Hello Martin Sjöberg! Thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview. Please start by telling us something about yourself, how it all started? I have been tattooing for around 8-9 years, my first tattoo was a small dragon tribal on a friend of mine. When I started I did not have a mentor, therefore it was difficult to see my own progress and how to work with different techniques, shading and coloring. I got to test myself and my development went pretty slow in the beginning before I figured out how to do it. It was just practice.

Q: How long took you to gain confidence?
A: I would say it took 4-5 years before I felt that I managed all and felt that I got the results I expected and wanted. For me it was hard practicing and obviously the talent had something to do with it too.

Q: Do you have any formal art training?
A: I went to an art education in high school but I started drawing and sketching from an early age and always liked it. When I realized that I wanted to test on tattooing and had done it for a few months it was obvious to me that this was what I wanted to do in the future. It was very hard to learn how to do tattoos, there is so much more that you need to know than you think.

Q: How long can take to finish a back piece?
A: I finish a backpiece in 6-7 sessions usually, 5 hours per session.

Q: How long is the waiting time for appointment?
A: My waiting time is around 4 years at the moment, the bookings are via email.

Q: There's no "undo" or "edit" option when it comes to tattooing, everything has to be well placed and planned before the session. Have you ever thought like some tattoos could be done in a different way, when you look back at some of your old works? It's all about progress anyway...
A: My works reflect my development and how I worked back then. Of course I can look back at some tattoos and think that I could have done it in a different way instead but with the knowledge I had at the time when I did those tattoos, I am still happy with what I managed to achieve.

Q: Do you travel a lot for work like doing guest spots, visiting tattoo conventions etc? How important to gain foreign knowledge in order to grow as an artist? What is your experience?
A: I am quite comfortable with myself nowadays but I have been around doing guest spots in Sweden. I have mostly been to Sweden at conventions and a few abroad. It has been important for my development to get some environmental change now and then and I have found that it is precisely the conventions that have triggered my development, the goal is to win.

Q: What is your advice for those who are willing to start tattooing?
A: For those who want to start tattooing, my advice is always to go as an apprentice in a serious studio, because it is a very hard journey to do yourself without a mentor. I know that from my own experience.

Please write down your contact info and studio location.
Martinxsjoberg@hotmail.com Instagram@martinsjoooberg
Vectorious Art Sankt Olofsgatan 5 Falköping, Sweden