The Skin Design Journey

The Golden State Tattoo Expo last week with the team left me with a lot of emotions.

Seeing my team show up everyday, the way they challenge themselves, the way they never stop improving in their work—seeing the way the tattoo community showed up to support them even when they didn’t get that same recognition from the judges—it blew me away.

I’ve never felt more inspired to push myself for the Skin Design family. Seeing their hunger, their drive, only makes me want to go that much harder.

I ended up getting called to the Vegas shop for a quick stop. It felt like I was practically in and out, jumping from one plane to another. As much as I’d love to have stayed longer, there just isn’t enough time in a day.

I always end up leaving the studio wishing there was more of me, wishing so many of my team weren’t so far away—but opportunities like this, the chance to connect with my guys, are so rewarding.

Linh, Amanda, and Reena all flew in from NY to fill in guest spots, too—they all had clients of their own lined up.

It’s been so fulfilling, having the chance to meet up with the Vegas fam again. Especially after the expo, I have this reignited sense of urgency. This urge to show up for the team that’s stood behind the Skin Design name.

Facing Fear and Finding Purpose

I couldn’t be more proud of the team we have now.

So many people have left when things get hard.

And how can I blame them? Every single person who’s been a part of Skin Design has been, and will always be, like family to me. I want what’s best for the people I love. I want everyone to find their own way, create a legacy for themselves, for their own families.

Maybe this year is God’s shifting people to where they need to be. This is the year where it’s almost like Spring Cleaning—not just for us, but for them as well. This year is about letting them find their own destiny.

My horoscope says next year is going to be really tough for me. It feels like everything that’s happened lately has been building up to this.

Looking back, I think I could have seen it all coming if I’d paid more attention to the signs.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that most of the people who’ve left SDT have all shared patterns in common. The people who left were meant to leave. That’s just the universe doing its thing.

I think about how this has played out in my life, how our Honolulu shop is flourishing—and how the Hawaiian zodiac aligns with my own sign.

Even the ones that are still here now, the ones I feel closest to, are the best match with my own sign according to our horoscope. They’re the best match with the company. The stars are aligning.

My life path 33 has kept me on track despite everything—kept me safe in my enemy states, has given me the ability to lead and uplift people when I’m around them. It’s all a part of a greater plan.

It’s all connected. God has His hand in everything; I’ve just got to listen to what He’s trying to tell me and roll with the challenges thrown my way.

Even when it means losing some of the people I considered closest to me.

Reflecting on the Journey

I know that every single person who’s been a part of SDT has contributed to where we are today. To the success of the SDT empire. An empire that’s helped shape so many careers, that’s transformed the lives of so many artists.

I will always root for my friends, my family—whether they’re a part of Skin Design or not. Wherever life takes them.

But a lot of times, people are scared by the changes in the company, or by the shifts in an evolving industry. This fear can lead to impulsive decisions, to making choices that don’t necessarily line up with their long-term goals.

The Future of Tattooing: Adapting to Change

Every four years there’s a major upheaval. I’ve been in this industry for over three decades; I’ve seen it all before. I’m seasoned—I expect it:

The oversaturation of the market. The rise of global competition. The heightened influence and power of big money investors. The changes in the economy driving out artists, driving many of them into private studios.

It can be scary—especially for newer, younger artists. Artists who aren’t veterans in the industry. Artists who are still trying to figure out how to chart the path of their careers.

Talent isn’t enough anymore. There’s got to be grit, endurance, and foresight. You’ve got to be able to plan for the future. But that’s hard when the industry feels so unpredictable. So unforgiving.

A lot of talented, hungry artists have ended up leaving Skin Design along the way.

When someone leaves, it breaks my heart but I remember how they’ve helped me get to where I am. My instinct reaction is to support them, to ask myself, ‘How can I help them more?’

A lot of times, they end up realizing the opportunities aren’t always better elsewhere, that other studios don’t always have their best interests in mind. That other shops don’t always have the longevity it takes to navigate the changes happening in the industry.

But those are the chances you take when you go out on your own.

But the artists who’ve stayed, who’ve weathered the storms with us—they light a fire in me. They motivate me to keep pushing, to prove myself to the people who didn’t believe in me, and to show my gratitude to those who did.

They represent the values of Skin Design: Trust, respect, and loyalty. They represent everything we stand for. Everything we work so hard to protect.

I owe it to them, to their families, to make sure they have a future with us where all of their loyalty is rewarded.

Weathering the Storm

When the tide is high, when the ship is sailing with confidence and the waters are smooth, everyone wants onboard. Everyone is eager to jump on, to go where the sailing is good. You’ll have a full crew, everyone working toward a shared goal, a shared destination.

But the moment the storm hits, the moment the waters are rough, people start to panic. It’s a reflection of people’s character.

The more the boat rocks, the more people jump off, abandon ship. When the ship is sinking, not many people stay back to help bail out the water. It’s about saving yourselves first—forget about the ship that once carried you.

I know how this goes. I’ve seen it all before. Storms are as much a part of life as the summer calm. It’s just a part of the cycle of things.

I’ll never beg someone to stay. I’ll just work ten times harder to keep us afloat, to make sure our ship remains resilient—to lead by example.

Rising Above Challenges and Embracing Change

Sometimes, things have to get worse before they can get better.

But I’m embracing this stage of my life, the changes in the industry, and every loss SDT takes.

As an entrepreneur, that’s just what you have to do. Sink or swim.

In the same way I welcome the shifting demands of the industry—the popularization of numbing cream in tattoo sessions, anesthesia tattoos, the rise of tattoo schools—I know that I have to adapt or get left behind.

The direction of my career is changing, molding to meet the needs of the clients I serve.

If you don’t like the direction things are moving, do it better yourself. That’s why I’m leaning so heavily into mentoring upcoming artists, passing the knowledge I’ve learned along the way to the next generation. That’s why I’m working on my own tattoo academy. Why I’m sharing my story, to help people overcome their own hardships along the way.

It’s the same reason Skin Design was the first to offer financing for tattoos—something that saved us during this challenging economy and has now gained a lot of traction in the industry.

Leaning into these changes makes what we do more accessible to our clients, and it makes our industry more powerful.

I’ll always keep looking for new ways to innovate the industry, to break boundaries that make it more sustainable.

Even if everything collapsed around me, if it was reduced to just me and my oldest daughters - Reena and Reesa - elbow to elbow in a single, tiny studio, I’d rebuild. I’d raise my anchor and sail again.

Because that’s who I am. That’s the mindset it’s taken to get me where I am, to create the Skin Design Tattoos brand from nothing but motivation, commitment, and a dream.

I’d do it all over again, piece by piece, studio by studio, because it’s about more than just me. It’s about the clients I help through the sharing of stories and self-expression.

And it’s about the team I uplift along the way. Every person who’s been a part of Skin Design has become better than when they first came—whether they’re here for a moment or here for the long haul. That’s been such a blessing for me to see.

It’s my purpose. My calling is a lifepath 33.

God didn’t give me another chance at life, didn’t free me from the man I was before, to keep my blessings to myself.

I’m not afraid of where the journey will take us.

I trust my team, the ones who’ve had my back the whole way. I trust God’s plan, that He has a hand in writing our individual stories. I trust in the strength of our industry, our ability to adapt and grow into something even greater.

And I trust myself. I’m built for this. I trust in my drive to do right by the team, by my family.

I won’t stop until I’ve made every member of Skin Design proud—proud of themselves, of the legacy they’re a part of. Of the community we’ve built together. Of the stigmas we’ve overcome.

We’ve got this. Rising tides raise all ships. I’m ready to captain my ship through anything, through whatever life throws at us.

I’ve seen it all before—endured worse. And when the cycle starts over, when it’s time to rebuild when the rain subsides, I’ll never forget the team that stuck with me through it all.

This one’s for you guys.