Today we’d like to introduce you to Judd Miller.
Hi Judd, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’ve been drawing and painting since I was very young. I was initially interested in more of a traditional painting/fine art career, but life at times steers you where you need to be.
I decided to become a tattoo artist after learning I was going to be a father, wanting to continue to do art for a living, but with a steadier income. I’ve always loved tattoos since I was young.
My dad had the album “Appetite For Destruction” from Guns N’ Roses back in the mid-’80s. I would steal it and listen to it in my room and pour over the liner artwork, which was done by Robert Williams. But it was Axl Roses’ tattoos and his bad boy style that initially piqued my interest in tattoos and tattooing.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
During the first year of my apprenticeship, I was the breadwinner for my family while my wife took care of our child. So, I was working part-time waiting tables, and part-time doing my apprenticeship. And once I got to the point, I could start charging apprentice rates, I quit the restaurant job and would go into the shop seven days a week.
I was taking a huge gamble and was extremely stressed that I wouldn’t make enough money. So, I would just go in and work my tail off to make it happen and succeed. Over time, things have gotten a bit easier in a way, but at the same time, I’m running my own private studio.
Running your own business entails a lot of work. A lot of the time, I feel like all I do is work and think about tattoos, and then I take a break to do the dishes.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I come from more of an illustrative/realism background. I like to use that to tie different things together, and try and juxtapose different things that may or not go together, to see how they would interact. I enjoy doing making art that is darkly beautiful, otherworldly, or has a slight tinge of sadness to it.
How do you think about luck?
I don’t really take many stalks in luck, I take a more casual route. You water the seeds you want to grow, and when the right conditions come along, they start to sprout. But the right conditions can take a lot of time and effort to come about, so you have to have determination and patience to get you through.
You can never stop learning, and evolving to get where you want to be.
Contact Info:
- Email: juddlmillerart@gmail.com
- Instagram: @Juddluciusmiller
- Facebook: Judd Lucius Miller
