Bio

A man of many hobbies and an obsesser of art. A fanatic of sports and a creator of music. A procrastinator of life and an ill rhyme sayer.

I introduce myself as Deran.

I grew up in a small town in Michigan, with little to do. My step-father used to draw a lot and I quickly took it up as a hobby, spending countless hours drawing Star Wars characters and Voltron. In my teen years I was more interested in drawing people: musicians, pro athletes, etc. That was definitely going to be my calling in life.

But, in high school, I picked up my first guitar. My attention quickly turned to music. I obsessed over bands and musicians, from Pink Floyd, to Metallica, to Bob Dylan. I traveled from Michigan, to Indianapolis, and back to Michigan playing lead guitar in several different metal bands. It was there that, in my band KT, we played a show at a local tattoo shop. After the show, we were told the owner didn’t have the money to pay us, so he offered us free tattoos. I gladly accepted and got my first, a Detroit Tigers logo. I instantly wanted more, but figured at some point in life my love for drawing would lead me to being able to do tattoos myself. Add to that the fact that the shop was disgusting, I never went back for more.

It took a bad break-up with an girlfriend in ’07, after moving to Florida to continue my search for a career in music, to remember my obsession with art. I began drawing again. A lot. And also picked up photography. I was hooked all over again. And since music was getting me nowhere, it was time to pursue a career in tattoos. I bought a cheap kit online. I tried it out on myself and a couple friends. When I realized just how stupid that was, I looked to Danny Yoder of Atomic Tattoos in Lakeland for an apprenticeship, and a couple years later, here I am, in Greensboro, NC, doing what I love.

Being obsessed with realism and drawing people as I grew up, naturally that’s what I love tattooing. But as I gain experience, my style is constantly changing. I’m beginning to appreciate the traditional styles of tattooing, and designing bright, colorful tattoos.

To close, I hereby ban the word “tat”. I don’t tat people up. I do tattoos. That is all.