Why Become A Tattoo Artist in Brooklyn, New York?

Have you considered changing careers and becoming a tattoo artist in New York? Of course, you have! That’s why you’re here.

Let’s talk a little bit about why that is such a good idea.

BROOKLYN

Yes, we’ve all heard about the days of Soho and the artist lofts and times when NYC was so much rougher around the edges. Well, guess what? All the artists have moved to Brooklyn!

Manhattan pricing is insane. We hope one day that you can afford $5000/month for a one-bedroom as a successful tattoo artist, yet why start there when there is so much inspiration in Brooklyn!

One fun tattoo fact, did you know that in 1891, New York City tattooer Samuel O’Reilly patented the first electric tattoo machine, a modification of Thomas Edison‘s electric pen? Yep, so you could almost say that modern tattooing was invented in New York!

While most tourists immediately fall in love with NYC, tattoo artists know to hope the L train to Bushwick, Williamsburg, and East Williamsburg. These areas have become the hub of art in New York. Of all New York’s boroughs, Brooklyn took over the title of “Center of Arts & Culture,” once Soho, the East Village, and Alphabet City got too expensive for any up-and-coming artists to live there. Now we can totally fight about the existence of East Williamsburg vs Bushwick, yet we’ll save that for another day. Either way, that’s where Body Art & Soul Tattoos is located, and there’s good reason for it.

Often viewed in the past as Manhattan’s younger, less accomplished sibling, the truth is that those who actually live in Brooklyn are probably never leaving. There has been a significant influx of creative people moving to Brooklyn over recent years because this is where art lives in the five boroughs.

Street Art in Brooklyn

Did someone in your in life mention the street art they saw when visting? Well the they we were most definitely speaking about Bushwick. Bushwick, a neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York, is one of NYC’s most colorful and street art-filled areas. Strolling through Bushwick, you’ll notice its changing. The wholesalers and auto body shops that once dominated this working-class neighborhood are now home to zero waste stores, craft beer bars, tapas restaurants, and street art! 

pics…..

Since 2011, the Bushwick Collective, an organization of graffiti artists in Brooklyn, has turned this neighborhood into the mecca of street art. The Bushwick Collective was founded by Joe Ficalora, who was born in Bushwick and wanted to transform the home of his childhood into the home of a street art gallery. 

The Bushwick Street Art Collective works with local artists, business owners, and the community to find locations for street art. They also throw a party every summer, the Bushwick Open Studios, which is like a massive block party that includes free entry to artists’ studios throughout the neighborhood. 

Restaurants

Being a foodie is a real thing, and East Williamsburg and Bushwick are now full of delicious, well-known restaurants, including Rebel Cafe & Garden known for its tacos and awesome patio. It also happens to be right across the street!  

Some of our other favorites include Sea Wolf known for its amazing seafood, Roberta’s (right down the block from Body Art & Soul Tattoos) known for its pizza, Dock Asian Eatery, known for its Thai fusion.

Music in Brooklyn

As far as music venues go, Brooklyn is the best! Forget Madison Square Garden and head to Brooklyn Steel and Friends and Lovers if you want to see the artists that will one day pack MSG. Wild Birds is a little bit further from the shop than we’d like, yet Elsewhere is right down the street! Check out this list from Bklyn Designs for a good round-up, including Baby’s All Right, which we’re pretty sure our founder spent every weekend in when it first opened. 

Everyone from Jay-Z and Biggie Smalls to Pat Benatar and Niel Diamond are from Brooklyn, so why can’t you do in tattooing, what they did in music!

Body Art & Soul Tattoos has been in Brooklyn for a long time, and we love it. We were in Bushwick before it became East Williamsburg. Are we dating ourselves? That’s probably a good thing right! We’ve been training and employing tattoo artists since some of you were in preschool. 

If you really want to make a great living as an artist, then it’s time to get that tattoo apprenticeship through our tattoo school and join our artists all around the country who get to move between our shops, or move to cool new places like Los Angeles and Brooklyn!