Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryan Scroggins.
Ryan, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I do three (or 4 0r 5) different things: Tattoo, Music, Amateur herpetologists/conservationist/ex-zoo keeper (reptiles and amphibians) for the most part…
Tattooing timeline:
I got my start in 1995 as an apprentice under Susie McKamy who owns Body Language Tattoo in Galveston TX. I worked for her until about 1996 0r 97. Then, I worked for a former co-worker (Buck Sharp) who opened a shop in Montrose called Lucky Starr. I worked there until about 98 0r 99. Then, I was hired by Carson Vester and Eric Doyle who opened up a fairly, locally infamous shop called Hot Stuff Deluxe. I worked there for about 10 or 11 years until about 2009. Then, I worked at a private studio for about a year. During this time, I also started volunteering at the Houston Zoo as well. I ended up getting hired on as a full-time herpetology keeper after volunteering for about nine months and started tattooing only on the weekends at that point. There was a one year span during the last year of my employment at the Houston Zoo when I stopped tattooing completely. I ended up quitting the Zoo and going back to tattooing after about three years total and this would bring us up to about late 2011. I went back to working out of the aforementioned private studio for about two more years.
Around this time, my previous apprentice had approached me about opening a shop. Once this was confirmed, I ended up where I am now, Flying Squid Tattoo. This shop has been opened for roughly five years now and is owned by my 1st apprentice Ben “Catfish” Perez. I plan on staying here indefinitely. I also paint as do most tattooers. My usual media is watercolor. My influences on my art are American traditional and ancient Egyptian. I am a huge fan of contrasting colors and their magical properties.
Music timeline:
I was in punk rock bands as a kid but once I started my tattoo apprenticeship I wanted to stop playing for a while and focus on my trait. I’m 41 now and I’d say around the time, I was 21 when I decided to start playing music again, but I wanted something different. I’ve always loved ska and reggae as a young punk rock kid, so I figured that would be a natural progression. I ended up taking two piano lessons and then teaching myself how to play reggae organ. I joined a band called Secret Agent 8 and played with them for a couple of years and recorded Organ on their 2nd record “Start Action Stop.” Then, I joined Los Skarnales and played the organ for them for about five years and recorded on their album “Pachuco Boogie Soundsystem.” That incarnation of Skarnales dis-banded and I formed Ryan Scroggins and the Trenchtown Texans. I wrote about 60 songs in about five years. We released three full-length records, all of which are still available on multiple digital platforms. During my Skarnales time and throughout Trenchtown Texans, I toured multiple times throughout the Staes and Mexico. We disbanded in about 2015 and I have been playing solo shows since. I have a solo record scheduled for release late this year.
Zoo/Conservation timeline:
As mentioned above I worked as a Zoo volunteer for about nine months, then as an employee for about 2 1/4 years. This came about as I befriended the staff, took them to my house, showed them the rare amphibians I was breeding at the time, someone quit, they hired ME! I was like… “Uh… I only have GED guys…” They replied with “You already know how to do everything. We just need to train you in venomous and crocodilians and that will only take about three weeks…” and I was hired. It was a dream come true job. I loved every minute of it but ultimately I realized that I wasn’t as free as I needed to be (creative wise). I quit and went back to tattooing, but in the process ended up with a mini zoo of sorts. I now have a 20 foot by 36-foot professional grade, climate controlled greenhouse in my backyard where I breed aquatic turtles for conservation and education purposes. I focus on South American aquatic species for the most part. I am still a big amphibian enthusiast as well.
Other points of interest:
My wife (Ashley Scroggins) is co-owner and operator of Cutloose Hair (in Montrose) and we have been together for about 17 years now. We have a beautiful, long lasting, loving relationship and she definitely is my rock in times of storm.
I am a very spiritual/religious person. I have daily practices. I am heavily involved in Hermetics, the Qabalah, Astrology, Tarot, Ceremonial Magic, Meditation, Ancient Egyptian practices and theory, Sound and color techniques and most things considered esoteric or occult. However, this is as far as I will talk about it publicly as anyone who is involved in such a thing will understand the privacy and personal aspects involved with it.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
An artist’s life is not meant to be a smooth road. The struggles make you stronger and wiser.
Flying Squid Tattoo – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
The current shop I work for is Flying Squid Tattoo. I’d say the thing that majorly sets us apart from other shops is our combined years in the industry and our tattoo lineage. Something which (unfortunately) most younger tattooers these days don’t even acknowledge. Most don’t even know what lineage means. In my humble opinion, tradition and respect are things that are (and should be) just as important as skill and know-how in this industry. I am a firm believer that the “Egregore” of tattooing has been badly neglected and even damaged over the last 15 years, if not before. This is a shame, but the only real solution currently is to stay true to one’s pre-existing beliefs and works ethics and to persevere forward always.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I constantly have moments of recognition when I look back and realize that many of my inspirations are now friends and cohorts. This is a surreal feeling. It is a feeling of knowing that you are on the right path regardless of the obstacles that you will always be facing. Life is a series of tests. I will pass them all. This is the attitude that keeps the Fire burning inside me, giving me the drive to execute my will.
Pricing:
- I have a 100 dollar minimum. Most people spend around 250-300 a session.
Contact Info:
- Address: Flying Squid Tattoo
1507 N. Durham Dr.
Houston, TX 77008 - Website: flyingsquidtattoo.com
- Phone: 346-444-6606
- Email: for appointments email ryanscroggins@yahoo.com
- Instagram: @williamryanscroggins
- Facebook: facebook.com/public/Ryan-Scroggins
Image Credit:
Ryan Scroggins
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