Conversations with Tim ( Nobe) Salazar

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tim ( Nobe) Salazar.

Hi Tim ( Nobe), can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My story starts about 18 years ago this month. (May).
I had to wait till I was of legal age of 18 to get my tattoo apprenticeship in Colorado Springs. I have always been an artist. I’ve been drawing and painting ever sense I was a kid. So I knew I wanted to work with art someway or another.
So I just jumped into this tattoo world. Only having one tattoo myself. Working at a hotel currently to pay for the apprenticeship, not knowing much about tattooing in general but I was just excited to improve my art and make art on people that they can wear forever.
I worked as an apprentice for two years, while attending high school senior year and community college at the same time, I was working on getting a degree in graphic design. Just incase tattooinig didn’t work out. Because for me it was not an easy thing to get the hang of. Learning under a tough and stern mentor, while having anxiety I didn’t know about then. That kept me from picking up things eaisly, also I was not being confident in my art at times with my anxiety. Somethingi struggle with to this day. He did instill on me how to run a clean shop. Keep things organized and clean and ran correctly. So I kept that as part of my fundamentals to this day.
Learning everything, I felt I needed to start venturing on down this tattoo road myself.
I quit the shop and went to art school to complete my degree in graphic design.
For 3 years I attended The Art Institute of Denver colorado, and graduated with an associate degree in sciences of Graphic Arts.
I tattooed here and there thoughout school. But it was not my main focus.
After I graduated I found small tattoo shops to work in while living in a smaller mountain town. I did freelace graphic design work to fill in for empty days of not tattooing or selling any painting and drawings.
Going to school actually helped the tattooing part of my art skill. By allowing me to really understand photoshop and to be able to make designs much easier and faster.
Moving back to colorado Spings, I felt my art was improved enough to work at a credible shop. So after getting into some I eneded up bouncing around a few local shop, picking up things I liked and things I didn’t, seeing how others ran business. Knowing I want to open my own studio one day.
Working at all the different studios for all of my career really helped to see that I can do the same thing. And it’s a doable thing.

So getting my confidence to go out on my own was the biggest thing to get over with my anxiety. Having built up a good client base that keeps me booked at least a month out..I felt.good that I would be busy enough to cover the bills and feed myself. After leaning all that I can to rent a office space essentially to work out of and jumping though the health department hoops. I was able to finally open my own private tattoo studio, Nobe Studios. Pronounced like Kobe. Just with an “n” . I like to think its short for “No Better” its my artist name. I use it when I write graffiti. Dont tell the cops. Haha.
I wanted a place where I can paint and make great custom tattoos.
So I have been in business for about two years. Its just me and it’s going awesome.!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Not completely smooth road. Winter months are harder being by myself now. Its a slower part of the season. So that’s when the anxiety sits in.
Being a business owner comes with new responsibilities. I face each one with an open mind and one step at a time.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I like to do color tattoos, black and grey stuff is really fun too. I usually do larger works. Sleeves and back pieces. But im finding smaller tattoos are a bit easier on my back as I get I older.

I rather do weird and not your average art for tattoos. I like surrealism pieces. I make a lot of weird surrealism art.

I also paint acrylics. I love to do surreal nature stuff. I’m working on getting enough pieces together to put on an exhibition of my work.

I paint a lot of abstract birds I have a small gallery of them for sale in my studio.
I think my approach to custom tattoos sets me apart from others artists. With all my schooling under my belt. I can really get creative with ideas people have with their tattoos.

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I like to think of myself as a risk taker. I like to gamble. Iv taken many risks. Some have worked and others have not, but if I didn’t take the risk to become my own boss I would know the true happiness I can give myself.
It’s not for everyone. But if something tells you to go for it. You should! definitely just jump on it. I like to flow with life. It presents countless opportunities. So we just have to take the risk and give it a shot. You either find out it was worth it. Or you learned how not to approach something. Either way you learn, if you allow yourself to veiw it that way. If you take risks, I feel you should have patience too.

Pricing:

• ●Tattoo Hourly rate is $120
• ● Shop minimum is $100
• ● Deposits. $60-200
• ● Paintings: $100-1000

Contact Info:

• Website: https://nobestudios.com/
• Instagram: @Nobestudios
• Youtube: Nobestudios