Meet Max Lilien | Tattoo Artist and Studio Owner

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

Hi Max, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Starting my own business has been something I’ve wanted to do from a young age and has become one of the most fulfilling things I’ve accomplished. After years of work in tech sales, I began to realize a corporate environment wasn’t conducive to my creativity or strengths. I enjoy being in control of the decisions and risks I take to grow my business and explore new ventures. The responsibility can be overwhelming at times, but it truly is such a fun adventure.

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.
I’m a fine-line tattoo artist who specializes in small, handpoked tattoos. I take pride in focusing on the customer experience and making everything as seamless and comfortable as possible from start to finish. When I opened my own studio, I knew I wanted to curate a space that was both beautiful and relaxing.

Getting to this point hasn’t been easy. Tattooing was always just hobby for me and never a career path until it suddenly was. At the beginning there was a lot of uncertainty to the sustainability of my business and I had to find unique ways to establish myself.

Adapting to a rapidly changing industry can be difficult if you aren’t sure how to navigate it. I think it’s important to connect with the tattoo community and learn from other artists with different perspectives and experiences and find what works best for you.

My favorite thing in the world is meeting new people with their own story, and my job allows me to do that! A big thank you to the thousands of people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting so far and can’t wait to meet the rest of you. You are the reason I do this.

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?
I’m a pretty simple man. I enjoy spending time with my friends doing just about anything. We like to try new restaurants, watch live music, spend the day at the beach, bowl, and close down our local wine bar – among many other things.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d love to shoutout Sterling who introduced me to handpoke tattoos, Ace – a tattoo artist I met at the Chicago airport who gave me the courage to follow tattooing as a profession, my artistic friends who inspire me with their creativity, and my parents for (reluctantly at first) supporting my career path.

Website: https://www.sticknpokemax.com

Instagram: @stixknpokemax