We recently had the chance to connect with Paul Smith and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Paul, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
I’ve got a couple things that stand out in my mind, number one is watching my daughter kick ass in life.
We moved this last year and my daughter started attending a new high school. She has absolutely risen to the occasion! She’s bringing home A’s, she made the tennis team, and has been building a nice group of friends. As a parent, it is just very satisfying to see your kids thriving and happy. I am so proud of her.
As for me personally, I have been receiving so much joy from working with new business associates. In 2024 I took a position as Art Director with a company called Third Pin, based out of Houston, Texas. Third Pin is a clothing company featuring my art on garments of various kinds. Not only does Third Pin make apparel, they also host two big festivals yearly. One is Kalashbash, Tx, and the other is Lethal Weapons,Tx.
Kalashbash is the largest AK47 festival in the United States, combining a shooting competition with a 3-day themed/larping event (theme for 2026 is Mad Max/Post-Apocalyptic) including a huge campground area with a Saturday night concert and awards show with over $100K in giveaways and prizes. While there you can test gear from top manufacturers, you can target shoot from a helicopter, ride in a Sherp, there’s also an Airsoft area. Last year you could even get a tin-type style portrait taken with an old manual box camera. And if your brave enough, you can even grab a tattoo to commemorate the weekend!
Third Pin owners, Tony Heady and Klay Owens have proven to be some of the best people I’ve ever worked with. I absolutely love working for them and getting to be a part of everything they have going on.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Paul Smith. I am a born and raised Texas Artist who has lived in the Austin area since 1990. I moved to Austin from Abilene, Texas to play punk rock music. Spent the early 90’s playing in dive bars like the Bates Motel and Hole in the Wall. During that time I worked at an art gallery called Galleria Sin Fronteras where I eventually took over Gallery Director duties overseeing the largest collection of Modern Mexican Art on paper in the world. I eventually left there and learned the art of building guitars with the infamous Bill Collings at Collings Guitars. We made guitars for artists like Lyle Lovett, John Fogerty, Keith Richard’s, and many more.
After the better part of a decade I departed the guitar world to become a tattoo artist. I got into it before we had tattoo reality shows or social media. Back then the only way to keep up with tattoo trends was to buy tattoo magazines.
I’ve been a tattooer since 2000, and have been a tattoo shop owner since 2017 with my friend Caleb Morford. Our shop is Red Stag Tattoo in South Austin.
Pre-Covid, I had two side hustles. I built handmade tattoo machines, and I started a tattoo ink business called “Smith’s Parlor Secret”. When tattooing was shut down during Covid, I realized that my side hustles had a fatal flaw, they were both connected to the same thing, tattooing. So when tattooing stopped, so did my two other ways of making money. So once things opened back up, I shut down my side hustles and turned my attention to other art things. It was at that time I decided to figure out a way to combine my art skills with my love of collecting antique and vintage firearms. Eventually leading me to meet the owners of Third Pin out of Houston. A apparel company where I am now Art Director. And I am so grateful for that.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
As a kid we moved around a bit, my step-father was a U2 pilot in the Air Force and my Mom worked Civil-Service on the base as well. I was a pretty shy kid, mostly quiet, and usually could be found posted up with a pencil in my hand drawing something silly. I never liked the process of having to be the new kid, however, once I got over the initial nerves, I usually did pretty well socially. My power moment came in High School when I formed my first band with my best friend. We would play wherever we could, Abilene was a pretty weird place to grow up in the 80’s. There was this old Rexall Drugs pharmacy building in the defunct downtown area of Abilene. It was a 3-story building that would host punk and new wave shows. Honestly, looking back, that building should probably have been condemned. It probably could have collapsed at any moment. Haha. The sign outside was half torn down with only the word “drugs” remaining. So that place was called club Drugs and they hosted a ton of awesome shows. We also had access to an old dive bar that had closed down and we would pack the house with friends from our high school. I would say those years were my “power moment”. I realized that we had the ability to create art that was good enough to move people to come see us perform.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Of course! All the time actually. Life is full of craziness both good and bad. As we get older the gravity of our problems increases and I think most people contemplate the idea of just giving up. For me, the last 10 years have presented me with some of the greatest challenges I’ve ever faced.
My wonderful step-dad was diagnosed with Glioblastoma brain cancer. My Mom and I got to watch him deteriorate over 7 months and eventually pass from his tumors. He was one of the best people I’ve ever known and will always love and miss him.
Covid obviously turned most everyone’s lives upside down. For me, having my small business shut down completely wiped me out financially. To keep the doors open, my businesss partner and I zeroed out our shop savings, personal saving, and my wife and I even cashed out most of our retirement just to get by. Still have not recouped that money this many years later.
In 2021 I was involved in a pretty serious car wreck that has left me with mobility issues related to a back injury. A 94 year old man ran a stop sign going 50 mph and hit me square in my driver’s door. My head went through the side window and my back got twisted up pretty bad. This has significantly affected my ability to tattoo for hours and hours. In many ways, that old man stole a big chunk of whatever youth I had left.
About a year after that accident, I contracted a pretty rare disease from a flea bite, called Typhus. This landed me in ICU and was very much a real “near-death” experience. Maybe the closest I’ve ever come to leaving this earth.
And in 2023 my Mother was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. This last year we made the decision to sell our homes and find a new home where we can accommodate my mom. We found a nice house in Leander, Tx that has an apartment attached. So I am now a caretaker for her whenever she needs me. She doesn’t drive anymore, so I take her to doctors appointments, hair appointments, and stuff like that. She’s the most wonderful woman in the world, and I am honored to be able to help her. She has always gone the extra mile for me, so now it’s my turn.
Lastly, during this stressful transition of my personal life with moving and all that stuff, my tattoo apprentice whom I had devoted 3 years of my life to teach the art of tattooing left out of the blue. The relationship between a mentor and their student is supposed to be special. So this was a huge personal slight for me. After all that time together, he text quit, and moved away. Never even faced me, and hasn’t talked to me since. The betrayal has been pretty challenging to deal with mentally. I gave him all of the skills and knowledge I acquired through 26 years of experience tattooing. As soon as his skill level reached professional level he left without paying it back to me by spending a few years working at the shop. Currently he is trying to land a good job using the skillset he took from me. I just shake my head when I think about it.
So, long story short, I absolutely feel like giving up almost every day. Life is tough. Fairness is a figment of our imagination. You have to tune your brain to see the good things in life as hard as that is, and stay focused on a system for achieving your goals. Giving up is the worst option, no matter what. Conquering adversity is part of what makes success sweet. I have had some great success in life, but not without some real pain. I think that’s just what we call living a life. It’s the human experience. All I can say is, embrace it, overcome it, claw your way to the top, and know at the end of the day that you squeezed every ounce of life you could out of your time here on earth. It really is a short ride.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Is the public version of you the real you?
Yes. I’m not one to curate a public persona. I’m not going to do something ridiculous like calling myself “Doc” or “Sailor” or whatever kind of silly tattoo nicknames artists use. I’m not going to dress like I’m from the 40’s, or anything like that. I am a what-you-see-is-what-you-get kind of person. I’m an old skater, still sporting an t-shirt and some Vans high tops.
At the end of the day I have to be accountable for what I do, what I say, and how I treat others. Even though it can be hard sometimes,I try to hold myself to a higher personal standard. Be honest, be kind, laugh, and love those closest to you.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
That’s a tough one. I don’t like to think about my mortality much. I often feel like I don’t have enough time to get everything inside my brain out into the world before I go. I guess I hope others will recognize me for my artistic output.
From making music and guitars, making art and tattoos, my contribution to the world of historic firearms through collecting and curating, and my dedication as a father and husband. I’d like to think I bring happiness to those around me. I love to make people laugh. I love to make people think about things from new perspectives. I try to be the best me I can be. So, maybe what I want is to be remembered as someone who pursued virtue and excellence in everything I did.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @tattoosbypaul @redstagtattoo @smokinggungraphics @bulletsandbourbons
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paul.smith.996631?
- Other: Red Stag Tattoo
https://share.google/BusaCR1R60lhKF3AQ
Image Credits
Black and White Portrait (Box Camera) by Jared Moossy
