Meet Rob Vintage | Tattoo artist and painter

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

Hi Rob, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I chose to pursue an artistic career after trying to start a life post military service. I consistently found that the various jobs I worked were not a good fit for me. I’ve always been a creative but it took a serendipitous opportunity for me to jump into the art world and make it a career. It was the most natural thing I could have done. I started my journey 7 years ago and I haven’t looked back.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I want to start off with saying that I’m excited about this whole thing; my art journey so far and its future trajectory. I would say that what helps my art stand apart is how there’s meaning behind every painting and tattoo. There’s even recurring themes of healing and breaking free. I liken my art to works of alchemy transmuting emotional energy into art for people to experience and enjoy. I’m extremely proud of myself for how far I’ve come and I’m proud of the people I’ve surrounded with. I pour my all into what I do and this journey’s taken me for a wild ride. I started out tattooing 7 years ago looking for more financial stability as supplemental income. It was a side hustle for the first couple years and I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it as a full timer. Eventually I had to make a decision that would forever impact my future as a tattooer, and that was the decision to quit my day job. I did it almost on a whim. I had just started working in the accounting department of a modeling agency and I didn’t have any PTO for vacation yet, but I still booked a trip out of state to take on more clients, and before I realized that time had run out for me to call out some days in advance, I quit on the spot not knowing what else to do. But I’m glad I made that decision because it’s been a blessing to have become a full time artist. There have been slow seasons, and tumultuous times but I stuck it out and persevered. I can’t imagine what my life would have turned out like if I hadn’t made that decision, and I’m proud to have taken the risk. I’m also proud of the people I’ve since come to surround myself with, my team, my mentor, they’ve guided me through thick and thin and helped me find my purpose in life and art and I’m forever grateful to them. It certainly wasn’t easy and I want the world to know that there are still tattooers who care about the integrity of their work and that dreams do come true but there’s challenges and the challenges are worth it.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If I had a friend come over from out of state I’d take them out to explore the city. I mean there’s more to here than shopping, and trust me we will be shopping haha. I like exploring the art scene, so we’d be making stops at local art galleries and exhibits like artechouse and visit graffiti spots around the city. If the weather is good, we’d be happily walking aimlessly through the city streets just enjoying our conversations and the city’s energy and atmosphere. On another day I’ll book a reservation to Sugarfish for the best sushi in town. Then we can grab some art supplies and paint at my house, I don’t always get visitors so it would be nice to host and make their time worthwhile. Come the weekend, I’ll take them to either Duffs bar to have some drinks and maybe catch some bands play at Saint Vitus bar. And finally well stop by Skinny’s Cantina on the Hudson for brunch.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There’s a lot of people who’ve helped me along the way and one person who’s stood out the most to me is my manager and fellow tattoo artist, Art by Jar. Thank you for all you’ve done and thank you so much for your patience and belief in me. You’ve guided and mentored me through some tough times and I couldn’t be more grateful for you.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rob.vintage?igsh=M2Y0bW90cmw4eDI2&utm_source=qr

Image Credits
Rob Vintage