Why I only do custom tattoos
05.09.2026
Why choose a custom tattoo instead of an existing design? For me, every tattoo is an original piece of art, created once for one person — and never repeated.
It took me a really long time to write this article. I rewrote the beginning several times, and every version ended up sounding way too pretentious and vague — something about art, individuality, and the creative process.
So let’s just be honest.
So let’s just be honest.
Why do I only do custom tattoos?
Because I like to show off.
And custom tattooing is a perfect opportunity to show off my skills properly.
I can draw. I can draw really fucking well. I have 15 years of art education behind me and more than 10 years of experience in the tattoo industry, and I have absolutely no interest in using all of that just to put images on people that already existed before I touched them.
And I think my clients like to show off a little too.
Because it’s one thing to say:
And custom tattooing is a perfect opportunity to show off my skills properly.
I can draw. I can draw really fucking well. I have 15 years of art education behind me and more than 10 years of experience in the tattoo industry, and I have absolutely no interest in using all of that just to put images on people that already existed before I touched them.
And I think my clients like to show off a little too.
Because it’s one thing to say:
“I found this image online, liked it, and got it tattooed.”
And it’s another thing entirely to say:
“This piece was created specifically for me. There is only one.”
It’s custom. It’s cool.
And in my opinion, a good tattoo is absolutely a collectible piece.
The most obvious comparison for me is the art you have on the walls of your home. Yes, I also paint, sometimes on commission, so this philosophy runs pretty consistently through everything I do.
And in my opinion, a good tattoo is absolutely a collectible piece.
The most obvious comparison for me is the art you have on the walls of your home. Yes, I also paint, sometimes on commission, so this philosophy runs pretty consistently through everything I do.
Why do I say “art” rather than “paintings”?
Because you can have anything on your wall: an IKEA print that comes ready-framed, a reproduction, or an original painting by an artist.
All of those things have a right to exist.
But nobody really shows off an IKEA poster.
An original piece of art? Absolutely.
Not necessarily because it costs a ridiculous amount of money, but because there is an actual person behind it — their visual language, their ideas, and their way of seeing the world.
And I think tattoos work exactly the same way.
There is a way of interacting with art that I wish we talked about more.
Instead of asking:
All of those things have a right to exist.
But nobody really shows off an IKEA poster.
An original piece of art? Absolutely.
Not necessarily because it costs a ridiculous amount of money, but because there is an actual person behind it — their visual language, their ideas, and their way of seeing the world.
And I think tattoos work exactly the same way.
There is a way of interacting with art that I wish we talked about more.
Instead of asking:
“What picture would look good on this wall?”
you could ask yourself:
“Which artist’s work would I want to live with?”
And instead of:
“What should I get tattooed on this empty part of my arm?”
ask:
“Which artist’s work would I want to wear on my body?”
Because there are completely different ways to choose a tattoo.
You can start with an image. Find something beautiful online, take it to a tattoo artist, and ask them to recreate it.
Or you can start by choosing the artist.
You can start with an image. Find something beautiful online, take it to a tattoo artist, and ask them to recreate it.
Or you can start by choosing the artist.
Look at their work, understand their visual language, and think:
“I want a piece by this artist in my collection.”
What Custom Tattooing Means to Me
And that’s why, to me, custom doesn’t simply mean, “I changed the picture a little bit for you.”
It’s the entire process.
You come to me with your idea, your story, a symbol, or even just a very abstract feeling of what you want. I filter it through my own vision and turn it into a piece of art.
In that sense, commissioning a tattoo is much closer to commissioning a painting from an artist than choosing a product from a catalogue.
It’s the entire process.
You come to me with your idea, your story, a symbol, or even just a very abstract feeling of what you want. I filter it through my own vision and turn it into a piece of art.
In that sense, commissioning a tattoo is much closer to commissioning a painting from an artist than choosing a product from a catalogue.
Except this collection doesn’t hang on your walls.
You wear it on your body.
And for me, looking at tattoos this way completely changes the relationship between the tattoo artist and the client.
I don’t see my job as producing interchangeable images for empty patches of skin.
I create an individual piece for a specific person.
Anatomy becomes part of the composition. Existing tattoos become part of the context. The client’s ideas meet my visual language — and the result is a piece that has never existed before and will never be repeated on another person.
You wear it on your body.
And for me, looking at tattoos this way completely changes the relationship between the tattoo artist and the client.
I don’t see my job as producing interchangeable images for empty patches of skin.
I create an individual piece for a specific person.
Anatomy becomes part of the composition. Existing tattoos become part of the context. The client’s ideas meet my visual language — and the result is a piece that has never existed before and will never be repeated on another person.
You’re not just choosing what will be depicted.
You’re choosing whose interpretation of that subject you want.
And there’s one more reason why working this way matters so much to me.
Broadly speaking, there are two types of tattoo artists: those who create their own work, and those who use images that have already been created by someone else — stealing other artists’ designs, copying them, or, these days, simply generating something with AI.
Obviously, with 15 years of art education and more than 10 years of tattooing experience, I choose to belong to the first category.
Broadly speaking, there are two types of tattoo artists: those who create their own work, and those who use images that have already been created by someone else — stealing other artists’ designs, copying them, or, these days, simply generating something with AI.
Obviously, with 15 years of art education and more than 10 years of tattooing experience, I choose to belong to the first category.
That doesn’t mean I think everyone has to approach tattoos the same way I do.
And it definitely doesn’t mean that a client has to blindly follow my great artistic vision.
Quite the opposite — without the client, the custom piece wouldn’t exist at all.
But I can offer you the philosophy and way of thinking that I follow when I create my art.
So maybe the next time you want a tattoo, instead of starting with Pinterest and asking:
And it definitely doesn’t mean that a client has to blindly follow my great artistic vision.
Quite the opposite — without the client, the custom piece wouldn’t exist at all.
But I can offer you the philosophy and way of thinking that I follow when I create my art.
So maybe the next time you want a tattoo, instead of starting with Pinterest and asking:
“What should I get tattooed here?”
start with a different question:
“Whose work do I want to wear on my body?”
And then we can really show off together.
