Jesse Whitley is the kind of tattooer that makes you feel like this business is still grounded in something real. By sheer dint of his commitment, his knowledge, and his collection — his home studio is a virtually a miniature tattoo museum* — he reminds us of how much there is left to learn; of how we could or should be doing more for our craft. This comes with zero pretense, and a warmth and humility that any client would be happy to sit through a few painful hours with. Jesse owns Stagecoach Tattoo in Lubbock, Texas. The shop itself relects his dedication and an expression of his inner workings – wall to wall flash, artwork and ephemera, dripping with history and a damn fine taste in tattoos; a shop that any tattooer could spend hours studying the walls of. I had the privilege of speaking with Jesse to get a glimpse into the life, career and working philosophy of this consummate craftsman.
Jeremy Dellarosa: What’s your name and where are you from?
Jesse Whitley: My name is Jesse Whitley and I’m originally from Santa Cruz, California.
JD: And how old are you now?
JW: I’m 35.
JD: When did you start tattooing?
JW: I started officially in like, 2010. But I fucked around for a couple of years before that, y’ know, trying to get a foot in the door and that whole process. Trying to make it work.
JD: We’re you tattooing before that, like in high school?
JW: I had like, picked a little Pachuco cross on my hand. And then later on, me and my buddies were fucking around making machines out of electric toothbrushes and cassette motors. Once I started getting tattooed consistently it was just all downhill. It was like, “Oh, this is fuckin’ for me” and I just became obsessed.
JD: How long were you looking for an apprenticeship before you found one?
JW: I dunno, it was a year, year and a half or so. Once I really put my head down and was like, “This is what I need to do to do it the right way” then I kind of got guidance from a couple tattooers who were like, “Well, if you’re really serious, you need to quit fucking around and take the steps in order to make it happen.” I got some guidance before I got my official apprenticeship.
JD: Did you have a pretty traditional apprenticeship?
JW: I did. Y’ know, making needles, learned how to make pigments. I had to draw flash sheets, trace them 20, 50 times a day. I would say it was pretty natural for a traditional apprenticeship. I think things are way different than they used to be. But I would say so.
JD: How long was your stint?
JW: About three years.
JD: Did you stay with that shop?
JW: I did and then after that three years I left.
JD: Who was it with?
JW: It was with this guy, Colt Lee. He apprenticed under this guy, Nick Anderson, who was like a 90s Texas tattooer in Austin off 6th Street. But he worked with [Chris] Travino, Jason Brooks, and then he managed Paradise back in the day for Richard Stell.
JD: Obviously there are a lot of resources available today that weren’t around in 2010. But what compelled you to pursue an apprenticeship as opposed to trying to teach yourself?
JW: Like you said, those resources just kind of weren’t available. But I was almost in a shop once a week, getting tattooed, y’ know, being that annoying dude, like, “Hey dude, I’m about this. Just give me a fuckin’ chance!”
JD: Yeah! Shop Rat. That’s how you do it, man. You gotta get your foot in the door.
JW: That’s it. Whatever I had to do.
JD: Having that apprenticeship experience, do you think there is value in the online resources? Is apprenticeship the only way to do it? What value do you see in apprenticeship vs. doing any of those other things?
JW: I mean, I’d say that’s all the value is the apprenticeship. With all these online resources you’re kind of referring to, y’ know, I’ve seen the ads pop up on Instagram or Facebook. But I honestly haven’t familiarized myself with any of them because I don’t use those resources. I was always [taught], it’s passed down orally, and if you wanna learn something from somebody, go get fuckin’ tattooed.
JD: Yeah. I’ve always felt like, in terms of tattooers passing things down from person to person, it is like one giant lineage. For me, the value was in having other people around me to tell me when I was fucking up, or that I should be doing something differently, or just having that constant source of critique. I almost wonder if people utilizing those online resources are just non-confrontational. They don’t want to be told that they’re doing something wrong, but that’s what makes you better!
JW: And those are the kind of people that wouldn’t have fuckin’ hacked it before YouTube and all that. And it’s just like, if you can’t take the criticism, get the fuck out. You gotta be able to take it with a grain of salt, but you have to be able to take that criticism and build off of it. If you feel bad as a person just because someone said, “Oh, you fucked that line up,” y’ know, maybe you should go somewhere where they just tell you how good you are at sucking all day.
JD: Did you start on coil machines?
JW: Absolutely!
JD: Do you still use coils?
JW: To this day.
JD: Do you employ rotaries at all or do you have a pen machine?
JW: No pen. I’ve gotten a couple of rotaries over the years – the Kubin’s the Shag’s y’ know. And the one or two I still have, they just sit in a box and they look cool but I don’t really use them.
JD: What are your daily drivers? Do you have any go-to machine builders?
JW: Um, definitely over the years I’ve bounced all over. I mean, everybody, Ceferi, Workhorse, Lucky’s. Kind of used it all. Here recently, probably for almost the last 10 years, I’ve strictly used Derek Jefferson’s. He’s out of Amarillo [TX], used to own Screamin Mimi Tattoo. But he’s also a Texas tattooer. He’s had a shop in Amarillo for 30-something years [Secret Base Tattoo, formerly Screamin Mimi]. Definitely oldest in the area.
JD: Liners? Shaders? Both?
JW: Everything. Eight daily drivers, eight Derek Jefferson’s.
JD: What about your background in art? Did you have any formal training?
JW: I had no formal training. I just started getting tattooed, and I was like, “This is fuckin’ tight! This is primal.” Y’ know, I loved the blood, the pain. And I think, like, throughout my life, I’d experienced a lot of similar things kind of down that line, and I think it just felt right and I haven’t looked back.
JD: We’re you an art kid? Were you always drawing?
JW: I mean, I think every kid draws. But I was never like, “I’m gonna be an artist.” I dunno, I kind of grew up in a foster care system, so I did everything and anything to get out of what I was doing. So, it was just the means to an opportunity.
JD: There is the question about whether tattooing is an art or a craft, and I think it’s both. In my mind, it’s an art until you apply the stencil, and then as soon as you pick up a machine it becomes a craft. I’ve certainly met amazing tattooers that couldn’t draw their way out of a wet paper bag, but they can do a great tattoo.
JW: And I mean, they’re two different skills. I always say, drawing and doing the art, that’s all great but that’s step one in doing a tattoo.
JD: There has always been artists and art students coming into tattooing and thinking that those skills are transferable. And maybe they are in terms of designing a tattoo. But putting in the skin is a different issue.
JW: Oh definitely. And I mean, just the applications. I mean, art students — the lack of black, and those pastel, watercolor, y’ know? Yeah, it looks cool for a picture. But if we’re thinking down the road, the longevity of that person and that tattoo, I can look at it and be like, “Oh, well that’s not gonna last 5, 10 years.” Three sunburns and that fucker’s gone.
JD: Yeah, some people try to apply a drawing mentality to a tattoo. But without having that base knowledge of how the tattoo will work, it’s useless.
JW: Absolutely. I feel like in a basic apprenticeship or a traditional apprenticeship, they give you all of that information if you get your history. And it’s like, all these things were done previously. They didn’t work and so they moved off of it and built off of it. And now, that younger, self-taught generation that’s like, “Oh, I’m gonna reinvent it.” And it’s like, well, if you look back 40, 50 years ago, they already did it, they tried it, it didn’t work, and that’s why we’re here now.
JD: Traditions are just things that we have figured out actually work, culturally, or in tattooing. They are just the same things we go back to over and over again.
JW: ‘Cause they work!
JD: You mentioned that you weren’t really into art, per se, before tattooing. Since finding tattooing, have you found any other art forms or creative outlets that you enjoy?
JW: I didn’t do a lot of art when I was younger. I did enjoy photography and then, as I’ve progressed as a tattooer, y’ know, you just find those different mediums to just express yourself. I’ve been doing ceramics here lately. Of course, painting flash, and just improving my painting in general. But I feel like as you explore and find more knowledge, it just opens more avenues to like, trying to understand. It’s like, I’m just seeking knowledge and trying to figure it out like the rest of us.
JD: What sorts of tattoos are you most attracted to?
JW: Anything with bold lines, bright color. I love people that push it illustratively, y’ know, of course with those traditional roots for longevity to make sure the tattoo’s gonna last. But I have so many outside influences from like, old San Francisco comic art, to of course, Ed Hardy. Things like that. And now with the internet, you just see so much in one day, whereas it would take years to find that much information or that much reference 10 or 20 years ago.
JD: With so many styles of tattooing, how did you land on what you do now?
JW: I think it’s more based on tradition, on what I know is gonna last. Y’ know, sometimes I do get a little loose with it, and I’ll bring some tight liners together that I know eventually will kind of blur together. But I think, as it ages, I know it will age within itself instead of just putting a bunch of shit together and it’ll be a blob.
JD: Do you have a favorite design or deigns that you really like to do?
JW: I like the weird! Of course I love the classic motifs, anything that has power. I mean, of course dragons are great. But I’m a big Mr. Natural fan. I love a good bitchin’ panther head. Any animal, you count me fuckin’ in.
JD: In regard to Texas traditional, where do you see yourself in that thread? Obviously you learned from Texas tattooers, but how have those things specifically influenced your work?
JW: I mean, I definitely think that Lum and Travino at Perfection, they set the bar when it comes to Texas. Same with Richard Stell, y’ know? That sets the bar for Texas traditional tattooing. And those people that worked along side [them in] those early years still hold and carry that torch in Texas for tattooing. And I think, where I stand is I was passed on tattooing, and I’m just trying to leave it better than I received it, if I can.
JD: When did you move to Texas from California?
JW: I went to a state school, like foster care. I moved down here in 2002.
JD: And have you gotten to travel around a lot in your career?
JW: Yeah, I mean, throughout the United States I’ve been all over, coast to coast.
JD: Are there any shops or conventions that you’ve done that really stand out in your mind?
JW: I mean, for the Southwest it’s the [Albuquerque Tattoo] Fiesta for sure. There’s nothing compared to it. I feel like different parts of the country have those shows. Like, West Coast — I mean, they’ve got so many now — but Cap City [Capitol City Classic, Sacramento, CA] that Britton [McFetridge] does, that’s amazing. I mean, East Coast, there’s so many. JD Crowe’s been doing the Norfolk show the last couple of years. But then there’s the Philly show that’s iconic, which I know I’ve always wanted to go to.
JD: Any particular guest spots that stand out for you?
JW: I think I always pull something out of everywhere I go so I enjoy them all. I don’t think I have a particular favorite. Every experience is so unique, especially when it’s new tattooers, new guest spots, or new conventions – that networking is ever-growing.
JD: There is an endless amount of information and there’s always some way to push what you’re doing. Even if all you ever do is traditional, the bar is always above you. In your travels, are there any particular tattooers that have had a strong influence on you?
JW: Oh man, there’s so many. They’re all great now it feels like. I mean, Greg Christian’s doing amazing things. Of course, Ed Hardy’s been pushing that bill. Chad Koeplinger, I just got tattooed by him. That was an amazing experience. More just humbling to see the amount of work, and they’re just constantly raising that bar and pushing the limits and not just like, “Oh yeah, I can do a Sailor Jerry rose.” I’m like, “Yeah y’ know, probably a million people can do that rose.” But it’s like, taking what you were taught almost — not necessarily reinventing it, but elaborating on it and making it your own.
JD: What has your experience as a shop owner been? What are the challenges and what are the upsides?
JW: I mean, it’s always nice being your own boss. That’s great. I think some people are meant to be owners or bosses, and some people are meant to fall in line. And I think, after years and years of working for and with other people and [seeing] how they run their businesses and I didn’t necessarily agree with it, I just kind of wanted to make a shop for the artists, by the artists, and just kind of create the most ideal environment for the artists to create the best tattoos they can. And I have kind of minimal oversight. Like, we’re all fuckin’ adults here. You know what needs to be done. Trash needs to be taken out, bathroom — y’ know, all the basic bullshit. But not just standing over your shoulder. Like, “If this was your shop, would you let this shit happen?” And I think that freedom, you get a little bit more respect as like, not necessarily the boss, as almost one of the peers. But sometimes you do have to be tested, and you do have to lay down and draw that line in the sand. It’s like, “Hey, you’re making me do this because you’re not fuckin’ filling up the hand soap,” or whatever the fuck it is.
JD: Do you guys have any apprentices? Do you specifically have an apprentice?
JW: I do not. I think the world’s got plenty of tattooers. I do have a new guy that I brought on a few years ago. Y’ know, you see some people and you’re like, “Man, that guy, he’s got some potential.” I took a newer, younger kid on just because he told me his situation. It was like a realism, “wet face” tattooer telling this kid he couldn’t draw, and “Why are you painting your own flash?” And, “Oh, you don’t need to learn how to use coils.” It was just, y’ know, some of the most ridiculous shit I’ve ever fuckin’ heard. The kid had gotten tattooed from me, and I was like, “You know what dude, I’m not gonna apprentice you, but I’ll kind of show you the light and you kind sink or fuckin’ swim. And, I’ll say, he’s been swimming.
JD: What would someone have to show you to get apprenticed by you?
JW: Man, I dunno. A million dollars? [Laughs] I don’t know if I want to apprentice anybody. I think that commitment shows everything. And the new wave of tattooers — I’m just not seeing even people that I would kind of get along with. And that drive, that motivation that I had, that fire — I’m just not seeing it, except the few people that I have around. I’d rather just help some seasoned artists get better than take someone in that I just have no relationship with.
JD: It’s clear that you have a reverence for tattoo history. What do you think is the value of that history?
JW: I feel like it’s invaluable. Like, it’s a must-know. If you’re a tattooer you need to know your history. There’s more history coming every day y’know, and it’s readily available instead of just being like you hear one story from somebody and then it’s passed on through that group, whoever its from — I just, I can’t get enough of it. Just ‘cause there’s a sea of knowledge.
JD: With younger tattooers, there seems to be a dismissal of the history. I like to see the origins of things. Like where the Gibson Girls came from, or an old Barnum and Bailey poster where they got a tiger. When you tattoo a rose, you’re not just tattooing this one rose. You’re tattooing every rose that’s ever been done for the last 150 years.
JW: Yeah, it’s a representation of all of tattooing.
JD: So, if you were learning now, do you think that you could tattoo well without that knowledge?
JW: I don’t see [how you could]. It’s either you got it or you don’t. And some of those guys have it. But I would say the majority of those new self-taught tattooers — I’m sure they’ll be working at Applebee’s or fuckin’ Chili’s in the next five years, y’ know? [Laughs]
JD: The Tattoo Gods are real and they know when you are and when you’re not.
JW: Absolutely. They’re always watching. [Some newer tattooers] don’t really care or have that respect for the history. And y’ know, it shows. We see right fuckin’ through it. No AI did that lion, blue eyed whatever you’re doing. I’ve seen it a thousand times.
JD: How about when it comes to Japanese tattooing? Who are you looking at for inspiration?
JW: I mean, I’m here in Texas, so Trevino for sure. But, there’s a couple guys. Derek Jefferson who builds those machines, he’s an amazing Japanese tattooer. And then locally here in Lubbock, Texas, Mike Tweed — him and Derek actually opened their shops within a month of each other 30 years ago — and Mike’s Japanese work is, I mean, quite amazing.
JD: Have you built up a good reference library?
JW: I have. It’s right here behind me [gestures to two large bookcases]. This is just my personal library.
JD: Hell yeah! That’s obsession. Looks like a killer record collection too!
JW: [Laughs] Thank you! Yeah, it’s pretty good. As you can tell, there’s no room. And I’ve got a little tattoo history nook here [shows a small cabinet full of memorabilia]. Some machines. That’s from Ed Liberty down there, old Spaulding marker kit, [Mike Malone photo], Bob Roberts right next to him. [I share with him an old Mike Malone acetate hanging in my shop] That’s always a pleasure getting to tattoo off an acetate.
JD: You’ve gotten to tattoo off of acetates? Any that you’ve made?
JW: Not that I’ve made, but I’ve tattooed out of the older ones. So I’ve [done] like, Malone and kind of a bunch of other ones. Bunch of Doc Webb ones.
JD: Do you have any go-to books for reference?
JW: Oh man, well, anything Hardy-Marks put out. I think that’s like, the pinnacle of tattoo publication. Man, it’s kind of hard. I mean, Afterlife, Zac [Sheinbaum] over there, he’s been really pushing it with everything, and I love every book he’s pretty much put out over the last few years. Of course, TAM has always been kind of iconic for us. Just, there’s so much information in them, which it’s really cool to finally be a part of something like this.
JD: What inks are you using? You said you used to make your own. Do you still?
JW: Not really. I was building some machines, and I was always told, “You’re the machine builder or a tattooer.” And it was like, I have the knowledge, but I think I wanted to focus more on tattooing and being a little more creative. Anything machine building wise is already being done by somebody better than me. Same with the inks. It’s like, I have the knowledge to do it, but I’ll let the pros take care of that. I mean, I use Luna here in Texas. I’ve used a little bit of Legacy, Solid Ink. I have a few that people have mixed themselves and given to me. But I mean, over the years I’ve kind of used it all. Starbrite to Eternal. Y’ know every few years something new comes out, but I’ve been sticking with those few — Luna, Solid and Legacy — probably for the last like, seven years or so.
JD: We all have wild stories from the shop. Do you have any gems that you’d care to share?
JW: I did almost have a guy die at my shop last week.
JD: Holy shit!
JW: Yeah, that was pretty intense. He came in, he was a buddy of mine. Came in for an album release and he went outside to smoke and his wife told me he looked at the sky and then he fuckin’ took a header into the ground and peeled the skin off his nose and he started having a seizure on his back. And I walked out there and he was like, coughing up blood, seizing on the ground. It was pretty intense. I ended up rolling him over, getting him where he could breathe, put his arm out, and then called the ambulance. But y’ know, in 16 years or so, that’s never happened. I’ve never had to call anything like that. I don’t think I have ever. But it was pretty intense for something like that to happen.
JD: Tell me about the Frank Julian travel trunk.
JW: So around 2015 or so, I was moving an old girlfriend to Nashville, and on the way, we stopped in Paris, TX of all places. We had pulled over at a laundromat to smoke. As we were there, some older biker fella came up and started talking to me about my tattoos, and told me he used to tattoo and had a shop back in the day. Told me he was selling everything and we could go over to his house and smoke and I could check it out. Of course, I had to go check it out.
We get there, we bullshit for a bit, showing me some stuff he had laid out on a bed. Told me this is the tip of the iceberg and said there’s a whole shipping container in the backyard full of it. Granted, it’s midsummer and the Texas heat is no fucking joke. He opens up the container and there’s just piles of flash, furniture all filled with flash sheets — pretty much a tattoo shop or two worth of stuff in there. In the way back, there was a leather trunk, corners peeled back from years of sitting in the heat and we wrestled that thing out and opened it up. Acetate stencils, machines, rheostat, business cards. I remember picking up some of those stencils and they would just disintegrate in your hands they were so fragile. It was the oldest tattooing artifacts I’d ever seen at the time.
At the time, I didn’t understand the importance of what I had found but one thing led to another, I called a buddy of mine, Fast Eddy, and he ended up purchasing the trunk. [He] has it to this day, and published a book on it’s contents. Turned out to be Frank Julian’s tattoo trunk who worked for William Grimshaw in San Antonio, pre World War I, and was married to Alice from Dallas, the world’s fattest lady at the time. Truly a once in a lifetime discovery.
JD: What’s an ideal client in your mind?
JW: A client that wants a good tattoo. Y’ know, I’m happy to do anything, all styles. It’s always an honor when someone seeks you out and wants the tattoo from you, even if it’s not y’ know, all the cool stuff. Even the small stuff, I think most of that stuff can be more meaningful to those people because they generally don’t have as many.
JD: The Pinterest-y tattoos as well?
JW: I mean, -ish? Everyone gives meaning to their tattoos. I can look at an infinity symbol and I can tell you a thousand fuckin’ things it could mean y’ know? But the person that gets that, they probably don’t have a lot, and it should be clean, even if it is just one.
JD: In 16 years, I’m sure you’ve gotten to experience the evolution of a client. Can you tell me about anyone who has come in and gotten something small, or something that wasn’t necessarily your style, and then just through the experience of coming into the shop and looking around, all the sudden they are getting crazy work?
JW: Oh yeah! Absolutely. I think half of that has to do with how you present and [are] able to talk to your client, and presenting with the facts and the history of how tattoos will age and what will look good fitting on the body, and how it will look on different parts of the body. I mean, the evolution of a tattoo has changed but I would say my salesmanship has changed just as much.
JD: What is the best thing you feel that you bring to the table for your clients?
JW: I mean, I’m just a tattooer. I show up on time. I do what they want, and y’ know, I give my advice. At the end of the day, they will get what they want whether I agree with it or not. But I think my job is to pass on the information and what I know, and how I know things will age and whatnot, and just kind of present the facts. And if they want that super fine line, single needle writing that will more than likely fall out when they scratch their arm, I’ll absolutely do it. And I’ll touch it up for them too! That takes me a couple minutes, whereas they’ve gotta live with it the rest of their lives. I’m in kind of a smaller town so, having that reputation that I do take care of my clients, I do show up on time, and I present them with the highest quality tattoos that I can do. And I think that that’s the best that I can do for anybody coming to get a tattoo from our shop.
JD: Is it a lot of locals getting tattooed or do you have people traveling in?
JW: I stay on the circuit throughout the year so I have clients travel in throughout the year. And then we have the West Texas Tattoo Convention that the Trufant Brothers put on. That brings a lot of tattooers and a lot of people getting tattooed. But San Angelo’s still three hours from us.
JD: Any pet peeves in clients?
JW: I mean, there’s things I’d say that get annoying. Y’ know people overstepping their bounds, thinking they know everything. I don’t like people’s opinions who aren’t getting fucking tattooed. It’s like, “You’re not wearing it so shut the fuck up.” I understand some people want that reassurance, but it’s like, “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
JD: It’s a weird line. People want to relate to you as a person who is physically touching them and applying this permanent thing on their body. But with the abundance of information available these days, it’s easy for people to ask what seem like invasive questions. It’s like, “Do I answer this question?” Or “How do I answer this question?” I don’t necessarily want to treat them like they are being presumptuous when they don’t know where the line is.
JW: Yeah, no doubt. You want to give people the respect they deserve, but I think that I try to keep some of that allure, like the man behind the curtain, y’ know? You don’t want to just give it all away. And I understand. There’s curiosity questions, and then there’s invasive questions.
JD: Do you get clients asking you specific technical stuff about tattooing, and how do you respond to those questions?
JW: Technical information, like you said, it’s kind of like having the artistry and then having the technical ability. Y’ know, I have a group — I have a shop full of tattooers that all have the same technical information but we all apply those tattoos just a little differently. So, I think you can tell them how to do it but they’re still not gonna be able to figure it out. So, it depends on the question, I guess.
JD: You can hand someone a machine but they aren’t necessarily going to know what to do with it.
JW: And you’re probably starting with a pen if you’re asking me these questions. So I’m not gonna be able to help you.
JD: Since you mentioned that, what do you think is the value of starting with coil machines?
JW: I think it’s the most valuable thing. Y’ know, you drop a pen, it doesn’t work, I mean, you’re gonna take that apart? I haven’t heard of anyone doing that. I dropped a coil machine the other day and I was like, “This kind of sounds like shit. Give me 30 seconds.” *Bzzt* Fixed, ready to go. And I think knowing your tools in and out in any trade is the most important. And how do you expect to be proficient in any trade if you don’t understand even what you’re working with?
JD: Do you think there’s an intuition you develop working with coils, like driving manual vs. automatic?
JW: I mean, it’s all by ear. So, if something’s wrong it’s because I heard it. And it’s like, “That doesn’t sound right. Let me look at this.” Whereas I’m not familiar [with rotaries]. Like, I have a ShagBuilt. I stopped using it seven or eight years ago. But I mean, you just hear it, whether it’s working or not. Whereas I don’t think you get that same effect with a rotary because it doesn’t have that give. And that weight, it’s just, it’s not the same for me.
JD: Any regrets in your career? Have you ever wanted to quit tattooing?
JW: I mean, my mentor tried to make me fuckin’ quit daily. And it was just like, “Oh, you wanna hang out tonight? Well, go bring me that dude’s teeth.” “Oh, you wanna hang out? Cool, you gotta buy drinks all night.” I mean, paid his rent for years, and food. Oh yeah. Of course I wanted to quit but that’s what makes the difference between who stays and who goes. But I think him doing it on purpose, it showed me the value of really showing your worth and like, “If you wanna stay, let’s see how bad you wanna stay.”
JD: You mentioned that you’d been catching up on past issues of TAM recently. What stands out to you about the magazine?
JW: I think when I first started off, y’ know you’d pick up an issue, you’d read it, and I think as a younger tattooer you’re just so enthralled by all of the information. It’s all new. And now, looking back at all the TAM issues, I know everything they’re talking about, so it’s like, I’m gaining insight and value from the same pages that I did, just in a different way. Whereas my understanding is a little more vast than it used to be. I think it was a Filip Leu interview in TAM that was saying that, y’ know, when you’re not motivated to produce everyday, that you take a step back and read and refill your cup back up so you can overflow and do more art again. And that really stuck with me, and every time I feel like I’m in that rut or I’m slowing down on my progression or my flash painting or whatever it is that I’m doing, y’ know I’ll take a few days or a week or two and I’ll just read. And then eventually, y’ know you read enough you’re like, “Man, I fuckin’ wanna do a dragon!” And you’re back to it.
JD: If you could describe TAM in one sentence, what would that be?
JW: One word: Inspiring! I’ll keep it there!
