Eliana BasalduaProfessor Wolfe

November 6,2008Photo Interview

“My name is Carlos. I live my life leading towards my future. You may not agree to what I am about but if you get to know me you will understand me and appreciate what I do. I am not just a tattoo artist with a crazy life style. I am like everyone else with a twist. I live for the future not the past. I don’t sweat the things I can’t change. What is done is done. I love my life and I’ve agreed to share it.”

“I love tattooing its my passion. A tattoo is not just for look or to prove something. Most of my clients come in for personal reasons. Most of the tattoo I do for people, have to do with them going through hard times and pain. People get tattoos to remember a love one. It’s a way to express who they are and what they are about. It’s a shame how people do not take people with tattoos seriously. More people have to understand them and see what they have to say.” The guy getting the tattoo lost his girlfriend to an accident. All he has of her is a baby and memories. He wants the next girl he is with to know his heart will always belong to her.

“My life is super busy. I can not tattoo people without an appointment. I tattoo celebrities and really big tattoos that takes hours and sometimes days to complete. I spend my entire say in the shop. I could be in there as early as 6am to 2 am. I hardly get to do other things.” Here is his calendar as we start the month we see his schedule and days are filling up really quickly.

“My life is not easy and I need to relax. People say drugs are not the way to go but that is what keeps me alive. It is also peer pressure. I smoke marijuana and I drink. This is my sanity. I love looking at my pictures to remind me of why I live. I work better after I smoke. I always have to keep in touch with my other buddies that tattoo as well. I do that through out MySpace and that’s where I get my convention shows.”

This is Carlos’s family. “My family is the best thing in my life. I have a beautiful supporting wife. She has given me two beautiful girls. This is what I live for. I never tattoo on weekends. Weekends are strictly for my girls. Things get tough, life isn't easy. My kids get sick a lot but that’s all part of being a parent. Both my wife and I work all day and we try spending as much time as we can with each other. If that means having dinner at the shop, then that’s what it is. It has already becomed a ritual to us now. I'm tattooing and eating dinner with my girls.” It sounds like work and family are both important. Its an easy way for him to make money to put food on the table for the girls.

His two daughters are important an require a lot of attention. They are very active and want to play all the time. “My daughters are the most important part of my life. Every night I have to make sure their homework is done, they have showered, brushed their teeth and had changed into their pjs. They fight a lot and as long as its not a boy they are fighting for I’m happy. I always have to stop them from fighting.”

“I enjoy showing off my daughter. She is the best piano player. She as so much talent and dedication. My wife and I never pushed her to play the piano. My wife likes he r being a model. She's been in Barbie commercials and done prints as a baby. She loves to be in the spot light. She is my pride and joy. I am not saying she's the best because she is my daughter, I say this because she’s a bright kid.”He shows to be a really devoted dad. He is involved in every activity their daughters play a role in. His little daughter does ballet on weekends and he takes her and waits for her.

“My social life is my enjoyment. I have no complaints. I have two kids and I could go out and have a good time. My wife and I go out a lot and my daughters come along as well. We have co-workers that have children that hang out with my kids. Most of my friends share the passion of working and loving our families”. I find it awesomely amazing how he has no complaints in life and he sees life with so much positivism.

“For fun I have picked up a new hobby that’s is playing my guitar. It is so cool. The problem is that in the apartment I live in, they don’t allow noise so I don’t get to play it as loud and long as I would like to. I’m 32 years old so playing this makes me feel young again. I feel free and restless.” It was true once he started playing we had the manger knocking on his door saying the neighbors are complaining.

“Lastly and not least, I cant forget my roots. My father past away about 10 years ago. All I have left is my mother and brother. I keep a really close bond with them. My brother works with me sometime at the shop. The difference is that he pierces instead of tattooing. He likes to give people more pain. My family is really important . My mom has been a great detail to my life and a great help. She helps me with my girls when my wife and I are at work. She is raising my daughters really well”.

This experience was the most rewarding to me I saw a friend in a whole different perspective. He showed me how people get judged all the time and he made me realize he is not really that different from anyone else.

In fact I found him to be “Superman”. He does it all and he is really responsible.