Just Listen...

This week has been really humbling...me and my wife sat down and talked for a few hours...everything she said was all truth...I never try to make excuses for my actions.. When I'm wrong I'm wrong period...I now see I wasn't listening to her and entering her world when she needed me...I now see how selfish and one sided I was...which made me think about a painting I did a few years ago for an art show with Pinz-n-Needlez in DC... It's called "Just Listen" some advice I should have followed myself...the painting was based on people just shutting up and listening to the souls of the people around them... To step out your shoes and put your feet in the shoes of others...being trapped in my "dreamland" where dreams and reality are one to me I often forget about the lives of the people I love around me... Having tunnel vision and only seeing my goals not taking any breaks in between to give myself to my family...serving the people but not being there for the peope close to me... The older I grow the more I see how fucked up in my ways I was....but the question is can I step outside of my world and go back to my foundation which is my family? Can I shut up and LISTEN? My free spirit just floats around like a balloon... But who will hold the string that's attached to the balloon? Will they let the string go so I float off into the sky for not listening? Or will they keep faith in me and hold the string tighter because they know a balloons don't live long? I will shut up now and "Just Listen"


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Marketing...

Tattoo artists (and others) write me all the time about "marketing" tips to bring more traffic to their business... I was told "common sense isn't the same for everyone...my secret is I keep creative minds around me...For example Corey stepped out the box to promote his Mach 5 EP by using condoms...it didn't cost alot but it got the message across...I myself used the Internet, social netwerks, blogs, & forums to promote my tattoos, art, and lifestyle and it worked for me....I didn't have the free time to hit the streets so I didn't focus on Atlanta, I targeted people in other cities instead of keeping the "local" mindstate...I asked myself how can I reach the people in London, LA, San Fran, DC, NY, Toyko, Etc? And the answer was common sense to me....the Internet....and for the locals we used posters, pins, condoms, art shows, whatever it took...the greatest tip in the tattoo business is NEVER focus on the city your shop is in.. Focus on the people in different states... When they see people flying from other places just to get your work... THEN your city will follow you just to see what all the fuss is for....


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More than one?

I'm not goin to drop every "man" secret online...the misunderstanding of Venus and Mars...and why men desire to have more then one female....I'm sure there is a woman out there with all the traits that men are looking for in one person...to be honest most men I know want a woman who is a like his mother, his angel, his ecsape from reality, his backbone, his whore, his queen, his best friend ,everything... But no human is perfect and we chase that perfect person our whole life, hurting our love ones on the way...nothing is worse than growing apart from your mate...and to numb that pain, you take things you like from each woman around you and create your dream... This piece I'm working on now is just that...a mixture of souls from different women in my past, present and future...I have a feeling karma will leave me a lonely old man like most artists....we will never be understood, we will be judged...and we will break more hearts due to this drive to create...is love enough to conquer lust, my passion to be free, my drive to die an artist legend? To know me is to love or hate me... I can live with both.. And I'm sure my so-called "sins" will inspire the women I hurt to be stronger or will she just give up and turn to the darker side....the selfish nature of man....

This piece is being created my plain ole "Bic" ballpoint ink pens


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Fly High...

It's 9:06am...and I'm up hoping my day at work will be better than my off days at home. I haven't smoked any weed in a few days, so I been dealing with my fuck ups head on, I really don't know if my "tattoo" clients read my blogs..it seems like mostly the fans of my ART and writing read them...everyone who reads them know how much I hate doing butterfly tattoos...so I did this piece (never finished it) about 3 years ago called "Fly High" this was when everyone wanted butterflies with the "Miya Bailey" eye in the wings...the ONLY reason I ever tattooed them was to make the PEOPLE happy...so I would smoke a blunt to zone out and do the tattoo and dream how it would feel like to be a high Butterfly randomly flying through the minds of my clients...maybe if I could FEEL the reason behind why they love them so much I would put my emotion and soul behind the tattoo...and for some weird reason it works. If I don't look at them as just a butterfly I won't get depressed by being asked to do them a million times in a year...Thank God for imagination, my escape from reality...I still don't like doing them, BUT its balanced out the look my clients give me once they see their new tattoo in the mirror for the first time...a rebirth of their body and spirit...I will finish this drawing, and put it in my book..I think it was the first time I had ever used color micro ink pens...I like the look so...its time to touch that drawing again...Fly High

When ART & Hip-hop was ONE....

Who remember those dope hip-hop album covers of the 80-90's? When art was a major part of hip-hop...once "RAP" music took over it seem like the kicked the graffiti writers, and DJ's to the side...I just wanted to drop a video for the youth who read my blog..when rap videos didn't have to cost a lot of money but they were wayyyyyy better. Check out the Artifacts "Wrong Side Of Da Tracks" Graf writers from Newark,New Jersey turned MC's

$1000-$1500 for a FULL Day

More people are starting to get larger pieces from me...I'm still keeping my prices as low as I can, as long as can afford to pay my rent ( home & City of Ink), bills, child support, plane tickets for the tours, supplies, overhead, etc....most of my clients book me for half of days for $500... But more people are now asking me for FULL days...they don't want me to focus on anyone else but them, so me & Tuki have decides to price a FULL day of tattooing for $1000-$1500...that's 10 hours of tattooing from 1pm to 10pm (we will take a few breaks to eat, smoke, get some air, etc.. I'm
Human) this way we can do more sleeves, rib pieces, & back pieces without making so many different sessions, plus you save money. I will STILL be doing $250 smaller pieces for the working class 9-5ers so don't start any rumors saying I only do large pieces now... I just want the clientele who like sleeves, and larger pieces to save money and be happy with the customer services. A tattoo artist is wayyyyyy happier when he or she don't have to rush because you have other appointments waiting on you to finish the other appointment...

To book me for a sleeve, rib piece, backpiece, or large leg pieces, for $1000-$1500. Call 404-525-4465 (1pm-10pm) I prefer one on one relaxed private tattooing, but if you do bring a guest please limit it to ONE person only. Call the shop for more details....MB

P.S. Ask about a Payment Plan


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No Excuses...Man up

The reason I don't judge others is because I'm fill of flaws... I'm not "super human" like some people thing I am...some days I'm in a positive mood some days I just want to be left alone...as a man and as a human being I have fears... One of those fears is hurting the women I love.. I have a fear of letting my wife down, and I have let her down... I fear of letting my grandmothers down and I have before.. And I fear of hurting my daughters & mother...growing up seeing my mother cry for many different reasons haunt my dreams...I remember seeing her cry and not having the control to hold back my own tears... I have made my wife cry and it's the same pain as seeing my mother cry... I can't explain it... I often think i'm the bad seed of my father, but I also question that... If I was a bad seed then why am I being blessed by God? Why was I given this talent? Why are people drawn to me? And why do I have these fears? I often smoke a blunt and dream I'm a bird flying over the land watching peope with that normal lives... No one can touch me, no one can get close enough to my heart... I'm so far up in the sky they can't even see my beauty... Free as a bird...a short life but a happy life...flying away from my fears when they get too close to me... I never wanted to hurt you, but I have to man up now and face my fears because I did hurt you... No matter how far I fly away... All birds have to land and face the world.... No excuses I hurt you and I can't fly away from that pain.


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