Today we’d like to introduce you to Johnny Beavers.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
Growing up I would pretty much say I was raised in a tattoo/art atmosphere, my dad owned multiple studios throughout my childhood, and being a single parent the easier and less expensive alternative to child care was to have me at the studio with him each day. Naturally, I began picking up on the culture of that world and seeing first-hand the beauty of the industry. All throughout my younger years I remember coming to the shop after school, watching these massive sessions unfold, clients coming in with crazy ideas and leaving with this permanent work of art, it was amazing.
After a while I began experimenting with the styles of the tattoo world, drawing and tracing vintage flash and artwork, the start of my career began when I did my first tattoo on my dad for my 16th birthday. Most of my practice after was done on the more trusting regulars at the shop, after 3 months I began taking walk-ins at the studio and building a clientele for myself. I tattooed for 3 years at my dad’s studio and quickly built a fan base, people that saw quality in my work and the love that I had for the industry at such a young age. For my first 3 years and with influence from my dad my work stayed in a style known as “American traditional”.
With social media and new artists coming into the industry I began discovering other styles of tattooing, soon I fell in love with a style of work known as blackwork. With many disagreements about the industry and tradition I decided at 19 to cut ties with my dad and move away, taking the first step to form a unique path in this career. Since then I’ve developed a large following of clients interested in a new style that I’ve formed that is a combination of dot-work, black and grey, and traditional solid lining all done with black. I’m 20 years old, and I’ve tattooed for almost 5 years now, this is just the beginning of my career, I can’t wait to see where this industry takes me.
Please tell us about your art.
I definitely don’t consider myself a tattoo artist, I consider myself a permanent fine artist and my medium is skin. I’ve tried to create an environment for my clients that isn’t like the normal tattoo shop, the studio I work in is definitely not the type of shop that you walk in and pick something off the wall, that’s been done before. Generally my clients have a basic idea of what they’d like done and they give me free reign to create a work of art that fits them as a person physically, mentally and emotionally. A custom piece of art for someone that has researched and is very familiar with the artist is a great feeling, knowing that someone is so confident in your ability that they’d allow you to create this work of art for them to wear for the rest of their life is honestly a large part of what drives me. I also love the fact that what I do can completely change the physical mindset of the person getting the piece, some people are so unhappy with the physical appearance of themselves, something as small as covering a scar or a birthmark can create a totally new and confident mindset, and that’s a great thing for me to be able to offer in my opinion.
What do you think is the biggest challenge facing artists today?
I think the biggest difficulty in this industry is making your own mark. Creating a legacy and leaving that memory behind so it’s never forgotten. I feel like the most important thing with artists today would be the importance of creating something new, something that hasn’t been seen or done before to set you apart from everyone else. If you’re constantly trying to do what someone else is doing or be like someone else, whose gonna want to be like you ?
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
Most people find my work via Instagram, I update their multiple times a week. People are also free to stop by the shop anytime, I always encourage meeting new people.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tattoosbyjohnnybeavers.com
- Phone: 512-934-0640
- Email: tattoosbyjohnnybeavers@gmail.com
- Instagram: @johnny.beavers
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
