Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeffrey Pons.
Hi Jeffrey, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
I was running with a bad crowd of people in my late teens and knew I was heading down a path in life that would lead me to prison if I didn’t change my ways. I had been interested in becoming a tattooer for a long time at that point and decided to cut ties with everyone who wasn’t aiding me in my pursuit of what I wanted to be in life. From that point on, I focused my time entirely on comprising an art portfolio that I felt would showcase my abilities (although when I look back at that portfolio now, it’s terribly embarrassing!).
My efforts landed me a job as an apprentice in an honestly terrible biker tattoo shop in Richfield, UT. The owner of this shop had two other shops in Cedar City and Vernal, UT. I worked mostly alone in the first shop I was in until I made the move to Vernal to work with a guy named Derek Merritt. He was a good tattooer who was motivated and inspired constantly, once I started working with him I feel like I really was learning to tattoo. From that point on, I just kept my head down and focused on my work for many years, making friends along the way and picking up tricks of the trade from them.
I ended up moving to Hawaii for a few years and working at a shop called Queen Street Tattoo, where I met some lifelong friends, then came back home to work with my current boss, Troy Trujillo, who I’ve always looked up to as a tattooer even before I was a tattooer myself. I’ve continued to work with Troy at our shop, which used to be called King of Swords, but is now known as Lonely Hearts Club Tattoo, since moving back home from Hawaii in (I think) 2015 because we operate so well together.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Like I previously mentioned, I got my start in a biker shop. So there were plenty of insane situations I found myself in as a result. I had turned away many fascist/white pride and nazi tattoos during my time there. Lots of close calls in terms of physical violence in the shop and I definitely had to develop some thick skin to be surrounded by sketchy people. I knew it would be worth it to endure because any opportunity I had was one step closer to my ultimate goal of becoming a successful tattooer.
Aside from the hectic nature of working in biker shops, it has been a constant struggle to develop the skills necessary to be taken seriously in this trade. Working in a trade that’s already saturated with incredibly talented artists, along with the changing of how technology is used to market business, it’s very difficult to stay relevant as a tattooer. My good friend Chaz put it into words that really stuck with me, “You can’t just be a good tattooer anymore, everyone is a good tattooer. You have to be a personality.”
Finding a means by which I can continue to stay relevant in this trade without being corny, has been difficult for me. I’m not a businessman, I dropped out of high school. I spent my time in the class drawing instead of paying attention to what the school system was setting me up for, so I’d say that finding my way into a successful business as someone who has just had to figure it out along the way has been very difficult.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I would say I specialize in custom tattooing, with American Traditional style application, meaning, I typically use a heavier line, and incorporate a lot of black shading into my tattoos. I was drawn to the classic style of American tattooing from the get-go because that style is timeless. It’s like a pair of Chuck Taylor Converse, it just never stopped being cool! I do a tattoo in other styles as well if it’s something that suits my capabilities, if you’re interested in another style, it doesn’t hurt to inquire!
I think one thing that sets me apart from a lot of other tattooers is that I really dislike tracing or tracing drawing designs for people. I was an artist before a tattooer, so I enjoy using my creativity and struggling through the actual composition of tattoo designs, rather than just finding something similar to what the client wants, and tracing it with a few changes being made. I take pride in tattoos that I drew entirely myself. I’m not opposed to the, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach that a lot of tattooers have, but I just have this voice in my head telling me I could make this little change or that little tweak to an existing design to make it more original or interesting, and I’ve always kept that mentality throughout my career.
I also feel like once someone has done something long enough, you can tell that person drew it, you recognize their hand. I strive to find that skill and dial into it so my drawings and application can be recognized by other people and artists as mine.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
I don’t have a particular childhood memory that stands out above the rest.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @ponstattooing
