Meet Isaac Saavedra | Tattoo Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Isaac Saavedra and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Isaac, do you have some perspective or insight you can share with us on the question of when someone should give up versus when they should keep going?
Dreams don’t come with expiration dates. You have to keep trying and failing until you succeed. I’ve always been in love with art and enjoyed drawing and painting since I was a kid. I wanted to be engaged in making art as a profession and not just a hobby. Tattoos always fascinated me. Being a tattoo artist was a goal that I hesitated in pursuing, for many reasons. However, once I decided that I was going to give it a go whether or not I had an invitation, there was no looking back. Its the same with anything in life. Giving up can not be an option. Just recognize that you will have set backs. You have to dust yourself off and keep going, every time.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My design was chosen for my 5th grade year book cover. Maybe not my greatest achievement, but I got the art bug early. I took some art classes in college, dabbled in film, photography and drumming. I had an abstract painting period and a sculpting period. I’m a woodworker and technical designer by trade, which honed my eye for architectural design.
I got to where I’m at through perseverance. I had to deal with rejection from tattoo shops who couldn’t or wouldn’t take me on as an apprentice. I had to believe it to achieve it. I studied tattoo books and flash and got tattooed a lot. I even visited Japan and got tattooed by the legendary Horiyoshi III. Meeting your heroes makes it more real and that’s something you can do in the tattoo world that is really cool. Lessons I’ve learned is to always listen to your own intuition with design and be a little weird. Setting yourself apart is hard and the only way I’ve found that works is to be yourself because there’s no one like you.

I want the world to know that I come from a humble background. I grew up in the cornfields of Illinois. I was raised by a single mother, in a very religious, borderline cult household. That shaped my perspectives on issues of mind control and subordination. I rejected that path in the strongest way. So I think what drives my creativity is the desire to celebrate freedom. I believe that the act of making art is sometimes revolutionary. I love tattooing because it has a history of being a working class art form and is visual storytelling. I focus on traditional Americana tattoos. I am eternally grateful to every one of my clients who get tattooed by me and all my tattoo colleagues who have supported my journey. I currently work at Nowheresville Tattoo in Oakland California.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
First I would take my best friend to Grizzly Peak to look over the Bay from the east at sunset. We’d hit up Ghost Town Brewery and Shimizu for sushi on Piedmont. We would have a sandwich at The Lunchbox and a smoothie from Rush Bowls. We’d cross the Bay and visit Golden Gate Park, botanical gardens and the Japanese tea garden. I’d try to hit a show at The Fox or Paramount in Oakland, great places for art deco architecture. We’d go to Eli’s Mile High Club. After eating our way through Oakland, we’d head to the Bolinas beach or a hike at Point Reyes. Alamere Falls is a must see and a good hike. Next we’d go canoeing on the Russian River. Then we’d head South to get on a boat to watch whales in Monterey, or go kayaking with the otters at Elkhorn Slough.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
It is important for me to recognize my partner, Speth Szabo (@spethszabo), for being by my side and supporting me in so many ways to help make it possible to achieve my dream of tattooing. Before finding an apprenticeship, we were both committed to painting flash and building portfolios together. They started tattooing a couple of years before me. I apprenticed with Cho Banana (@chobananaclub) in San Francisco. Let me shout them out! Thanks for taking me in and giving me a place to practice and learn. I also want to shout out Joe Swanson (@paramitaspov) for giving me a lot of good advice, encouragement and teaching me how to spit shade.

Website: isaacsaavedra.com

Instagram: refusetattoos

Twitter: isaacsaavedra1