Meet Roman Toporov | Professional Tattoo Artist

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

Hi Roman, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I think it was more about becoming mentally prepared for this step. There were multiple factors that I took into consideration, such as: big enough clientele to sustain business on my own, strong presence on some social media platforms, and probably an understanding that I am experienced enough to deliver a quality work for my clients. Obviously that didn’t happen overnight, and took maybe a couple of years working for tattoo shops as an employee rather than an independent artist. Another big reason or thought was the idea of being in charge of my own time. The ability of deciding how many projects to accept, when is the right time to take a break or a day off to avoid being burned out definitely played a big role in making a decision of becoming an independent artist.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I definitely enjoy the diversity of themes and styles that I get from most of my clients’ requests. That keeps my job more exciting and challenging, and makes me stay on my toes all the time. I think the key to being steady and successful is consistency and self discipline. The will to always be better than you were yesterday is also an important motivator to continue striving. If you’re in the beginning of your career path it is important to be patient and to continue putting out the work, and learn about the craft you do along the way as much as you can.

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?

Drive to Santa Monica, rent out bicycles near the pier and take the beach bike trail down to Venice. From there ride to Abbot Kinney grab some food at a local cafe with a local craft beer, maybe do some light shopping there.

If it’s summer time, and I don’t feel like driving too far, one of my favorite beaches to visit is Will Roger’s State beach.

If I’m showing around the city I would definitely take a friend to check out local museums as they have some amazing collections of art. The Broad, LACMA, MOCA, and The Getty Museum are some of my favorite ones.

An absolute ‘must try’ is Mexican cuisine in LA, there are some many authentic places out here. I would definitely take my friend to K-Town to try out Korean bbq.

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?
First off all shoutout to my amazing Wife Sona! She is my greatest supporter, inspiration and motivator.

Some of the books that helped me during difficult times are:

’12 Rules of Life’ by Jordan Peterson,
‘The Obstacle Is the Way’ by Ryan Holiday,
Meditations of Marcus Aurelius.

Website: https://byromantoporov.com

Instagram: romantattooing

Facebook: Roman Toporov