Meet Justin Crawford | Tattoo artist

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

Hi Justin, why did you pursue a creative career?
As a child I was always drawn to art, and creating art, drawing on everything from paper , the walls, my school work and my skin. I realized at a early age all I wanted to do was create art , I fondly remember being in elementary school and drawing on my friends (hearts with mom in them, skulls and daggers etc) and charging 25 cents for these “tattoos”, little did I know at the time that I would eventually become a tattoo artist . Art always made me feel special , some people were born really good at sports, video games , school work and many other things , I was born with a love for art and all things artistic. Throughout my schooling I entered many art contests and won every contest I entered. Now as a adult I still love art as much if not more than I did as a child , I consider myself extremely fortunate to have a career doing what I love … making art!

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.
Getting where I am in my career was perhaps the hardest thing I have ever done , becoming so hard at times I didn’t know if I would be able to continue. But my passion for tattooing and art and my drive to learn to tattoo always kept me going , I think a common misconception is that tattooing is “easy” but when you have extremely high standards for yourself , it is impossible to ever reach “good enough”, but in this business I think that is what you need to succeed… a constant drive to improve and push yourself! I could not be where I am without all of the people who have been trusting enough to let me tattoo them ! I owe my clients the world , without them I couldn’t be doing what I love and supporting my family ! The number one thing I have learned throughout the many years I have been tattooing is INTEGRITY!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
First I would send them to Hard Knox tattoo to check out the art and atmosphere, I really enjoy the bike paths we have here in town , and campgrounds ( I love camping ) , Ariel foundation park is a wonderful place to take a walk enjoy the nature and do some fishing , I also really enjoy Mazza’s restaurant (italian food) and the Hunan garden (Chinese food) and you can’t miss out on Dirkos Stromboli!

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?
The first person I have to give all my credit to is my mom, when I had lost my way as a artist she purchased my first tattoo machine for me and I instantly fell in love with it ( I owe her everything for all she has sacrificed for me and done for me ), secondly I have to give credit to my tattoo mentor Tony Campise who gave me a chance to learn how to properly tattoo and gave me the opportunity to apprentice ( it was incredibly hard but definitely worth it ) and last but not least I have to mention my wonderful wife Gwen crawford who has always supported me and pushed me in my artistic endeavors, I have taught her everything I know about tattooing and now she in turn teaches me new things , her love and support keeps me going and pushing as hard as I possibly can!

Instagram: @justinkruegertattoos

Facebook: Justin Crawford

Image Credits
Nicole Leone Miller