Hi Adam Potts! So tell us, what’s your short story?I do tattoos at Acme Ink in Louisville, KY. I do them as clean and nice as I can and I do them very fast. I also paint a little.
How long, and with whom, did you apprentice before coming into your own?
I apprenticed under Tattoo Charlie Wheeler for around fourteen months before I started tattooing for money in November of 2001. I don’t feel like I came into my own until a year or two ago, but that’s not to say I’m finished learning or moving forward. That’s one of the things I love about my job, there’s is ALWAYS more to learn and room to improve. If I ever feel like I can’t learn anymore I’m going to quit.
What was it like apprenticing under 30 year veteran “Tattoo Charlie Wheeler”?
Charlie was a real character. I was always a little intimidated by him. When I first started tattooing friends during my apprenticeship and he was watching over my shoulder I would sweat a ton. I would literally have to change shirts afterward. It got so bad he made me go to a doctor to make sure nothing was wrong with me. There wasn’t I was just very nervous. My fear was actually pretty unfounded though, I think he had mellowed out a lot as he got older. He never once hit me with his “apprentice stick”, which was a two fought long double ended black dildo. When it comes down to it, though, I couldn’t be more grateful to him for giving me a chance and I wish I had told him that before he passed.
