Today we’d like to introduce you to Brooks Jarrett.
Hi Brooks, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Art has always been at the forefront of my life. I remember doodling in the margins of schoolwork as early as the 1st grade, often to the dismay of my teachers. My interest in drawing only got stronger as I got older, and schoolwork doodles turned into full-fledged comic book stories on the back of syllabuses and reading assignments. When it came time to choose a path after high school I wanted to study film, specifically the realm of visual effects. I’m a Star Wars baby! I ended up at USC film school and leaned heavily into studying cel animation. I was fortunate enough (or unfortunate enough, depending on your perspective) to be in the last class to use cels and 16mm cameras to accomplish animation, the switch to 3d was in full swing and the animation department was fully digital the year after I graduated.
After college I began my career in film and television production and managed to find work in animation, sometimes even able to use the 2d techniques I loved. For 5 years I worked at an FX house and various film productions, and while the work itself was a lot of fun, I found myself frustrated with the lack of long-term stability in the animation industry. Your job was often over once the the project was wrapped and it was back to the hunt. I pivoted to storyboarding and concept art and continue to do it in some capacity to this day.
In 2006 I moved to Portland, Oregon. Not for a job, but merely because I loved it and could see myself being comfortable here. At that point I didn’t really care whether or not my film career would survive the relocation, quality of life had taken priority at that point and I would have been happy doing whatever. It was a gamble and fortunately it paid off, I was indeed able to continue storyboarding and drawing for production remotely. I took on a job at Radio Cab to supplement my production income. I truly loved Portland and thought driving a cab would be a great way to learn about the city and the amazing people in it. I did that for about 6 years while growing my production art portfolio.
The idea of tattooing was planted when I began to hang around some tattoo artists, I would see them drawing some of most beautiful and creative designs as part of their job and I’m like “Wow that seems really fun. I wish I could do that” and part of me was like “You can. Do it doofus”. And to be clear I had always loved tattoos, the idea of them, the art, the process, the history. But for some reason I had never imagined a career doing them, maybe because I didn’t think I fit the mold of what I thought a tattoo artist was “supposed” to be. I was ignorant to the craft. There was also a good amount of fear and trepidation on my part, fear of not fitting in, fear of making a mistake that is permanently on someone’s skin, fear of causing pain, fear of bloodborne pathogens! A whole grab bag of anxiety stood in my way. But the more I thought about it the more those anxieties seemed like a test. Other people surely had them and navigated them, they didn’t let it dictate their actions. So I made what was to be the best decision of my life, I decided to learn the craft of tattooing, at the relatively later age of 39 no less.
Everything changed. I changed. For the first time I felt truly challenged. I felt truly afraid as well. The hypothetical anxieties around the craft were real. The stakes were just what I imagined, high and permanent. The craft was unforgivingly difficult. I felt like a little kid learning to draw all over. Art was supposed to be easy, and all of a sudden it wasn’t. And mistakes were made. Oh were mistakes made. And yes, they were what I feared, daunting and permanent. Sometimes soul-crushing. But I became better. The insurmountable challenges became navigable. To say it was humbling is an understatement. It fundamentally changed who I was. And I really liked the person I turned into. I was somehow more comfortable in my own skin, in my own head. I was still me, just more so. A better version of myself. And in the process I found my people, wanderers who felt the same way I did. There’s something so special about the craft and the transformation that takes place. It feels like magic.
Last year I was given the tremendous opportunity to take ownership of a tattoo studio in downtown Portland, Snowwolf Ink. The opportunity to not just tattoo but actually run a shop of my own. Again, fear and trepidation reared their heads. Protecting my peace has been a priority as I get older and the idea of running a shop was potentially antithetical to that priority. The thought of it shook me to the core. I had about three days to make a decision, to do it or not. If I did it I had less than a month and a half to get the operation up and running with a full crew and everything that entails. I almost passed on it, then I realized that if I let this opportunity go it would never come again. So we did it. The same old fears remained, fear of failure, fear of mistakes, fear of the unknown. Had I listened to those fears ten years ago I would have missed out on the most rewarding chapter of my life. And just like the decision to learn the craft, the decision to run the shop has been exhilarating. Its literally a dream come true and I am forever grateful to everyone and everything that got me here.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Absolutely not. The entire journey has been something of a struggle. The biggest hurdle hasn’t been the difficulty of tattooing itself, which is INSANELY challenging, but the idea of fear. There are so many aspects of the craft that are nerve-wracking. They were daunting during my first tattoo and they still are ten years later. I get anxiety before every tattoo to this day. The difference is how to use it. Anxiety isn’t something to listen to and it isn’t something to ignore either. It’s just there, and it is keeping you in the moment. It is there to make sure every step is followed and every precaution heeded. Getting complacent is how mistakes are made.
There is also the fear of making mistakes. As tattooers we strive hard to minimize our mistakes and if we make them we certainly don’t say “oops” while we are tattooing. But they can and will happen. That’s how we learn. So while I still am wary of making mistakes I have no delusions that they won’t happen. It’s part of the growth process.
Just like anything else, tattooing and running a shop has good days and bad days. It’s life. But the good days are really really good.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I really enjoy blackwork tattoos, I like the stark contrast between the black ink and skin. I haven’t gotten tired of it yet which is something, because I seem to fluctuate between interests on a weekly basis haha. I also really enjoy vibrant, highly-saturated color tattoos. I think both these things stem from my love of comic books from the 80s and 90s, specifically John Byrne-era XMen comics. They usually featured strong blackwork in the inking and strong color saturation. What I am most proud of is when a client is ecstatic about their new tattoo and immediately books another one. That feeling is something I will never forget, the idea that I have given this person something special they will wear forever and they want more of them.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Personally as I get older the idea of inner peace is pretty important. There are so many virtues that are critical to life and living with others, none of which are more important than another. But if one doesn’t have a sense of peace and serenity to exist within those virtues then they can’t be appreciated. So protecting that peace is very important to me. And it isn’t easy, in fact some days it seems an impossible task. That makes those moments of calm and clarity so special when they do happen.
Also providing a safe space for others to feel a sense of peace and calm is very important to me as a shop owner. The feeling I try to foster at the shop is one of serenity and safety, both for the artists and the clients who visit us. Tattooing can be a painful, anxiety-filled experience for clients so the more I can make someone feel as comfortable as possible the better. It makes a difference.
Pricing:
- $150 an hour
- Custom by-the-piece pricing available
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.snowwolfink.com
- Instagram: @snowwolfinktattoostudio, @soggysockstattoos
- Facebook: Snowwolf Ink Tattoo Studio
Image Credits
Photography by Kevin Harr
