Like many people, I have wrestled with the idea of getting a tattoo. Every time I see a work of art on someone, my mind begins to wonder about the shape, placement, and message of behind of the tattoo. The mystique behind a tattoo has always captivated me, but, it wasn’t until I met the subject of today post (@marquess) that I began to think of the story of the tattoo artist. Once I saw him, a flood of questions came to my mind. I am glad that Marquess took the time out of his day to answer these questions for me and share his story.

 

NOW OPEN

 

 

 

 

 

This is Marquess he is a 21-year-old black man, to some people he appears to be a thug, unapproachable, and someone whose sole interest in life is covering his body in tattoos. To those people, I’d like to repeat this timeless saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.

When children are young, their parents have a way of spotting out the gifts that they have been blessed with. Some parents quickly take note that their child is gifted with athletic ability or that they have a gift for singing. At a young age, Marquess mother noticed that he had a gift for creativity.  “I have a different way of thinking,” Marquess told me.  “I can make the simplest object the most interesting artifact ever,” Marquess recalls that his mother told him many times that he should be a tattoo artist, but it wasn’t until he finally decided to do take it on seriously that he found that the decision saved his life.

 

 LIFE-SAVING STORY

“In the past, my friends and I used to go on moves that allowed us to make money. I decided that during the last move that we made that this would be my last. I chose to invest in tattoo equipment and I am glad that I did. The following week, that same friend had gotten arrested for a move that I could have been a part of.  I could have been another statistic, but I chose to believe in myself.

Marquess began his tattoo career as a scratcher in January 2017, and later that year in October he became an apprentice at Drippers Ink in Beltsville, Maryland. The work doesn’t stop there,   Marquess understands that you can cheat hard work. That being said, he devotes four out of seven days of the week to study art lessons. Marquess estimates that he has created/completed 300 tattoos. Marquess says that the most transformative part of being a tattoo artist is learning patience. “The longest time that I have spent tattooing someone is ten hours, and it was on my birthday.”

Marquess is still in his appretiencship program and is tattooing out of his house. In five years, he will have graduated from Prince George’s Community College, created good credit, and will be moving out on his own. “Anyone who comes to me should expect a clean environment, A clean tattoo,&  great customer service.

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