Today we’d like to introduce you to Joey Ortega.
Hi Joey, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My name is Joey Ortega, and I’ve been tattooing for almost 18 years (May 2021). I started tattooing when I was 19 in Harker Heights, TX at Kingpin tattoos. It was a high volume walk-in “flash” shop not far from Ft. Hood. Needless to say it put me through my paces as a young adult. A lot of work, late nights, and a variety of clientele, though dominantly military, and a good bit of drama making sure there was never really a dull moment. It was a good place to start, though. It taught me a lot about conceptualizing and getting a drawing on paper quickly for a client, customer service skills, and how to sell myself and my brand, etc. All while working alongside two other young artists who were also trying to grow and improve. We all critiqued one another and gave advice to one another often, be it the technical side of tattoo or the artistic side. It wasn’t exactly an easy journey, as I didn’t have a proper tattoo apprenticeship, I had to figure out a lot of things on my own. After a couple of years, our crew grew, and we had more guest artists coming through, which brought opportunities to learn from them as well. After a couple of years of tattooing, I Worked my first tattoo convention. It was nerve-racking, but all in all, I had a really good time and it reinforced the choice I had made to take the path of becoming a tattooer. After that convention, I started traveling and working at many different conventions in different cities in the US, from coast to coast and some international conventions. As I matured as a person and as a tattooer, I started feeling that in order to progress myself and my career further, I needed to move from Harker Heights to be in a kind of shop that was more art-oriented. Serendipitously around this time, Scott Ellis (the owner of Triple Crown Tattoo Parlour) had reached out to me to work a couple of tattoo conventions together. On our way to the first of those conventions taking place in Dallas, TX October 2007, Scott told me he was working on opening a new shop in East Austin, and he would be happy if I considered coming to Austin to join the crew at the Newly opened Triple Crown.
After working a couple of conventions together and building the start of a good friendship with Scott, I decided I would give it a go and move to Austin. Due to my travel agenda, I wasn’t able to move to Austin until Aug of 2008. East Austin was starting to experience its boom, and frankly, the start of some pretty aggressive gentrification. Over the next few years, myself and the crew at Triple Crown worked hard to grow the name of the shop and continue growing as artist and tattooers. We learned a lot from one another and helped build one another up. We traveled a lot together for conventions in the US and Europe. My first time in Europe was at a convention called the Tattoo Art Fest in 2007 held in Paris, France. That convention was a game-changer for me and opened a lot of doors for me internationally. I was immediately hooked on traveling and tattooing internationally. Haha, The connections and friends I made there have been extremely influential and lasting. Currently, pre Covid 2020, I usually travel every month. Tattooing at conventions as well as guesting at various shops. To date, I’ve tattooed in over 20 countries and various cities within them. Traveling and experiencing so many different cultures, art and people has greatly shaped who I am, my art, my tattoos, and my whole approach to tattooing and the relationships I build with my clients.
France, Switzerland, New Zealand, and Australia have been particularly some of my most enjoyed places. A number of the artists and people in general that I have met in those countries have been also vastly influential and dear to me. For me, the best part about tattooing is the sense of community and the relationships you build with clients and other artists. The work I do is often quite large, so I spend a good deal of time with my customers. We talk and share a lot with one another, and in a way, we have a positive impact on one another’s lives and outlooks. These connections I find to be invaluable. Many of my clients have become my friends through our journey together, and I wouldn’t replace those connections and experiences for anything. Austin, these days, is home base, but who knows for the future. I really enjoy living in this city and will continue to try my best to always move forward as an artist and to grow along with my colleges, friends, and clients. It is with the support of those individuals that I continue to strive to have a positive impact on others and to ever continue developing and refining my style with my work and myself.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I think with any career path, there are peaks and valleys. Sometimes things are hard and discouraging, and other times, they make you feel high on life. When I started learning to tattoo at 19 (early 2003), I almost gave it up before I even began to really tattoo. I was in Killeen, Texas at the time, working as a piercer at a shop called Voodoo Tattoo. (I started as a piercer in the summer of 2002 in a different shop). My co-worker Chris Arredondo was just starting to teach me what he could as I was trying to figure out the beginning stages of tattooing This was during the time of Operation Iraqi Freedom 1. Many soldiers were sent away from Ft. Hood, and businesses were struggling to stay afloat that year in the Killeen, Harker Heights, Copperas Cove area, as our main source of clients came from Ft. Hood. Struggling to pay my bills and keep my head above water, I almost gave it up to go back to try and focus on working as a graphic designer and freelance artist. Somehow I managed to get through that year with a bit of CC debt, but hey I made it. I started tattooing at KingPin Late summer of 2003, and things started to turn around for me, so that was the push I needed to carry on and stay focused. I honestly think that year was the hardest for me in my career. The second runner up being 2020, but that was all out of our control. I think as creatives we often face struggles. Inspiration can come in waves, and some days having to be constantly creative on demand can be draining and daunting. What helps is that I’m often creating pieces for clients based on their ideas and inspirations. Many of those can be really cool and inspiring in itself, feeding my own creativity as I work out a design to suit the client’s concept. One kind of feeds the other, I guess. Another struggle/ hurdle, I suppose, has been the social media hustle. I have to admit it’s not my strongest suit, but to exist in a world these days where so many do all of their searching and researching online, I do my best to try and keep up with it all. To always have something going on to market etc. Being an independent artist, you have to wear many hats, and that juggling act can get exhausting at times. Somehow, I always manage to juggle it all as best as I can , and not really feel burned out too often. I have so many things to be grateful and thankful for, so that tends to be my driving force.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
As a tattooer, I’d say the best description of what I do is “illustrative tattooing” Since I have so many years of tattooing under my belt, I’ve had to work in many different genres and try my best to be proficient in them. Each one of those has influenced what I do today in some way or another. So what I do in my tattoo work is kind of an amalgamation of so many different genres and styles of tattooing. It’s not just influenced by tattooing either. I find myself inspired by so many things. illustrators, painters, sculptors, fashion designers, architects, hair and makeup artists, blacksmiths, and many other sources. . I think it’s important to have diverse sources of inspiration. As far as tattooing goes, I suppose I’ve gotten myself quite known for the large flowing full side pieces and back pieces that I do. Flow and Movement are really important to me when I’m designing a piece. How it fits the body and accents the shapes and curves of the wearer’s figure. Aside from tattooing , I guess I’d call myself a maker. I paint, draw, make jewelry, wood , metal and leatherwork, design and make furniture using salvaged and repurposed materials, sculpture and a few other bits and bobs. Being creative and making art in general is like breathing to me, it’s something that I have to always be doing. I suppose the thing I’m most proud of with my body of work, isn’t exactly the work itself, but the positive impact I’ve had on people’s lives. Many people come to get tattooed for so many different reasons, and many of those reasons come with emotional stories and backgrounds, some are quite heavy, and some are joyous. Helping people heal, grow, feel comfortable and confident in their own skin, inspiring to live unapologetically, to listen to their heart and do what they feel is best for them while being kind to others. Seeing that change and growth over the course of our sessions is such a reward. Not all tattoos are so transactional, and many have life changing stories and meanings behind them. I do enjoy, though, when people say that they want a particular subject in a tattoo just because they think it’s beautiful or looks cool. So I suppose my pride comes from the diverse body of work I have created and how it has impacted and inspired others.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
So many things! haha I have and have experienced too much to be grateful for. Making, creating, traveling, food, art, music, anything outdoors… My Shiba Inu (dog) Kaiju. haha, I’ve done a number of tattoos on people inspired by him. pretty sure I’ve tattooed him on like 25 people or something. He’s my little adventure dude and we’ve traveled a lot together. Austin has so many great trails and beautiful, natural places to visit in and around the city, so it’s nice to check out some days and go on a hike with the dog, or swim in one of the many local spots, it’s a nice check out from all the things I juggle. Traveling I love because it’s a way to connect with the world and understand that so many of our own problems aren’t maybe as big as we make them out to be. I don’t know exactly how to say it, but realizing the world is somehow small, and big at the same time and so diverse really has put so much for me in perspective. the friends, partners, connections I’ve made along my way have been a huge source of happiness and support. it’s ever-developing and changing. It’s really shaped so much of my beliefs and values. I’ve visited a lot of places, and there’s still many more that I hope to visit in time. I’m a big Foodie, like I have traveled to places just to eat at a particular restaurant even. I love to cook, and it’s essentially part of my decompression after a long day of work. cook. hang out and have a walk with Kaiju. It’s nice. With Being an artist It’s important to find a balance between being creative for work and being creative for yourself. The happier I am, the more inspired I am. I always finding joy in even the littlest things and things that some people might often find trivial. The pursuit of happiness is being as true and as kind to ourselves and others as we can be, right?
Contact Info:
- Email: jortegatattoo@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/oiseau_noir
Image Credits
portrait photo- @Andreslikes2create
