Today we’d like to introduce you to Matt Lawler.
Hi Matt, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in rural Iowa and moved to Minneapolis when I was 18 to pursue an art education. For as long as I can remember I have been drawing, but my technical interest in art making exploded when I was in art school and things kinda snowballed from there.. definitely not all sunshine and rainbows- I went years without making art. But at some point along the way a friend and I became interested in tattooing so we started getting tattooed at tattoo shops and also tattooing each other.. which was a really bad idea. But it started this whole thing so I’m grateful it happened. After 5-6 years tattooing myself, my friend, and brave members of my community- my friend and I started hitting a wall and realized we needed to learn from professionals, so we each set out to pursue apprenticeships. Each of us landed formal training at different professional shops. We still kept in touch and shared knowledge like we did when we were tattooing in living rooms. I completed my apprenticeship at Twilight Tattoo in Minneapolis and ended up working there for three years. Then in 2018 I started working at Rose Of No Man’s Land in Woodbury. Rose was the shop that had exactly what I needed coming out of a stunted beginning as a scratcher. That shop closed on December 30th 2024 and I transitioned to my current location- Lake Of Fire in Saint Paul.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No not a smooth road. Is it ever? Before tattooing, I did have some great opportunities in the art world and a really great community of people. But the reality of working as an artist is not what I thought it would be and the opportunities for artists were so cut throat. So I threw in the towel on that dream and just kinda worked meaningless jobs in dejection for years before starting to tattoo. We could do a whole other interview just about the non existent infrastructure in creative disciplines that leads to this melancholia that artists experience. But it might also be the reason great artists emerge and why so many people actually pursue art. So who knows
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I specialize in a variety of tattoo styles using traditional methods. So all my tattoos will have outlines and use black. I’m interested in western traditional styles. I’m most comfortable doing black and grey tattoos, but I wanna do it all. When I started tattooing, I realized my ability to draw is limited by tattooing and if I learn the technical aspects of applying a tattoo, maybe someday I’ll be able to tattoo like I draw. So at this point I’m just trying to merge the two- properly and at my own pace.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
My advice for people interested in tattooing is to not tattoo people if you’re not trained by a professional. Also! professional doesn’t necessarily mean “good” OR good mentor. If you can’t draw then you probably shouldn’t tattoo. If you’re serious you will be drawing every single day. And when you’re drawing till you feel like your back is about to break you should love everything about it cuz that is going to be your life. Go get tattooed A LOT! Just going in to shops to get tattooed over and over and over again will help you get in the mindset- you might learn some hard, life long lessons, but it’s all a part of the process. Give back to tattooing as much as you can.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @matt__lawler
