In Conversation with @iwriteonmoney
The artist sanitizing his workspace in preparation for our tattoo.
At the age of fifteen, @iwriteonmoney gave himself his first tattoo with a sewing needle. Eight years later, he makes his living solely off of tattooing others. Inspired by the covers of some of his mother’s favorite novels and the intricate art on Yu-Gi-Oh! cards, this Chicago based artist puts an eccentric spin on traditional tattoo imagery and also cooks up some wild and spiky creations of his own. To learn more about the artist we paid a visit to his studio to get tattooed and chat with him about his inspirations, process, and dreams for the future. At the request of the artist, we omitted his name and face from the interview, but the work speaks for itself.
The following conversation took place over the course of a three hour tattoo session and has been edited for length and clarity.
When did you get your first tattoo?
I did my first tattoo on myself when I was 15 with a sewing needle. It's like all fucked up. I don't even know what made me want it, maybe just to be edgy and whatnot. [Laughs]. Now my tattooing has become a whole other thing, but at the time I was probably just trying to be cool.
Where did you get most of your tattoos?
I think I have some shop tattoos, mostly from when I was younger, but I think honestly the majority of my tattoos might be from people I know, which is cool. Learning how to tattoo is kinda a curse because it's made my standard for tattoos way higher and now I'm looking at the shit I got before I really started doing this and I'm like, “why would I ever get some dumb shit like that.” But yeah, most of them are just from friends 'cause even if they fuck up, I know I'm not gonna regret it. It’s just a funny memory I suppose.
The artist’s tattoo for us.
Are the people that you first started tattooing just people you knew growing up?
I’ve met a lot of people through tattooing, but when I started out I was just doing friends that I've had for forever. I fucked a bunch of 'em up but then I did a few good ones and started posting them. Eventually I just had a lot of people asking to get work and it kind of just became my job after a certain point, which is super, super cool. I’m so thankful for that.
What drew you to the style you work with today, why not just do traditional tattoos?
It was really seeing the more eccentric stuff that made me want to tattoo in the first place. I had been really familiar with tattoos that would come out of shops and stuff like that, but once I started getting into the whole Instagram scene, that's what made me start wanting to do it. I just got really infatuated with this other style and after a certain point I felt like, “I’m just so into this, I just feel like I have to get my hands on it and figure it out myself.”
Assorted works by the artist. Photos via Instagram.
How long did it take from when you first started getting paid to tattoo until you were surviving off tattoos alone?
This is fucked up, but to be honest, like four months. I feel really really fucking lucky.
That’s so sick, how do you think that even happened?
Probably a lot of luck, just with the people who already followed me on Instagram, 'cause I just took my main Instagram that I have and I wiped it and turned it into this. So I started with some followers and whatnot and then I was lucky enough to just have some crazy people on Instagram who were willing to get tattooed by me. [Laughs]
What kinda stuff inspires you, where do you get the ideas for all this crazy imagery?
I have a theory that a lot of the stuff I do is inspired by Yu-Gi-Oh! cards, I was really into that stuff as a kid. Also, my mom read a lot of Terry Pratchett, I haven't really read much of his stuff actually, but his books had crazy ass covers. So I think a lot of it is just me fucking with the shit on the covers of those books. It's a lot of grim reapers and other occult looking shit.
Cover of a Terry Pratchett novel and a clear parallel between a Yu-Gi-Oh! card and a piece by the artist.
What’s your process for coming up with new flash for tattoos?
Shit, I mean the abstract stuff is usually pretty simple, I'm just thinking about it like, “alright, I'm gonna make a spiky design like this, but I'm just gonna change it up in this little way or I want it to fit this placement so I'm gonna have it give it this structure.” A lot of the newer spiky abstract ones I've been doing are reimagined bone structure tattoos. I'm imagining really crazy biomechanical, organic looking structures.
Where does your IG name come from, was that something that you’ve always had or did you change it when you started doing tattoos?
Nah, that was already my name on Instagram. I kind of wish it wasn’t though. I think I could have come up with something cooler, it's just from a song. I think I've just heard it so many times now where it just sounds stupid when I say it, but it's probably fine. Either way I’m stuck with it now. [Laughs]
Pieces of transfer paper from the walls of the artist’s studio.
Would you ever want to work in a shop or do you prefer the guerrilla setup you have going now?
There's definitely advantages to doing it this way. I've heard from a lot of people that they're actually a lot more comfortable getting tattooed in this kind of situation just 'cause it's a lot more private. It can be a little bit more comfortable than being in a busy shop. As far as the legal side of things, I probably will end up working in a shop if I want to do this long term, but for now I'm pretty happy with what I've got going on. I’m not in much of a rush to change the setup, I’m really confident in my sanitation practices and I still follow all the necessary protocol.
For sure, if it works, it works. What’s the best and worst part of tattooing?
It's a very satisfying thing to do. After I finish a piece, assuming I'm happy with it, it's a very satisfying feeling. Especially when the clients are really happy and I can see 'em just light up when they see it finished for the first time. It feels great. The worst part is probably just like the legal aspect of it for me right now. It's also kind of stressful having strangers in my house pretty much constantly. [Laughs] That's kinda a lot sometimes. But, I will say that the vast majority of people I've had are all pretty cool. It's very rare that I have a client and that I can't at least vibe with a little bit.
If I was giving someone a tattoo I feel like I’d be scared to fuck them up, how long did it take you to build confidence in your work?
I think you eventually get kind of good at separating yourself from the work 'cause sometimes you just have to. Not every tattoo's gonna be perfect, not everyone's gonna be 100% happy with the shit they get. I mean, I haven't had anyone yet who’s complained to me personally, but I've done hundreds of tattoos at this point, at least some of those people are probably not happy with what they got. But you can't beat yourself up too much all the time. And once you reach that point, and find that headspace, it's a lot easier to just relax while you're tattooing. Which ends up being better like overall too, 'cause you're gonna do better work if you're less stressed out.
A collection of torsos decorated by the artist.
Photos via Instagram.
Did you have a dream job when you were growing up?
I was trying to be a musician for a while. I still play in two bands, I play guitar in one, bass in the other. I’m not really much of a bass player but my friends needed someone to play bass, so I was like, I got you. When I was a real little kid, I wanted to be like an engineer or something, I thought that would be raw. I was kind of a nerd, both my parents teach, I think that was a big part of it.
Are they [your parents] stoked on the tattooing and everything?
[Laughing] They like it more than me getting tattooed, that's for sure. They're warming up to it, you know, they like that I'm doing something that's making money and that I’m able to support myself. Neither of them have any tattoos, so they just don’t really get it. I remember one time, I got a new tattoo and my dad was like, “what do you need that for?” like, “you already got a tattoo.”
He just genuinely didn't get it, you know?
My parents are the same way, they don’t seem super bummed on it, but they’re just like, why? But I kinda understand, before I had any tattoos definitely worried a lot about getting something and regretting it.
In my experience once you've had a tattoo for a certain amount of time, it really just becomes part of your body and you're just like not thinking about it at all. And like, the stuff you're into is always gonna change, you know? Instead of thinking about that like an issue, I think about it more like it being kinda cool to have all these little reminders of the versions of yourself in the past.
Did you ever go to college? Or have you just been tattooing since you graduated high school?
I actually have a marketing degree. [Laughs] What a fucking waste, biggest mistake. Now that I'm doing this, I wish when I was 17 you could have just told me, “just start practicing how to tattoo like right now.” That would've been much better and I could always have gone back and got the degree if I wanted to. But I mean, it’s good to have I guess. I might go back at some point if I just want to do something besides tattooing. I could do a master's program and just try and knock that shit out real quick.
If you could have any job in the world what would it be?
Maybe something that involved travel, like a five-star hotel reviewer. I mean somebody’s gotta do it. [Laughs]
If everything goes to plan, what’s your dream scenario in five years?
The way I always joke about it with my artist friends is like, my dream would be to get to a point where I just do one full back piece every week and I charge like $10,000 for it.
Photo via Instagram.
I definitely try to switch it up, but it's probably crosses and the Virgin Mary and those kinda pseudo religious tattoos. I think a lot of people just connect with that stuff. I mean, very few people that get those are actually religious, but I think a lot of people just connect with the imagery. I've had a few people who are actually religious get some work from me and I'm actually pretty hyped on that.
Yeah that makes sense, I bet people figure stuff like that is an easy tattoo to explain.
It’s some shit your mom will like.
@iwriteonmoney
Some songs the artist likes.
Chicago, IL
Photography & Interview by Isaac Barnett
@iebcam