmm.

[00:46:31] Yep.

[00:46:32] Yeah.

[00:46:32] His big,

[00:46:32] uh,

[00:46:33] claim to fame,

[00:46:34] uh,

[00:46:34] was doing a painting of a skull a day for a year,

[00:46:39] every day,

[00:46:40] uh,

[00:46:40] painting of a skull.

[00:46:41] And it was just a skull,

[00:46:43] but he would do it differently each day.

[00:46:45] It was just a study every day.

[00:46:47] And,

[00:46:48] uh,

[00:46:49] oil paint for the most part.

[00:46:52] Wow.

[00:46:52] Yeah.

[00:46:53] And,

[00:46:53] you know,

[00:46:53] it got,

[00:46:54] it got very like,

[00:46:56] um,

[00:46:57] it got very drilling of his too,

[00:47:00] because,

[00:47:00] you know,

[00:47:00] he was playing with a lot of things like cutting his palette down,

[00:47:03] trying to see what he could work within,

[00:47:06] what could make it more than a painting.

[00:47:08] It was,

[00:47:08] it is very cool,

[00:47:10] but he's like,

[00:47:10] you know,

[00:47:12] that'll,

[00:47:12] it gives,

[00:47:13] it just gives you a lot.

[00:47:14] He said,

[00:47:15] you know,

[00:47:15] you,

[00:47:18] a lot about yourself and what you're made of.

[00:47:20] And he's like,

[00:47:20] it will definitely get people looking at you.

[00:47:23] If you give yourself that kind of ritual and you do it.

[00:47:27] Yeah.

[00:47:28] Yeah.

[00:47:28] Massively.

[00:47:29] Yeah.

[00:47:29] Yeah.

[00:47:31] He's that kind of crazy.

[00:47:32] I love it.

[00:47:35] Yeah.

[00:47:37] No,

[00:47:38] I know.

[00:47:38] I love it.

[00:47:39] Beautiful.

[00:47:39] Crazy.

[00:47:40] Okay.

[00:47:41] So you had a traditional one.

[00:47:42] You were soldering your shit together.

[00:47:46] Just trying to make hands meet.

[00:47:48] Well,

[00:47:49] well,

[00:47:50] I'm glad that's good.

[00:47:52] You know,

[00:47:52] like,

[00:47:52] yeah,

[00:47:53] you have a right to like be bougie now,

[00:47:57] probably more than me.

[00:47:58] Yeah.

[00:47:59] Like with the apprenticeship as well.

[00:48:01] He was like,

[00:48:02] cause I wanted to do three days and he was like,

[00:48:04] nah,

[00:48:04] it's five days or nothing or five.

[00:48:07] I do six days more at a time just so I can learn more in advance.

[00:48:12] Quicker.

[00:48:12] Yeah.

[00:48:14] It's time under the needle too.

[00:48:16] Like it does.

[00:48:17] It does.

[00:48:18] Yeah.

[00:48:19] It requires a lot of time and yeah.

[00:48:24] It's crazy.

[00:48:26] First two years is like,

[00:48:28] fuck,

[00:48:28] I can't do this.

[00:48:30] Actually,

[00:48:30] this is all right.

[00:48:31] Fuck.

[00:48:31] I'm going to kill myself.

[00:48:33] Actually,

[00:48:33] this is all right.

[00:48:34] Yeah.

[00:48:34] It's a lot of rollercoaster.

[00:48:36] Like,

[00:48:37] Oh,

[00:48:37] I'm going to throw up.

[00:48:40] What am I doing?

[00:48:42] No,

[00:48:42] I'm doing all right.

[00:48:44] Maybe I can do this.

[00:48:47] How long have you been tattooing now?

[00:48:49] God,

[00:48:50] it's so long.

[00:48:52] So what?

[00:48:53] 2020,

[00:48:53] I think.

[00:48:54] That's when you started.

[00:48:56] I think it's 2020 or 2021,

[00:48:59] early 2021,

[00:49:00] end of 2020.

[00:49:02] What's the regulations like?

[00:49:05] Yeah,

[00:49:05] it's pretty strict here.

[00:49:07] You got,

[00:49:08] obviously you do.

[00:49:11] What's it called?

[00:49:12] I can't remember what it's called.

[00:49:13] No,

[00:49:13] it's a certificate for skin penetration or like sanitary and all that kind of stuff.

[00:49:19] Yeah.

[00:49:21] We've got a tattoo license,

[00:49:22] but that's just like a money grabber kind of thing,

[00:49:26] really.

[00:49:31] The scratch is at bay,

[00:49:32] but it doesn't because anyone can really get a license if you've got.

[00:49:37] Yeah.

[00:49:38] Cause it's not,

[00:49:39] it's not overly regulated,

[00:49:41] but it is regulated.

[00:49:43] Well,

[00:49:44] and this is probably why we like each other.

[00:49:46] Um,

[00:49:46] yes,

[00:49:47] I,

[00:49:47] I think all,

[00:49:48] I think most regulation,

[00:49:49] if,

[00:49:50] if it doesn't,

[00:49:51] it usually starts out pretty integral,

[00:49:54] but because you just,

[00:49:56] you have people that think it's like anything,

[00:50:00] right?

[00:50:00] Like you get tired of,

[00:50:03] I guess people using the wrong door,

[00:50:06] you know,

[00:50:06] like they go in the wrong door constantly.

[00:50:09] And so you think,

[00:50:10] I'll just put a sign on this door and they'll use the right door.

[00:50:16] No,

[00:50:17] no,

[00:50:18] because people don't read.

[00:50:21] Maybe some people,

[00:50:23] maybe some people will use the right door after they put,

[00:50:27] but very few,

[00:50:28] like very few.

[00:50:31] And you're not really in,

[00:50:33] and what you've done is just kind of,

[00:50:36] uh,

[00:50:37] involved a lot more care and concern and time and energy.

[00:50:41] And now you got to pay to support the sign on the door.

[00:50:44] And now you got to reinforce the sign on the door.

[00:50:47] And now you're getting twice as mad because you're like,

[00:50:50] dude,

[00:50:51] not only did you go through the wrong door,

[00:50:52] but there's a sign that tells you not to do it.

[00:50:57] And then people just keep writing more and more legislation and regulation and stuff like this

[00:51:04] to make people obey the sign on the door.

[00:51:08] And you're like,

[00:51:08] dude,

[00:51:09] you're never going to solve,

[00:51:11] solve assholes.

[00:51:12] Like you're just not exactly.

[00:51:14] Yeah.

[00:51:16] I did say there was a,

[00:51:17] um,

[00:51:18] I think it's some dude.

[00:51:20] And I want to say Sydney or Melbourne.

[00:51:23] He's,

[00:51:23] I think he started.

[00:51:25] I don't know what he is.

[00:51:26] I just saw his petition about apprentices opening up their shops after a year or two years.

[00:51:32] And he's,

[00:51:33] he said,

[00:51:34] he wants to get this regulated,

[00:51:35] but if you do regulate that,

[00:51:38] I'm not sure.

[00:51:39] Then what else are they going to start regulating?

[00:51:44] And are they going to enforce it?

[00:51:46] Cause you,

[00:51:46] you write the code,

[00:51:47] you write the regulation,

[00:51:48] but then people think that's enough.

[00:51:50] Like,

[00:51:51] Oh,

[00:51:51] I put the sign on the door.

[00:51:52] So people will just respond.

[00:51:53] Like,

[00:51:53] no,

[00:51:53] no,

[00:51:53] no,

[00:51:54] no.

[00:51:54] Now you,

[00:51:54] now you have to actually reinforce the sign.

[00:51:58] Exactly.

[00:51:59] Right.

[00:51:59] You know,

[00:52:00] now you have to have somebody that says,

[00:52:01] Hey,

[00:52:01] there's a sign there.

[00:52:03] Read it,

[00:52:03] Dick.

[00:52:05] What does it say?

[00:52:06] You know,

[00:52:07] like,

[00:52:07] you know,

[00:52:07] like you think you're going to avoid,

[00:52:09] that's what people do.

[00:52:10] They think that there's an easy solution to these things that are,

[00:52:14] that are not actually easy.

[00:52:17] There,

[00:52:17] there are things that you have to genuinely take time.

[00:52:20] You have to genuinely care.

[00:52:22] Exactly.

[00:52:23] Yeah.

[00:52:23] And that's it,

[00:52:25] you know,

[00:52:25] and you have to put yourself to it.

[00:52:28] Earlier today,

[00:52:29] I interviewed a beautiful lady and she,

[00:52:32] um,

[00:52:33] was very transparent.

[00:52:35] And she,

[00:52:36] she admitted,

[00:52:37] she's like,

[00:52:38] I didn't go about this the right way at all.

[00:52:40] She's like,

[00:52:40] I ordered a kit off Amazon.

[00:52:43] And she's like,

[00:52:44] I tattooed fake skin.

[00:52:46] I tattooed myself after fake skin.

[00:52:48] It was vastly different.

[00:52:50] I didn't do too bad of a job,

[00:52:52] but she's like,

[00:52:52] I've done everything that you're not supposed to do.

[00:52:54] And she's like,

[00:52:55] and it wasn't for a lack of trying.

[00:52:58] She's like,

[00:52:59] I visited every shot within like a 30 mile radius of my house.

[00:53:03] And she's like,

[00:53:04] I did get some people that gave me some like,

[00:53:08] you know,

[00:53:09] like,

[00:53:09] uh,

[00:53:10] assignments.

[00:53:11] And I did them.

[00:53:12] And then I said,

[00:53:13] you know,

[00:53:13] Hey,

[00:53:14] you know,

[00:53:15] let me know if I can do other things,

[00:53:17] you know,

[00:53:18] please.

[00:53:18] I'm very interested.

[00:53:19] And they told her,

[00:53:20] yeah,

[00:53:20] we'll,

[00:53:21] we'll hit you up.

[00:53:22] And then nothing.

[00:53:23] And she was like,

[00:53:23] you know,

[00:53:23] how do you do like,

[00:53:24] how do you do this?

[00:53:26] And she's like,

[00:53:27] you know,

[00:53:27] none of them wanted apprentices.

[00:53:29] They're all too busy.

[00:53:30] And I said,

[00:53:31] you know,

[00:53:31] that's the thing is I see a lot of that.

[00:53:33] I see a lot of people that are like,

[00:53:35] yeah,

[00:53:36] I,

[00:53:36] I can't,

[00:53:37] I can't take the time to teach you.

[00:53:40] And yeah.

[00:53:40] Yeah.

[00:53:42] But then I don't know.

[00:53:44] When I was,

[00:53:45] when I was going for like an apprenticeship,

[00:53:47] I was like,

[00:53:47] if people turn me down,

[00:53:48] then I'm just going to hound them and just keep being a form in their side.

[00:53:54] Yeah.

[00:53:54] But luckily for me,

[00:53:55] I didn't have to do that.

[00:53:56] I mean,

[00:53:56] I did do the whole hang around.

[00:53:57] That's what I guess the hang around bits for.

[00:53:59] But I was like,

[00:54:00] I'm just going to pester these fuckers until they get bored of me.

[00:54:03] Like if it's British,

[00:54:05] get out of here or I'm not going to teach you.

[00:54:06] Well,

[00:54:06] I'm in.

[00:54:10] Well,

[00:54:10] you know,

[00:54:11] some of that,

[00:54:11] you know,

[00:54:12] I do think there's a difference in the sexes too.

[00:54:15] Like she,

[00:54:16] she said,

[00:54:16] you know,

[00:54:17] the one guy that,

[00:54:18] that did offer her like an assignment,

[00:54:21] she said that,

[00:54:21] that she particularly,

[00:54:23] you know,

[00:54:24] gave her number to him.

[00:54:25] She was like,

[00:54:25] I didn't want to hound him.

[00:54:26] Like he's like,

[00:54:27] like he kind of intimidated the hell out of me.

[00:54:29] Like,

[00:54:29] I don't want to hound that guy.

[00:54:31] You know,

[00:54:31] I don't piss him off.

[00:54:33] They're off for the kind of they are.

[00:54:36] Yeah,

[00:54:36] no,

[00:54:36] I mean,

[00:54:37] but she's a younger girl,

[00:54:38] you know,

[00:54:38] there's a,

[00:54:40] I guess,

[00:54:40] unless you,

[00:54:42] you know,

[00:54:43] you're pretty wild,

[00:54:44] man.

[00:54:45] Plus you're a guy.

[00:54:46] I think,

[00:54:46] you know.

[00:54:47] Yeah.

[00:54:48] Yeah.

[00:54:48] I guess it does.

[00:54:49] Scrappy.

[00:54:51] Actually,

[00:54:52] I,

[00:54:52] I identify as a tattoo machine.

[00:54:55] Yeah.

[00:54:56] No,

[00:54:56] I hear you.

[00:54:57] As a tool,

[00:54:58] just a tool.

[00:55:02] Same.

[00:55:04] You have been speaking to my wife.

[00:55:11] She calls it taking it out on the weights.

[00:55:17] Oh my God.

[00:55:18] It's awesome.

[00:55:20] No,

[00:55:21] I mean,

[00:55:21] you know,

[00:55:22] I,

[00:55:22] I,

[00:55:24] I,

[00:55:24] I,

[00:55:24] I heard,

[00:55:25] I heard her and,

[00:55:26] you know,

[00:55:26] like I,

[00:55:26] I grew up,

[00:55:28] I grew up always being kind of vetted in small business.

[00:55:32] So I was,

[00:55:33] I was kind of forced to talk to people a lot older than me.

[00:55:36] So I didn't have that like intimidation at all.

[00:55:39] I don't know if that was the same as you.

[00:55:42] Oh,

[00:55:43] I was always like the shy kid,

[00:55:44] but I guess growing up in construction,

[00:55:48] no one's got time for shy.

[00:55:49] You gotta be,

[00:55:50] be a man.

[00:55:51] Yeah.

[00:55:52] Yeah.

[00:55:53] Yeah.

[00:55:54] No,

[00:55:54] I,

[00:55:54] I,

[00:55:55] I think that there's a,

[00:55:57] you know,

[00:55:57] just when you're,

[00:55:59] when you were coming into it,

[00:56:02] construction definitely will help vet you.

[00:56:05] And a lot like that.

[00:56:06] Rico,

[00:56:06] Rico said that it,

[00:56:07] he did a little bit of it too.

[00:56:08] And he said,

[00:56:09] it was wild.

[00:56:10] And you know,

[00:56:11] you have a lot of fun.

[00:56:13] You fuck with each other.

[00:56:15] What was that?

[00:56:17] The stories I can tell you.

[00:56:19] Oh,

[00:56:19] I believe it.

[00:56:20] Well,

[00:56:20] that helps too,

[00:56:21] you know,

[00:56:21] like having stories.

[00:56:23] Yeah.

[00:56:24] Be like,

[00:56:24] Oh,

[00:56:25] you think that's something.

[00:56:26] Let me tell you about this guy.

[00:56:29] I just make shit up sometimes as well.

[00:56:31] Just for a fun story.

[00:56:33] I told the client,

[00:56:33] I got chased up a,

[00:56:35] no,

[00:56:35] I got chased up Big Ben by a bear.

[00:56:38] And they believe me.

[00:56:44] That's awesome.

[00:56:45] They at least played along with it.

[00:56:47] Oh,

[00:56:48] no,

[00:56:48] they were like,

[00:56:48] really,

[00:56:49] it escaped.

[00:56:50] It escaped.

[00:56:51] Like the whole of London was in lockdown.

[00:56:52] It's in panic.

[00:56:53] And I ended up having to run up Big Ben and it was at the bottom of Big Ben

[00:56:56] growling at me.

[00:57:00] It escaped.

[00:57:09] You're like,

[00:57:10] look at this melanoma scar.

[00:57:11] You don't say it is.

[00:57:12] You're like,

[00:57:12] that's where it got me right there.

[00:57:18] Grays of the tooth.

[00:57:21] It's just barely got away.

[00:57:25] Dude,

[00:57:26] that's awesome.

[00:57:28] Surfing's pretty badass though.

[00:57:30] Like I don't even think surfing in Australia,

[00:57:32] particularly to like melanoma is not even half your problem.

[00:57:37] No,

[00:57:37] that's the main problem.

[00:57:39] Sharks are nothing.

[00:57:40] Melanoma is that's the one.

[00:57:42] The hell you say.

[00:57:45] Look,

[00:57:46] I've only seen,

[00:57:46] I've only seen two sharks in 10 years.

[00:57:49] So that ain't bad.

[00:57:50] Those are the ones you've seen.

[00:57:52] Yeah.

[00:57:53] Yeah.

[00:57:53] Yeah.

[00:57:54] Yeah.

[00:57:54] You're not getting the aerial view around you.

[00:57:59] As long as you don't think about it,

[00:58:01] they're not there.

[00:58:02] Oh yeah.

[00:58:02] Okay.

[00:58:03] Well,

[00:58:03] that's my problem.

[00:58:05] I've always like,

[00:58:06] I've always thought what a way to go though.

[00:58:08] Like that's a hero's death.

[00:58:10] No,

[00:58:11] I mean,

[00:58:11] you're,

[00:58:12] you're right.

[00:58:12] The,

[00:58:12] I'm just,

[00:58:13] I was just listening to Tucker Carlson is interviewing.

[00:58:17] One of his most recent was a girl who lost her arm and she's a competitive

[00:58:23] surfer.

[00:58:25] Yeah.

[00:58:26] Yeah.

[00:58:26] Yeah.

[00:58:27] Yeah.

[00:58:28] And she's a mother of four and incredible.

[00:58:32] Yeah.

[00:58:32] And she's amazing,

[00:58:34] man.

[00:58:35] Yeah.

[00:58:35] She's so,

[00:58:35] I mean,

[00:58:37] that's pretty dope.

[00:58:37] I'm not as cool as her for sure.

[00:58:39] Like I'm not as good as I look two arms and I still can't.

[00:58:45] I'll never,

[00:58:46] that's fine.

[00:58:47] I'll it's cool.

[00:58:49] You know,

[00:58:50] it's all,

[00:58:51] it's all right.

[00:58:53] That's all right.

[00:58:55] I definitely.

[00:58:58] Next life,

[00:58:59] next life.

[00:59:01] That'll be all right.

[00:59:03] I like the ocean.

[00:59:04] I don't mind it.

[00:59:06] Surfing though.

[00:59:07] Anyway,

[00:59:09] that's a whole other tangent.

[00:59:10] I really think that's awesome though,

[00:59:11] that,

[00:59:11] that you're that type of person.

[00:59:13] That's probably the reason why,

[00:59:15] you know,

[00:59:16] you're willing to do so much.

[00:59:18] Like that's,

[00:59:19] that's pretty dope,

[00:59:20] man.

[00:59:21] All right.

[00:59:21] Well,

[00:59:22] how did it,

[00:59:23] how did,

[00:59:23] uh,

[00:59:24] how did you end up leaving that shop and then going to the next one?

[00:59:29] What was that like?

[00:59:31] Um,

[00:59:32] it was just down.

[00:59:33] There was just no work whatsoever.

[00:59:36] Like I was struggling.

[00:59:37] I don't know what happened,

[00:59:38] I guess maybe the whole COVID thing,

[00:59:41] but we wasn't really advertising.

[00:59:43] There's just nothing.

[00:59:45] I was making nothing.

[00:59:46] So I don't like,

[00:59:48] because it was a good three years where I was just learning and making the odd bit of money here and there.

[00:59:53] And then when I was allowed to make the good money,

[00:59:57] I was going all right for a while.

[00:59:58] And then it was dead for so long.

[01:00:01] Like we were just scratching our asses and that.

[01:00:03] And I was like,

[01:00:03] look,

[01:00:04] I've got mouths to feed.

[01:00:05] I'm going back on the construction.

[01:00:07] So I went back on the tools.

[01:00:09] I think I was driving down like Brisbane.

[01:00:12] I was working local.

[01:00:13] So I got back on the tools for about a month,

[01:00:15] month and a half,

[01:00:16] just to get some money again,

[01:00:18] like to try and play catch up because of the bills and the kids clothes for school and all that kind of shit.

[01:00:23] And then I got into a tattoo shop in Brisbane,

[01:00:28] which is like an hour and 15 minutes away.

[01:00:31] Cause they said that they needed someone.

[01:00:33] They had loads of work,

[01:00:34] jumped in there.

[01:00:35] That was an absolute shit show.

[01:00:38] And now I think I lasted two weeks.

[01:00:39] I was like,

[01:00:40] nah,

[01:00:40] see you later.

[01:00:41] It was that bad,

[01:00:42] huh?

[01:00:42] Yeah.

[01:00:43] I mean,

[01:00:44] the dude,

[01:00:45] I should have sort of a red flag to begin with,

[01:00:47] but you know,

[01:00:48] it's like,

[01:00:48] you're just blindsided.

[01:00:49] You need money.

[01:00:50] He's boasting that he got his puppy dog stoned.

[01:00:55] It died.

[01:00:56] Uh,

[01:00:56] he put it in a jar full of vinegar.

[01:00:59] I was like,

[01:01:00] so you didn't taxidermia or anything like that.

[01:01:02] He's like,

[01:01:03] nah.

[01:01:03] And as the weeks went on,

[01:01:04] the jar got browner and brown away.

[01:01:06] It's just coming to bits.

[01:01:08] Oh my God.

[01:01:10] Yeah.

[01:01:10] I don't think vinegar is something that will.

[01:01:14] No,

[01:01:15] that's what I told him.

[01:01:16] Preserve.

[01:01:17] I mean,

[01:01:18] formaldehyde.

[01:01:21] You need formaldehyde.

[01:01:22] He was a,

[01:01:22] he was a first class idiot,

[01:01:25] but he was always like,

[01:01:27] I remember when I first moved here and I was on the building side,

[01:01:31] I worked for this firm for about a month,

[01:01:33] two months.

[01:01:33] And they were always on the phone.

[01:01:35] Like we've done this job,

[01:01:36] finish that job.

[01:01:36] More,

[01:01:36] more,

[01:01:37] more,

[01:01:37] more,

[01:01:37] more.

[01:01:37] That's what he was like in Brisbane.

[01:01:38] It was like,

[01:01:39] go and have a client.

[01:01:40] If you've got someone else coming in,

[01:01:41] I've got someone else coming in for you.

[01:01:42] Quick,

[01:01:43] make money,

[01:01:43] make money,

[01:01:44] charge me,

[01:01:44] charge me,

[01:01:44] blah,

[01:01:45] blah,

[01:01:45] blah.

[01:01:45] I'm like,

[01:01:46] nah,

[01:01:46] I don't need that shit.

[01:01:47] No,

[01:01:48] uh-uh.

[01:01:48] You're like,

[01:01:49] there is,

[01:01:50] I want to make money,

[01:01:51] but not,

[01:01:53] you can't,

[01:01:54] you can't,

[01:01:55] you just can't do it under certain circumstances.

[01:01:57] And here's always some pressure.

[01:01:59] And so I,

[01:01:59] I forget even a week and a half,

[01:02:01] I was like,

[01:02:01] look,

[01:02:01] mate,

[01:02:01] I'm done.

[01:02:02] I'm out of here.

[01:02:03] Yeah.

[01:02:03] And he was like,

[01:02:04] you only wanted to come in and steal my clients.

[01:02:06] I'm like,

[01:02:07] you're welcome to her,

[01:02:08] man.

[01:02:08] You can have all those clients.

[01:02:11] If they like the shit,

[01:02:12] then that,

[01:02:12] you know,

[01:02:13] they should stay.

[01:02:17] I got back on the,

[01:02:19] um,

[01:02:20] tools again.

[01:02:21] One of my clients said he'd give me some like laboring work.

[01:02:25] So I did that for a few weeks.

[01:02:27] And then I heard about this place was looking for somewhere.

[01:02:30] Okay.

[01:02:31] Cause I,

[01:02:31] I think they knew the guy that owned it.

[01:02:33] So I just gave him a call.

[01:02:34] I said,

[01:02:34] look,

[01:02:35] I'm happy to do one or two days,

[01:02:37] whatever.

[01:02:37] He's like,

[01:02:38] yeah,

[01:02:38] perfect.

[01:02:39] He said,

[01:02:39] he'd like my vibe and like work as much or as little as you want until you

[01:02:43] get your money sorted out.

[01:02:45] So I was doing a couple of days there,

[01:02:47] a couple of days on the site and then build up a whole new clientele again.

[01:02:51] And then that was it.

[01:02:52] Oh,

[01:02:52] that's awesome.

[01:02:53] That's really cool.

[01:02:55] No,

[01:02:55] I would imagine it are the,

[01:03:00] I should try to figure out my,

[01:03:02] what I'm trying to say.

[01:03:04] I have known a lot of people in construction that like getting tattoos.

[01:03:09] Did you,

[01:03:10] did you,

[01:03:11] did you get a lot of clients from even just your work and other,

[01:03:14] in the other field?

[01:03:16] They all said that they would,

[01:03:18] but they never do.

[01:03:18] No,

[01:03:19] it's like,

[01:03:19] Oh yeah,

[01:03:19] I want to get this.

[01:03:20] This is what I want.

[01:03:22] Yeah.

[01:03:22] Cool.

[01:03:23] Okay.

[01:03:25] Right.

[01:03:25] Oh,

[01:03:25] you're going to be mates rates.

[01:03:27] Hell no.

[01:03:29] It's like,

[01:03:29] I,

[01:03:30] I look,

[01:03:30] I'm not my own entity.

[01:03:32] I get a,

[01:03:32] I get a cut taken out of my shit,

[01:03:34] you know?

[01:03:35] Exactly.

[01:03:36] Yeah.

[01:03:36] Yeah.

[01:03:37] Like mate rate.

[01:03:39] Yeah.

[01:03:40] What's this?

[01:03:41] Yeah.

[01:03:42] When I got into a new place,

[01:03:44] the iron,

[01:03:44] I was,

[01:03:45] he just,

[01:03:46] like I said earlier,

[01:03:46] he sat me down and he was like,

[01:03:47] this is what you should be doing on Instagram.

[01:03:49] He goes,

[01:03:49] you're not using it enough.

[01:03:51] Get rid of certain like bits of your portfolio.

[01:03:54] This is how you go around using the whole Instagram thing.

[01:03:56] Like I knew how to use it,

[01:03:58] but not as well as what he did.

[01:04:00] Yeah.

[01:04:01] I don't know how to use it as well as most people do.

[01:04:05] Yeah.

[01:04:06] I don't.

[01:04:06] That's that.

[01:04:07] That and word of mouth is where I get all my clients.

[01:04:11] Yes.

[01:04:12] I love word of mouth.

[01:04:14] Word of mouth is great.

[01:04:15] I love word of mouth.

[01:04:17] Yeah.

[01:04:17] Yeah.

[01:04:18] Cause they do have to work for you.

[01:04:20] They really like talk you up and,

[01:04:23] you know,

[01:04:24] kind of,

[01:04:24] kind of,

[01:04:25] they bring in people like them,

[01:04:26] which is good.

[01:04:27] Yeah.

[01:04:28] That's what I was going to say.

[01:04:29] If it's there,

[01:04:30] mate,

[01:04:30] you know,

[01:04:30] you just click fine gel.

[01:04:33] Yeah.

[01:04:33] That's awesome.

[01:04:34] That's awesome.

[01:04:35] And so you're doing a lot of fine line and black and gray.

[01:04:38] That's what I remember you doing.

[01:04:41] Yeah.

[01:04:44] I think I started with the realism.

[01:04:46] So my first ever tattoo was supposed to be a realism skull,

[01:04:52] but it looked all right.

[01:04:53] And then the next day I was doing a realism cover up.

[01:04:57] Then the next day I was doing a realism butterfly,

[01:04:59] like the anxiety of trying to do realism in your first week.

[01:05:04] It was like,

[01:05:04] fuck.

[01:05:05] Like the hell was this?

[01:05:07] How long,

[01:05:08] um,

[01:05:08] how long did it take you to do,

[01:05:10] uh,

[01:05:11] the skull?

[01:05:12] Um,

[01:05:13] I did six hours,

[01:05:16] but it wasn't finished.

[01:05:17] I got the jaw teeth,

[01:05:20] cheekbones,

[01:05:22] two eyes,

[01:05:22] a little bit over.

[01:05:24] I remember it being pretty decent.

[01:05:27] Yeah.

[01:05:28] It looks all right.

[01:05:28] I mean,

[01:05:29] he was happy with it.

[01:05:30] Yeah.

[01:05:31] Did it feel like it took forever?

[01:05:33] Oh,

[01:05:34] it did.

[01:05:34] Yeah.

[01:05:36] I guess.

[01:05:39] Uh,

[01:05:39] I remember like the first time,

[01:05:41] well,

[01:05:42] the first tattoo I ever did,

[01:05:43] I was just so they kept me from it for so long.

[01:05:47] And they made me do so much,

[01:05:48] uh,

[01:05:49] that was not tattooing that by the time people,

[01:05:52] people always ask like,

[01:05:53] you know,

[01:05:54] were you scared?

[01:05:55] I was like,

[01:05:55] no,

[01:05:56] I was like biting at the bit.

[01:05:58] Like I was like,

[01:06:00] just give me the freaking machine already.

[01:06:03] And let me do it.

[01:06:04] Like,

[01:06:04] I was,

[01:06:05] I was scared because my first ever one was on my mentor.

[01:06:09] Oh yeah.

[01:06:11] Yeah.

[01:06:11] I got like the breathing down your neck.

[01:06:14] Like,

[01:06:18] I mean,

[01:06:19] would you have felt,

[01:06:21] um,

[01:06:21] would you have felt better if your first one was on yourself?

[01:06:25] Probably not.

[01:06:26] I don't think I would have felt better on anything to be honest with you.

[01:06:29] I was just shitting myself and winging it.

[01:06:32] And I done all right.

[01:06:33] Yeah.

[01:06:34] No,

[01:06:34] I mean,

[01:06:34] a lot of people,

[01:06:35] um,

[01:06:36] are kind of asked to use their own skin at first.

[01:06:38] Be like,

[01:06:39] Oh,

[01:06:39] you want to try it?

[01:06:40] Do it yourself.

[01:06:43] My main thing I was always like real nervous to doing,

[01:06:47] I'd say the first two months was always like the 18,

[01:06:54] 19,

[01:06:55] 20 year olds.

[01:06:56] Cause that's like,

[01:06:57] this is an apprentice tattoo.

[01:06:58] This is the free tattoo.

[01:07:00] So I'm like,

[01:07:01] yeah,

[01:07:01] they,

[01:07:02] they know that it's a free tattoo,

[01:07:03] but if I fuck this up,

[01:07:04] that's their body for the rest of their lives.

[01:07:07] Fuck.

[01:07:08] Yeah.

[01:07:08] I think I've got way too much pressure on myself being a dad and that.

[01:07:12] You're like,

[01:07:12] yeah.

[01:07:14] Yeah.

[01:07:15] Yeah.

[01:07:16] Yeah.

[01:07:17] It feels,

[01:07:18] um,

[01:07:18] that's really,

[01:07:19] that's cool of you,

[01:07:20] man.

[01:07:20] Like that you're that kind of,

[01:07:22] um,

[01:07:23] conscientious person.

[01:07:24] Cause that's,

[01:07:26] it is.

[01:07:27] I always,

[01:07:29] um,

[01:07:29] I've always felt that,

[01:07:32] you know,

[01:07:33] 18 is legal,

[01:07:34] but man,

[01:07:35] it's still really young.

[01:07:36] So anyone under 30 is really young.

[01:07:40] Yeah,

[01:07:41] no,

[01:07:42] totally.

[01:07:42] And I mean,

[01:07:43] but,

[01:07:44] but in every way,

[01:07:45] like they're not making their own money yet.

[01:07:48] They're not,

[01:07:48] they don't,

[01:07:49] you know what I'm saying?

[01:07:50] Like their budget,

[01:07:51] they're getting the tattoo because it is cheap and it is affordable.

[01:07:57] And,

[01:07:57] you know,

[01:07:57] they want a tattoo.

[01:07:59] Yeah.

[01:07:59] Yeah.

[01:08:00] Yeah.

[01:08:00] I mean,

[01:08:01] if it's free,

[01:08:01] if it's not free,

[01:08:02] then it's at least really,

[01:08:03] really cheap.

[01:08:04] And,

[01:08:05] um,

[01:08:05] and in the beginning,

[01:08:07] yes,

[01:08:07] it's free,

[01:08:08] but like the,

[01:08:11] the amount to which their life is going to scale very quickly by the end of their twenties is just monumental,

[01:08:18] you know?

[01:08:20] And you're thinking that to yourself,

[01:08:22] like,

[01:08:22] dude,

[01:08:22] you know,

[01:08:23] you're going to be able to do so much more than this.

[01:08:26] Exactly.

[01:08:27] Yeah.

[01:08:28] In like five years,

[01:08:29] probably.

[01:08:30] Yeah.

[01:08:31] You know,

[01:08:32] if you play your cards,

[01:08:33] right,

[01:08:33] you make some good money or whatever you,

[01:08:35] you get into.

[01:08:36] Um,

[01:08:37] but you know,

[01:08:38] at the same token,

[01:08:39] what was your first tattoo?

[01:08:41] Well,

[01:08:42] I got,

[01:08:43] yeah.

[01:08:43] Like on yourself,

[01:08:44] you're pretty,

[01:08:45] you're pretty covered.

[01:08:46] I was 16 years old.

[01:08:48] I've still got it.

[01:08:49] I'll never get rid of that.

[01:08:50] It's that.

[01:08:51] And you can see that there.

[01:08:53] Yeah.

[01:08:54] That's back in what?

[01:08:56] 1997 or 98.

[01:08:59] It looks that genre,

[01:09:00] but it's cooler than most of them because most people got like the God's max on.

[01:09:05] Yeah.

[01:09:05] He was like,

[01:09:06] um,

[01:09:06] he just had all this stuff on all the flash and the wall.

[01:09:09] And I was like,

[01:09:10] I don't know what I want.

[01:09:11] He's like,

[01:09:12] hurry up and pick something.

[01:09:13] I was like,

[01:09:14] um,

[01:09:15] uh,

[01:09:16] what,

[01:09:16] what will be in fashion forever?

[01:09:18] And he's like,

[01:09:18] Celtic Celtic will never die.

[01:09:21] He's not wrong.

[01:09:21] He's really not wrong.

[01:09:23] I was like,

[01:09:24] I've had one blaze with my fake ID.

[01:09:28] But it's like metal Celtic.

[01:09:30] Yeah.

[01:09:33] That sounds great.

[01:09:35] That's awesome.

[01:09:36] Celtic.

[01:09:37] He's not wrong.

[01:09:41] That's awesome.

[01:09:43] So I've ever done it.

[01:09:44] Have you done Celtic yet?

[01:09:45] As a,

[01:09:45] as a.

[01:09:46] I have.

[01:09:47] Yeah.

[01:09:47] I don't mind doing it,

[01:09:48] but you can see like,

[01:09:49] this is what I love about it.

[01:09:50] The top of it here.

[01:09:51] It doesn't even join up.

[01:09:52] Like the circle just misses.

[01:09:55] It's just fucked,

[01:09:56] but I love it.

[01:09:57] It's not bad.

[01:09:58] I would,

[01:09:59] if you hadn't,

[01:10:00] I mean,

[01:10:00] you got real close.

[01:10:03] From,

[01:10:03] from back here,

[01:10:04] it looks like a circle that meets.

[01:10:07] Yeah.

[01:10:08] Yeah.

[01:10:08] I just remember like,

[01:10:09] cause that was the only thing I had 16 years old.

[01:10:11] And I was like,

[01:10:12] it doesn't even meet.

[01:10:14] My life.

[01:10:15] Oh my.

[01:10:16] Oh,

[01:10:16] that's hilarious.

[01:10:18] I was going to say,

[01:10:19] nah,

[01:10:19] man,

[01:10:20] it's just old now.

[01:10:21] Now it doesn't meet.

[01:10:22] It did then.

[01:10:24] And you're like,

[01:10:24] no,

[01:10:25] it didn't then.

[01:10:26] But the more,

[01:10:27] the more attached you get,

[01:10:28] the more,

[01:10:29] you know,

[01:10:29] you give a shit.

[01:10:30] No,

[01:10:31] it's true.

[01:10:31] People will come up to me sometimes and I'll forget that I have tattoos like on the back of my body.

[01:10:37] And I'm like,

[01:10:37] oh yeah,

[01:10:38] that's right.

[01:10:40] I got kids to tattoo me as well.

[01:10:42] I gave them the machine.

[01:10:43] Oh,

[01:10:43] that's awesome.

[01:10:44] They just drilled their names into me.

[01:10:47] Like,

[01:10:47] where is it?

[01:10:47] Oh,

[01:10:48] that's awesome.

[01:10:50] That's great.

[01:10:50] They did good.

[01:10:52] Yeah.

[01:10:52] That's too bad.

[01:10:53] Hey,

[01:10:54] no,

[01:10:54] that's pretty cool.

[01:10:55] That's awesome.

[01:10:56] They followed the line,

[01:10:57] man.

[01:10:57] Like it was on the line.

[01:10:58] Yeah.

[01:11:01] One was five years old at the time.

[01:11:03] Oh my Lord.

[01:11:04] They're good.

[01:11:06] Wow.

[01:11:06] Don't tell anyone.

[01:11:09] We don't want them getting any ideas.

[01:11:13] That's awesome.

[01:11:14] That's really cool.

[01:11:16] No,

[01:11:16] I love that.

[01:11:17] No,

[01:11:17] I feel the same way about younger people.

[01:11:21] Especially coming into it later in life.

[01:11:23] I'm not a parent,

[01:11:24] but you know,

[01:11:26] I started really approaching my second apprenticeship at 29.

[01:11:30] So like,

[01:11:31] it's late.

[01:11:33] And I have tattooed people.

[01:11:39] I will,

[01:11:39] I'll never,

[01:11:40] I'll never tattoo that young again.

[01:11:43] I did it once.

[01:11:44] I tattooed a 14 year old and.

[01:11:48] Oh,

[01:11:48] it was awful.

[01:11:49] It was awful.

[01:11:50] It was awful.

[01:11:52] Um,

[01:11:52] you know,

[01:11:53] they had their parents sign off on it.

[01:11:55] It wasn't like it was.

[01:11:57] There was that thing over there.

[01:11:58] Like you can tell any age,

[01:12:00] as long as you've got parents sign off.

[01:12:02] It's per state.

[01:12:04] Um,

[01:12:05] yes.

[01:12:05] Like Queensland,

[01:12:06] you're not allowed to,

[01:12:07] but New South Wales,

[01:12:08] you can.

[01:12:09] Yeah.

[01:12:09] I think it's 16.

[01:12:10] You can't go under 16.

[01:12:14] I,

[01:12:15] um,

[01:12:16] there's a lot of reasons why,

[01:12:18] but like,

[01:12:19] you know,

[01:12:19] like a 14 year old,

[01:12:21] they haven't.

[01:12:23] I just haven't been through enough,

[01:12:25] man.

[01:12:26] Like.

[01:12:26] I haven't even grown pugs yet.

[01:12:28] Well,

[01:12:28] and,

[01:12:29] and the worst pain I've ever felt.

[01:12:32] And maybe this is,

[01:12:34] you know,

[01:12:35] maybe I haven't been through enough yet,

[01:12:36] but the worst pain I've ever felt is.

[01:12:39] After I got all of my wisdom teeth taken out at once.

[01:12:45] And that I,

[01:12:46] I was,

[01:12:47] I was like,

[01:12:48] Oh,

[01:12:48] I don't need all this medication.

[01:12:49] What is all this for?

[01:12:50] I was like,

[01:12:51] I'll,

[01:12:51] I'll wing it.

[01:12:52] I'll just take it if I need it.

[01:12:55] No,

[01:12:56] you don't want to do that,

[01:12:57] man.

[01:12:58] That is not.

[01:12:59] Okay.

[01:13:01] I couldn't even scream.

[01:13:03] Like I thought I was going to pass out because of the blinding pain.

[01:13:09] My parents,

[01:13:10] thank God I was at their house afterwards,

[01:13:13] but they ran in and they were like,

[01:13:15] Oh God.

[01:13:16] And I was like,

[01:13:17] just making noise and sobbing.

[01:13:19] I couldn't even.

[01:13:21] It was,

[01:13:22] I was,

[01:13:23] I was like a shadow away from passing out.

[01:13:25] They tried everything.

[01:13:26] They were like,

[01:13:27] let's try heat.

[01:13:27] Let's try cool.

[01:13:28] And I don't even remember which one worked to like,

[01:13:31] and they're like shoving the mess.

[01:13:35] Oh,

[01:13:36] it was so bad.

[01:13:37] But that was like,

[01:13:38] I was like 20.

[01:13:41] I was late in the game.

[01:13:43] I was like 20,

[01:13:44] 21,

[01:13:45] something like 20 or 21.

[01:13:47] That's funny.

[01:13:48] Yeah.

[01:13:50] That's like the worst pain I've ever felt in my life.

[01:13:54] And,

[01:13:54] and,

[01:13:55] uh,

[01:13:55] you know,

[01:13:56] you're 14.

[01:13:57] What?

[01:13:57] I mean,

[01:13:58] maybe,

[01:13:58] maybe you've had like worse than that.

[01:14:01] My boyfriend,

[01:14:02] he he's had leukemia as a child.

[01:14:04] So he's,

[01:14:05] he knows what a spinal tap feels like.

[01:14:07] Yeah.

[01:14:08] He's,

[01:14:09] he's really known a lot of severe pain too.

[01:14:12] So who am I to say,

[01:14:13] but like the average 14 year old I've had,

[01:14:16] I've had women have three children and they,

[01:14:19] I've done a lower back tattoo on them where I tattooed this 14 year

[01:14:22] old.

[01:14:23] And they said it was worse than childbirth.

[01:14:25] So,

[01:14:26] you know,

[01:14:27] like I'm doing this to a 14 year old and like you,

[01:14:31] I'm thinking,

[01:14:31] God,

[01:14:32] you know,

[01:14:33] you're so young.

[01:14:34] Your skin is going to grow so much between now and 20.

[01:14:40] Like this is going to look like such crap.

[01:14:44] And why are you getting a lower back tattoo?

[01:14:47] Like what?

[01:14:47] It was just so wrong.

[01:14:50] Epic.

[01:14:50] It was so,

[01:14:52] it felt so bad.

[01:14:55] It felt so bad.

[01:14:57] I was only 10 years older than her too.

[01:14:59] I was 24.

[01:15:01] I remember I was just like,

[01:15:02] this is awful.

[01:15:04] This is awful.

[01:15:06] Yeah.

[01:15:06] I feel like that though.

[01:15:08] Like if she's got her mom's consent,

[01:15:10] the mom's out.

[01:15:11] Like,

[01:15:11] yeah,

[01:15:11] yeah,

[01:15:11] yeah.

[01:15:12] If you didn't do it,

[01:15:13] she's going to get it done somewhere else.

[01:15:14] Anyway,

[01:15:15] maybe by like a mate in a fucking garage or whatever.

[01:15:20] Yeah.

[01:15:20] At least you got it done professionally.

[01:15:25] And maybe not so professional.

[01:15:26] I mean,

[01:15:28] it's hard because I was new.

[01:15:30] I was just in a shop.

[01:15:32] Yeah.

[01:15:32] I was in a professional shop,

[01:15:34] you know,

[01:15:35] but I was an apprentice.

[01:15:37] Like I was still considered an apprentice at that point.

[01:15:39] And,

[01:15:40] uh,

[01:15:42] I don't know.

[01:15:43] I mean,

[01:15:43] I was a woman,

[01:15:44] so that's,

[01:15:45] that's better.

[01:15:46] I guess that's better than a burly dude in a shack,

[01:15:49] you know,

[01:15:51] I've met people.

[01:15:52] That's their first sense.

[01:15:53] Yeah.

[01:15:54] I went to some dude in like a trailer and,

[01:15:58] you know,

[01:15:58] he was,

[01:15:59] he,

[01:15:59] we bought weed off of them normally,

[01:16:02] but.

[01:16:03] He told me to smell like chloroform.

[01:16:06] And then I don't remember what happened after that.

[01:16:08] Woke up with the chat.

[01:16:09] Yeah.

[01:16:09] Like I've heard some crazy shit that people have told me for their first

[01:16:13] tattoo.

[01:16:13] I'm like,

[01:16:14] Oh my God.

[01:16:15] What?

[01:16:16] Um,

[01:16:17] yeah.

[01:16:18] Like I,

[01:16:19] it could,

[01:16:19] it could have,

[01:16:20] but you know,

[01:16:21] it's like the conversation that I had with,

[01:16:24] the healthcare provider,

[01:16:26] um,

[01:16:28] that she,

[01:16:29] she managed the whole health center of a prison and they were going to

[01:16:34] try and know they're doing it at this violent facility prison.

[01:16:41] And that's where these people are there.

[01:16:44] Teaching tattooing.

[01:16:48] And I was livid when I found out about it.

[01:16:53] And,

[01:16:53] you know,

[01:16:55] she just,

[01:16:56] she,

[01:16:57] she really,

[01:16:58] I knew she wasn't going to hear me.

[01:17:00] It was a bureaucracy thing.

[01:17:01] They have a budget that they're not willing to give back to like allocate

[01:17:06] other places.

[01:17:08] And instead of just giving the money back,

[01:17:11] which is the taxpayer money and letting it be allocated to more,

[01:17:16] you know,

[01:17:17] pressing things or growing something that I thought was more integral.

[01:17:20] They had a beautiful art department.

[01:17:23] Um,

[01:17:24] I was like,

[01:17:25] well,

[01:17:25] have them do art.

[01:17:27] And if you're going to take the budget,

[01:17:28] then,

[01:17:29] you know,

[01:17:29] make like a grant or something for excellence and behavior and give it to a

[01:17:35] tattoo shop to sponsor a felon.

[01:17:38] And once they get out,

[01:17:40] you know,

[01:17:40] like give them,

[01:17:41] you know what I'm like,

[01:17:42] like give them an incentive for taking on.

[01:17:45] A felon sponsor and a felon.

[01:17:48] Right.

[01:17:48] Yeah.

[01:17:49] Like,

[01:17:49] you know,

[01:17:50] cause our profession is not one,

[01:17:52] at least in America where,

[01:17:55] you know,

[01:17:56] we,

[01:17:56] we don't,

[01:17:57] we no tattoo artists I've ever met would,

[01:18:00] would discriminate against you because you have a prison record for

[01:18:04] history.

[01:18:05] You know,

[01:18:05] if you're a flat out dick.

[01:18:06] Yeah.

[01:18:07] I mean,

[01:18:07] it doesn't matter where you come from,

[01:18:09] but if you are a recovering person,

[01:18:11] we're all about rehabilitation.

[01:18:14] That,

[01:18:15] that,

[01:18:15] that's not a factor,

[01:18:17] but you know,

[01:18:18] like if,

[01:18:20] and you know,

[01:18:20] that's the thing is that if the whole mode of it is rehabilitation,

[01:18:25] then,

[01:18:26] then why not give the money back to people who are exemplary in the

[01:18:31] community,

[01:18:31] who are already teaching and who are already running a business and,

[01:18:37] and,

[01:18:37] and,

[01:18:37] you know,

[01:18:37] sponsor a program that helps everybody.

[01:18:40] But what you're doing is,

[01:18:42] is teaching my profession in a prison walls.

[01:18:48] And it's not,

[01:18:49] it's like,

[01:18:50] it's like the same as.

[01:18:52] It sounds mental.

[01:18:54] It's like the same as getting pregnant in prison.

[01:18:56] It's like,

[01:18:56] dude,

[01:18:57] these people are,

[01:18:58] they're not,

[01:19:00] they are considered not consenting people at that point because they're a

[01:19:04] ward of the state.

[01:19:06] They're not even supposed to be having sex with each other.

[01:19:09] They're not,

[01:19:10] you know,

[01:19:10] like they cannot consent.

[01:19:14] Let's like do this.

[01:19:16] They're going to tattoo each other.

[01:19:17] They're going to steal things from,

[01:19:19] from this area.

[01:19:21] There,

[01:19:21] there is dangerous risks to it.

[01:19:24] And you should not like,

[01:19:26] yeah,

[01:19:27] I feel like at this point,

[01:19:29] you should make it really hard to get a tattoo in prison.

[01:19:33] And she's like,

[01:19:35] they're going to do it anyway.

[01:19:36] And I was like,

[01:19:37] then let them,

[01:19:39] let them.

[01:19:40] And if you're gonna,

[01:19:41] I don't know if you're going to do anything,

[01:19:43] maybe just buy a bottle of black ink,

[01:19:46] you know,

[01:19:47] like,

[01:19:48] and some next week's class,

[01:19:50] learn how to make a shank.

[01:19:51] I know.

[01:19:53] It was just,

[01:19:54] it was,

[01:19:54] but it was falling on deaf ears and she was like,

[01:19:57] they're going to do it anyway.

[01:19:59] And I was like,

[01:20:00] that is not a reason to make it legal.

[01:20:03] Yeah.

[01:20:04] Yeah.

[01:20:05] It sucks for a tattooist as well,

[01:20:08] because if any tattooist goes to prison,

[01:20:11] we'd be the top guy,

[01:20:12] but not anymore.

[01:20:13] They all know the tattoo now.

[01:20:15] So we're buggered.

[01:20:16] Well,

[01:20:16] true.

[01:20:17] I didn't even,

[01:20:18] I didn't even spin that angle.

[01:20:20] That's a whole other,

[01:20:21] that's a whole other thing.

[01:20:24] I,

[01:20:25] I just told her,

[01:20:26] I was like,

[01:20:27] you know,

[01:20:29] you,

[01:20:30] you,

[01:20:30] you shouldn't acquire a tattoo in that place because re,

[01:20:35] first of all,

[01:20:36] there's a lot of things that you can do and that you can tattoo that'll limit

[01:20:40] you in everyday life.

[01:20:43] And that'll just remind you of where you were and you'll have,

[01:20:47] you'll have to do something.

[01:20:48] Yeah.

[01:20:48] Yeah.

[01:20:49] And you,

[01:20:49] and you're not guaranteeing these people are going to get a tattoo job when

[01:20:52] they get out because you're not handing them,

[01:20:54] you're not going to buy them machines and like,

[01:20:56] yeah,

[01:20:57] give them a full kit of tattoo supplies as they're leaving the prison.

[01:21:01] It's not like they,

[01:21:02] they're leaving with gear.

[01:21:04] You're,

[01:21:04] you're teaching them all this stuff and then kicking them out with like,

[01:21:08] no,

[01:21:10] no stuff.

[01:21:12] You're creating,

[01:21:14] you're,

[01:21:14] you're creating more problems.

[01:21:17] Like that's all it is.

[01:21:19] And,

[01:21:20] and then I also,

[01:21:21] what was the other point?

[01:21:22] I said,

[01:21:23] do you understand what this is?

[01:21:25] Do you understand there's people like you,

[01:21:27] Louis?

[01:21:28] Like,

[01:21:28] think about this.

[01:21:30] Who's working two jobs,

[01:21:32] hanging out,

[01:21:33] buying beer for people for like six months,

[01:21:36] just so you get an apprenticeship thrown at you.

[01:21:40] Meanwhile,

[01:21:41] you're paying taxes so that somebody in prison.

[01:21:46] Yes.

[01:21:47] On your dime can learn to tattoo.

[01:21:52] And it's like,

[01:21:53] what?

[01:21:54] You are.

[01:21:55] If it's from raping each other,

[01:21:58] I'm all for it.

[01:21:59] No,

[01:21:59] that's why I told her.

[01:22:00] I said,

[01:22:01] your problem is the fact that they're raping each other.

[01:22:05] Give them condoms.

[01:22:06] Like if you want to protect their,

[01:22:08] because the whole,

[01:22:09] the whole thing was the whole guys was I'm protecting their health.

[01:22:13] We don't want them getting hepatitis and all these things.

[01:22:17] And I was like,

[01:22:18] girl,

[01:22:18] I got news for you.

[01:22:19] Tattoos are not your problem.

[01:22:22] They are not.

[01:22:23] Is she a tattooist who's teaching as well?

[01:22:26] Huh?

[01:22:27] No,

[01:22:27] she was just,

[01:22:28] she's,

[01:22:28] she was the budget person.

[01:22:30] She was like the main,

[01:22:32] you know,

[01:22:33] and she was not a tattoo on her.

[01:22:36] Who's teaching them?

[01:22:38] Surely it wouldn't be like,

[01:22:39] Oh,

[01:22:39] that was the other,

[01:22:40] that was the other upsetting thing.

[01:22:42] I hope,

[01:22:43] I hope she took my notes on that because they,

[01:22:47] let's get this.

[01:22:48] You mentioned somebody who's only been tattooing four years and then opening up

[01:22:52] their own shop.

[01:22:53] That feels deplorable.

[01:22:55] This is what they were going to do.

[01:22:56] They wanted at least three years experience and they were going to pay you 80 grand a year.

[01:23:04] What?

[01:23:05] Three years experience to teach criminals to tattoo in prison.

[01:23:09] Yes.

[01:23:09] I was like,

[01:23:11] what the,

[01:23:12] just,

[01:23:13] that's an insult.

[01:23:15] That is,

[01:23:16] I was like,

[01:23:17] first of all,

[01:23:17] you need at least 10,

[01:23:19] you need at least 10 years,

[01:23:21] 10 years tattooing to teach.

[01:23:23] If you're going to teach like that,

[01:23:26] like,

[01:23:27] dude.

[01:23:28] And that's,

[01:23:29] I mean,

[01:23:30] I feel like I felt young taking an apprentice on eight years.

[01:23:34] And that's when I did.

[01:23:36] And I was like,

[01:23:36] Ooh,

[01:23:37] I probably could have used more time.

[01:23:39] And that was just one-on-one.

[01:23:40] And that's one-on-one with somebody who upstanding citizen.

[01:23:44] She like,

[01:23:46] she was a middle school art teacher.

[01:23:49] Like she taught people art and was like teaching children.

[01:23:53] Like that was hard.

[01:23:54] I teaching a person who already has social,

[01:23:58] what do they call it?

[01:24:03] Social disorder.

[01:24:04] Like,

[01:24:04] it's like a anti-social disorder.

[01:24:07] Like teaching that person.

[01:24:09] I mean,

[01:24:10] even if it's not,

[01:24:11] even it's not right.

[01:24:13] Even if it's not.

[01:24:15] People like,

[01:24:16] I don't know when money's involved,

[01:24:18] people like,

[01:24:18] yeah,

[01:24:19] I'll sell my soul.

[01:24:21] Dude.

[01:24:21] It's crazy,

[01:24:22] man.

[01:24:23] It's crazy.

[01:24:23] So I was really upset.

[01:24:25] That.

[01:24:25] And I'll have,

[01:24:26] you know,

[01:24:26] this was in Minnesota that they were doing this.

[01:24:28] So I'm in Maryland.

[01:24:29] I was even advocating for a state.

[01:24:31] I'm not even in,

[01:24:32] but I just,

[01:24:33] I just guest spotted in Minnesota.

[01:24:36] And,

[01:24:37] um,

[01:24:38] I knew what their guest spot was.

[01:24:39] I knew what their temporary license was.

[01:24:41] Their temporary license is $140.

[01:24:44] It was like the most I've ever spent for a temporary license.

[01:24:48] And I,

[01:24:48] and I saw on the application,

[01:24:50] are you a felon?

[01:24:52] Have you been connected?

[01:24:53] You know,

[01:24:54] and I don't know what would have happened if I had said yes,

[01:24:56] but I'm like,

[01:24:58] so let me,

[01:24:59] let me get this straight on your temporary license.

[01:25:01] It,

[01:25:02] it needs to,

[01:25:04] needs to know if I've been a felon in some kind of way,

[01:25:09] would that have kept me out of your state?

[01:25:12] You know,

[01:25:12] like,

[01:25:13] but you're going to teach felons in prison to proliferate yourself.

[01:25:16] Like,

[01:25:17] I don't,

[01:25:18] how does this work?

[01:25:19] Like,

[01:25:20] I don't,

[01:25:20] it's so weird,

[01:25:22] Only in America,

[01:25:22] right?

[01:25:23] Only in America.

[01:25:24] I guess.

[01:25:25] I don't know.

[01:25:26] Like it's,

[01:25:27] it's getting wild.

[01:25:27] It's getting wild.

[01:25:28] We don't have any rights.

[01:25:29] It'll soon be a thing worldwide.

[01:25:31] You watch,

[01:25:32] you'll just blow up.

[01:25:33] Yeah.

[01:25:34] Well,

[01:25:34] and,

[01:25:35] and you get people from all sides,

[01:25:36] like on its face,

[01:25:38] people think it's a good idea because like her,

[01:25:40] they're like,

[01:25:40] well,

[01:25:40] they're going to do it anyway.

[01:25:42] Might as well teach them.

[01:25:43] And I'm like,

[01:25:44] God,

[01:25:45] no,

[01:25:46] definitely not.

[01:25:50] So diary listeners,

[01:25:52] that was a lot of repetitive stuff from me.

[01:25:55] And Lewis,

[01:25:56] I,

[01:25:56] I apologize if,

[01:25:58] um,

[01:25:59] I dominated your,

[01:26:01] your diary entry.

[01:26:02] I,

[01:26:02] I feel kind of bad about that.

[01:26:06] Um,

[01:26:07] I think I was just really excited about talking to you and having a

[01:26:11] conversation.

[01:26:11] So less of an interview and more conversational.

[01:26:16] Uh,

[01:26:16] I hope to have Louie back on here or Lewis back on here again.

[01:26:21] And,

[01:26:22] and more times,

[01:26:23] uh,

[01:26:23] in the future,

[01:26:25] love to host them if he's ever in the States.

[01:26:27] Um,

[01:26:28] but please diary listeners,

[01:26:30] um,

[01:26:31] after this first piece of his diary entry,

[01:26:34] do us the favor and go to IG,

[01:26:37] follow Lewis at Lewis,

[01:26:40] uh,

[01:26:40] L E W I S underscore B as in boy or bun,

[01:26:47] which is his last name underscore tattoos.

[01:26:51] So that's Lewis underscore B underscore tattoos.

[01:26:55] That's his IG handle.

[01:26:57] And again,

[01:26:57] he works at Sage leaf gallery.

[01:27:00] That's Sage leaf,

[01:27:02] all one word underscore gallery.

[01:27:05] It's in the,

[01:27:06] uh,

[01:27:07] Australia,

[01:27:08] the sunshine coast.

[01:27:10] So if you happen to be in that area and you like black and gray tattoos or fine line,

[01:27:16] Lewis is a phenomenal,

[01:27:18] phenomenal person.

[01:27:19] And,

[01:27:20] uh,

[01:27:20] he's,

[01:27:21] he's been a good,

[01:27:23] good dude from day one.

[01:27:24] And,

[01:27:25] uh,

[01:27:25] I,

[01:27:25] I appreciate his friendship so much.

[01:27:28] And I just hope,

[01:27:29] I hope we get to keep expanding on this,

[01:27:32] uh,

[01:27:33] this lovely journey that all of us are on listeners.

[01:27:37] Thank you.

[01:27:38] Thank you for just everything.

[01:27:41] God bless you all.

[01:27:42] I am lately very overwhelmed.

[01:27:46] I feel very behind in so much,

[01:27:48] um,

[01:27:51] lots is coming down the road.

[01:27:52] I have to say I'm feeling fairly overwhelmed,

[01:27:55] you know,

[01:27:56] holidays,

[01:27:57] all that stuff.

[01:27:58] But I,

[01:27:59] I just,

[01:28:01] I sit and think about how unbelievably blessed,

[01:28:03] uh,

[01:28:04] we all are.

[01:28:05] And,

[01:28:06] uh,

[01:28:06] I,

[01:28:06] I thank you all for the immense amount of time.

[01:28:09] You always give your attention.

[01:28:12] Um,

[01:28:14] please,

[01:28:14] if you have anything to offer this podcast,

[01:28:18] uh,

[01:28:19] please,

[01:28:20] please email us.

[01:28:21] We'd love to hear from you.

[01:28:22] And,

[01:28:23] uh,

[01:28:24] have a powerful week listeners.

[01:28:25] We'll catch you next week with part two with Lewis.

[01:28:29] Thanks Lewis.

[01:28:30] God bless you too,

[01:28:31] hon.

[01:28:32] Later.

[01:28:37] Thanks for listening.

[01:28:38] You can find the apprenticeship diaries on Twitter,

[01:28:40] Facebook,

[01:28:40] and Instagram.

[01:28:41] Our IG is the underscore apprenticeship underscore diaries.

[01:28:45] If you would like to offer constructive criticism or an interview,

[01:28:48] drop us an email at the apprenticeship diaries at gmail.com.

[01:28:52] We look forward to hearing from our listeners.