As a child I always focused my energy into art--any thing was a potential medium--whether or not it was coal lumps in the basement, water on the table traced into crooked filigree or eventually to the oils, gauche, watercolor, graphite and now tattoo; it could all be manipulated. With key elements you could stop a person in their tracks and make them see, not only you, but a little of what you see. I took off at 19 and ended up spending a year at the Columbus College of Art and Design. I wanted to tattoo but despite my enthusiasm, there was always some ass-hole that tauted that 'it took more than drawing' to make an tattoo artist'. I took it to heart, I still do because in the end it still really comes back down to being an artist. Sure it takes time for craftsmanship but it takes more than a stencil and a steady hand to make a great tattoo. Now I work at North End Tattoo in Wooster and I'm working on my second year.