Hello Artem! Thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview. Please start by telling us something about yourself and your background. Do you have any formal art training? Hello! I'm just an artist. I don't have any formal art training. But I've been drawing as long as I can remember. I think all children like to draw, but at one point some stop. I didn't. In kindergarten I drew on album sheets, at school in notebooks and diaries, at university on study desks with a pen, not rude words but realistic pictures.

Q: What type of art outside tattooing you like the most?
A: It's mostly realistic style or something based on it. I am always shocked when I see a hypperrealistic painting. I really respect those artists, because it's a painstaking work. I know it, because I drew a big hypperrealistic piece with pencil and it took me five years. I was going crazy when I was working on it.
But at the same time I see this style a bit boring, so I like when it's combined with something else, some artist's style or his vision.

Q: Do you have any favorite artists?
A: I have so many that I follow, some of them are Billelis, Evgeny Zubkov, Filip Hodas, Scott Waddell, David Cheifetz, Aivazovsky and Da Vince, mostly not about his art, but about his personality. This are just a few I can remember at the moment, but there are many more.

Q: When you did your first tattoo? What was it? Who trusted you enough?
A: I did it when I was in university in 2015, I was 19. I started with graphic style, because my tattoo machine was too bad for shading and realism, as I thought. I like graphic style, but not so much as realistic, so I knew that I will develop myself in this style. I started to draw some designs, but I didn't like it enough, so I just posted on social media. Some people liked it and asked me to start doing tattoos.
The tattoo training was too expensive for me, but I was too lucky to find a great tattoo artist who showed and taught me all I need to start. We didn't know each other, but he did it for free and even gave me his old tattoo equipment, because he saw a potential in me. Can I leave his link? He is a really great artist and person. https://instagram.com/bezz_tattoo

My first tattoo was an owl. The design I stole from another artist (I'm sorry), I changed a little bit. It was sooo difficult, there were many obstacles, but the result was not so bad as it could have been in my opinion. You can find all my beginner works on my Instagram, I won't delete it. My first "victim" was a guy from my school. Classmates from university were next. In general, I didn't have any problems with finding customers in the beginning. A lot of people want a cheap or free tattoo :) Especially from a guy who can draw at least a bit.

Q: Talet is crucial but never enough, it really takes a lot of work, sleepless nights and never ending desire for growth in order to succeed as an artist. Especially nowadays with so much competition and high quality... it is not easy! Do you agree?
A: I don't believe in talent (in the traditional sense) at all. I think everyone can do everything. You need desire and a lot of time to spend on this. I was not born with the ability to draw, in my childhood I drew the same like one-year-olds, just they stopped, but I continued. So I had a lot of practice. Environment and upbringing (parents) can affect a person and his vision for something. For example, if your parents are singers, it means you will subconsciously match them, have a big environment of singers, have good teachers and so on. That's not only about your parents, the environment, influence what we don't notice. Maybe talent exists, but it's definitely not the most important. So it is just will and time!

Q: I like how you combine many images into one tattoo design. Really cool! Do you draw some sketches before the session or you use photoshop?
A: Thank you! I'm always doing my sketches in Photoshop during the session with my customers. Before the session, I only need to know the main idea to see if it is in my style. I book only ideas I like to do. I always collaborate with my clients. We discuss the design during the process.

Q: Many times people tattoo their loved ones or idols. So portrait tattoos can be very meaningful. Do you often hear your clients stories about their tattoos?
A: Unfortunately, not so many and not so interesting. There was a girl, I did her idol-musician's portrait on her. And he reposted the photo of the portrait on her profile. She was so happy.

Q: What are some of the best and most challenging aspects of this job?
A: I really enjoy my job. I like everything: doing tattoos, developing my work, to see happy customers (but usually their faces don't look happy after the amount of pain:), to travel on guests spots in different countries, except booking clients:( That's the only thing I don't like. I have a lot of requests and most of them I have to reject, because they want something different than what I do, for example. Some people don't understand that. This is difficult for me.

Q: Do you have any career goals?
A: Sure. I want to become the best tattoo artist in the world :) I understand that this is impossible, because there is no "the best" artist, this is subjective. But I think you need to set impossible goals for yourself in order to achieve the achievable.

Q: Are you available for bookings?
A: Yes, I am. I'm working in Kharkov, Ukraine.
You can book a session on my Instagram https://instagram.com/tema_arty in DM

Q: Any advice for the new artists?
A: Just believe in yourself, practice and do it not just to earn money.