Life & Work with Nicholas Mejia

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicholas Mejia.

Hi Nicholas, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I grew up in Englewood, CO, and went to high school in Littleton. I grew up playing basketball all the time, drawing here and there, but never thought I would be a full-time artist. Out of high school, I went to Metro thinking I wanted to go into the Education system.

After a few months, I realized that I wanted to pursue something different, something that would allow me to work creatively. I worked many jobs up until then including being a manager in retail, cooking in a restaurant, and washing residential windows. Through all of these previous jobs, I feel like I was able to gain lots of skills that I can utilize with running a private tattoo studio.

After getting my first few tattoos I fell in love with the process. I think it is such a fine art when done correctly. The way they sit on the skin and move with the body can just be a beautiful piece of art for you to carry with you forever. I had talked with other artists on how to get into the industry. I was able to land an apprenticeship after a while at a shop in Littleton. I worked there for about a year trying to absorb as much as I could.

Of course, it is unpaid and as an apprentice you are responsible for mostly cleaning, answering phones, and grabbing lunches. Between all the side work though, I was able to observe other artists and fully be immersed in the environment. I picked up a lot of techniques that other artists used and was trying to learn as much as possible.

After a year there I decided to go on my own and work to become a full-time artist. It’s been 2/3 years since I’ve been on my own and I have been very blessed to have so many people who support my art. I have been able to grow and meet so many people with this job. I am grateful every day that this is what I’m doing now.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Of course, the road is never smooth for anyone, although I have been blessed with a lot of support. My family has always been supportive, both my parents and younger sister come in for tattoos. Lots of friends came in when I had first started, and were always spreading word about the tattoos.

It can always be a tough job when you are self-employed and the paychecks are not always guaranteed. But I try not to focus too much on the money at the moment, and more so on the people. Being able to work with people on designs, payment, and scheduling has allowed me to keep a lot of returning clients. I have a lot of clients with whom we have developed a friendship rather than just another business transaction.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Since I had started tattooing I always tried to be flexible and try to do multiple styles. I don’t have one specific style I do, but I do enjoy using the finer lines and smaller needles. I think it can give certain pieces a lighter and cleaner look than a thicker line would. I love doing detailed pieces, recently I have been drawing more faces, learning the shapes and shadows of faces from different angles.

I am always trying to look closely at different styles and understand what makes them that way. Japanese art tends to be heavy with detail and smaller lines, with lots of symbolism, and storytelling. Whereas American tradition has much heavier and simpler lines and shapes.

What makes you happy?
I am very happy to be able to work creatively. Tattooing has allowed me to work with others and create something beautiful. It is a good feeling when both the artist and client are on the same page and as an artist, you are able to put someone’s ideas into an image and give it to them to keep forever.

Contact Info:

• Website: 9livescustomtattoo.com
• Instagram: @9_livestattoo