Oxygen: Live Out Loud

I knew I wanted to be covered in tattoos. I was always drawing and creating as a kid and I went to college to study art. I played in bands and started getting tattoos and it became addictive. It slowly developed from collecting them to wanting to do them.

Now I’ve been tattooing for 6 years. The first tattoo I got was a sacred heart on my arm that says "live". It reminds me to truly love life and live like there is no tomorrow. Now I have a lot of tattoos and I'm always adding to the collection. The first tattoo I ever gave someone was an old school traditional skull and crossbones on my brother's friend. It was awesome and scary. It came out pretty decent too. I'd love to see it today.

I like tattooing anything thought provoking and a bit different. I love all genres of tattooing and I like to sort of combine elements of different styles to make my own vibrant, bold, interesting work. It keeps my job fresh, every single day. Tattoos that appear simple are usually very tough. You can see every mistake in a simple tattoo. I have a lot of respect for the guys that do amazingly clean tattoos that look like a sticker was printed on the skin.

I'm just trying to get my artwork out there; whether it’s my tattoo work, illustrations, or painting. By being on this show, or hopefully by winning, I hope to be able to really provide for my family. My biggest goal is to always do clean work, push my personal limits, and to take care of my family with and through my artwork.

If I could tattoo anyone it would be my dad. He introduced me to rock and roll, and that started it all for me.

When we were asked to reinvent the butterfly, I just drew something that I knew would be different than the typical tattoo looking butterfly. When the judges loved it, I was stoked and shocked.

It was great that I won the ink challenge. I was shocked. My biggest competition going forward I think is Roman. He is a really talented dude with a solid track record for doing nice work.