Meet Derrick Teal of Volition Arts in North Fort Worth

Today we’d like to introduce you to Derrick Teal.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Derrick. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was born in San Diego & spent my childhood in the suburbs of Denver until moving to Grapevine, Texas at the start of 8th grade. I have been into Art for literally as long as I can remember, according to mom, it was clear from a very young age that it is a core part of who I am. Art contests held in malls and city art fairs were my idea of youth sports. I took private painting lessons in elementary school from a sweet old lady with next level painting skills. Once a week, we would sit at her kitchen table & paint for an hour or 2. In high school, I was blessed with an exceptional art teacher & graduated with honors in Art. Shortly thereafter, I began classes at The Art Institute of Dallas for Graphic Design. In my twenties, DJing in the Dallas Drum & Bass scene became another major passion. Designing rave/party flyers was a natural expression of both of my passions at the time. Those flyers coalesced into a portfolio that led to some of my first “real jobs”. In the years that followed, I had various gigs ranging from company logos to designing licensed band merch headwear carried in stores like Hot Topic.

I had no idea I would eventually become a tattoo artist. Honestly, I didn’t have any aspirations towards it & had never even given it much thought. To explain how I got here, I must take you back to a very dark period in my life, I call “the doldrums”. A victim mentality & lack of control over issues stemming from a tumultuous childhood sent my life into a self-fulfilling loop of negativity that eventually spiraled down into a darkness I wasn’t sure I’d escape from. I nuked a relationship I cared a great deal about. Hadn’t worked in close to 2 years & felt hopeless, worthless, & deeply depressed. I was living on the good graces of others & had not a penny to my name.

The only thing I had in abundance was spare time… I started looking for a way out by consuming a TON of books, articles, and documentaries on a range of subjects including psychology, self-improvement, wealth, philosophy, sacred geometry & the mysteries of ancient Egypt & the pyramids. Long story short, I ended up focusing the most on Sacred Geometry and what I’d later come to understand as The Kybalion (AKA The Seven Hermetic Principles). The more I read, the more I started to notice little instances in my day to day that lent credibility to the words I was reading. This led to some intense internal battles fought over coming to terms with hard truths as to how my life ended up the way it did, it was ALL my fault. The process was painful but also liberating. With this newfound worldview, I started to practice applying more of what I was learning, specifically the law of attraction/vibration (The 3rd Hermetic principle). I still remember lying in bed staring at my ceiling, contemplating my windless situation and putting it out there that I just needed a break, any break, SOMETHING.

The very next week I got a call from a high school friend of mine that I hadn’t seen in years, one that had since established himself as a professional tattoo artist. I went over to his house with no other intentions then to see a friend I hadn’t seen in a while. We were catching up over a beer in his garage & I told him about the rut I had been in. To which he nonchalantly said, “well, let me teach you how to tattoo”. I immediately replied yes, without even weighing what that meant. This was it; This was the break I asked for.

The Monday that followed marked the beginning of my journey into this wild and wonderful world of tattooing. I started my apprenticeship at Salty Dog Tattoo on West Berry Street under my very talented friend Lobsta. Not only was it the first day of my apprenticeship, but it was also the first time in my life I’d even stepped foot in a tattoo shop. I found myself surrounded by bonafide badasses that also happened to be badass artists. To say I was intimidated is an understatement… Doubt was the loudest voice in my mind & If I had anything else to fall back on, I probably would have tucked tail and ran. I didn’t, thus… I leaped. I decided to just go with it & see what happens. 2020 will be my 10th year of tattooing professionally. I’m still just going with it.

My study in Sacred Geometry & The Kybalion has progressed at the same clip as my tattooing, in my world, they go hand in hand. I can say with conviction that one introduced me to the other & they BOTH saved my life. Incorporating Symbolism from esoteric teachings into my art spawned naturally from my interest, It’s super cool mind-blowing stuff to me! These days, I feel truly blessed to have so many of my customers give me carte blanche in exploring my symbolism infused ideas on skin. I am sincerely grateful for all of you, thank you for your trust!!

May 1st, 2019, I opened my own private studio called “Volition Arts” with the help of great friend & fellow tattooer, Tim Mash. Volition means “The faculty or power of using one’s will” & the shop’s name has multiple planes of meaning. On one level, it’s analogous for tattoos in general, as one must use their will to endure the pain for the sake of acquiring the art. On another, it embodies the symbiosis between my two passions & how I manifested the shop’s very existence. Set your attention on your intention & manifest through gratitude & appreciation. Raise your vibration to change your station.

Everything I do now, I do with my 4-year-old son Atlas in mind. He kicks so much ass & is the light of my life! I work hard so that I may offer him the best opportunities that I can.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Not by a long shot! Tattooing itself is a difficult craft to learn & constantly challenging. The quest to master it is spoken in terms of lifetimes, not degrees. On the entrepreneur side of things…

Where Volition Arts is a success so far, my first attempt at owning a tattoo shop failed miserably….3 years ago, I gave my all towards the dream of opening A shop of my own. I spent a ton of time & effort learning, researching, developing a business plan, designing a brand, etc., etc. I found a promising location & jumped through a BUNCH of hoops with the property owner (who didn’t like tattoos) to secure a lease. The broker and I finally won him over & everything looked promising. The day before I was to be given keys to the property, I called the city to check the status of a necessary document. During this call, I was told that the location wasn’t properly zoned for my intended use and there was little I could do that wouldn’t take more time and money then I could afford. The zoning listed in the property’s paperwork did not match the cities and I was too green and zealous to double-check. A costly, painful & embarrassing rookie mistake…

The dream of owning my own place was SO close, only to be ripped away at the last second. It was meant to happen exactly the way it did though & proved to be a blessing in disguise in hindsight. I came out relatively unscathed & learned a great deal from the experience, much of which informed the basis for Volition Arts.

As the saying goes… A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Volition Arts – what should we know?
Volition Arts is a private, appointment only Tattoo & Art studio located in the Box Office Warehouse Suites; a unique business park built out of shipping containers in North Fort Worth. It’s home base for myself and fellow artist Tim Mash. We strive to create kick-ass custom-tailored tattoos that collectors will be stoked to wear for the rest of their years. An elevated tattoo experience in a more relaxed atmosphere sets us apart from the traditional street shop. Working by appointment only with no walk-in traffic makes it feel like the whole place revolves around you on the day you get tattooed… and in a way, it does.

I love my job!! I get to spend my days creating art on my terms for a living, ON the living, who pay me their hard-earned money in return. Respect & gratitude is the only logical way to treat these people in my opinion & I do my best to express it in how I work. From the way I interact with my clients, to the effort I put into the design and the care taken in its application. In my eyes, If you’re too cool to be cool to those that make your dreams possible, you’re not really that cool at all. I specialize in Geometric, Ornamental & Dot work tattoos, though I enjoy the challenges found in all styles. I don’t consider myself above any idea. If I can do it, I will.

Image Credit:
Aileen Wilson
Mario Terrana
Aimee Fossum

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