Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniel Bryant.
Hi Daniel, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My name is Daniel Bryant. I am 47 years old. And I am the owner of Someplace Else Tattoos. My shop has been in business for 16 years. I have been tattooing for 25 years. I have always loved art, and when I was little, my brother and I would build tattoo machines out of things lying around the house. He was the first person in my family that begin tattooing. His name is Myles Bryant. We grew up in a small town in Louisiana. I can remember watching him tattoo, and I loved being at the shop and being around all the people there. Back in those days, as a young man, you wanted to be a rockstar, and who did rockstars look up to? It was the tattoo man. I can remember getting my start at a shop called All Points One. From there, I went to Young Guns and then All Points Two. Back in the early 2000s, tattooing was different. It was a community, not an Industry. It was very hard to get in and even harder to succeed. I decided to open my own shop after I decided that it was now or never to make my dream happen. I could see that the business around Dallas and Fort Worth was growing quickly and that if I did not move quickly, the opportunity to own my own business was going to pass me by. I opened my location back in 2009 with 2000 and a hope and a prayer. I had my brother and many friends believe in me and contribute to my success, which is why I have what I have today. I honestly have never forgotten all the doors and things that my brother opened and taught me. He is the main reason I am able to live and support my family in the manner that I do. I have never gotten to tell him how much he means to me and all the things that he has done for me in my life, so I would like to take this opportunity to tell him, Thank you publicly, and that I love him very much. He taught me what it was like to be able to live the way that you want to live and how to survive by working with your own two hands. Love you very much, Myles. You are an amazing tattoo artist and brother, and I love you very much. There have been many people come and gone from the shop over the years. In 2011, I had a young man by the name of Caleb Cannon, who stopped by the shop for a school project, and he began just hanging around, and then he was busted doing illegal graffiti, so that is when I looked at his art and decided that he needed to learn to tattoo so that he could learn a legal way to make money doing art. Caleb was and is the most dedicated and phenomenal artist that I have ever seen at his age. It didn’t matter what I through at him, he stepped up and met the challenge and exceeded any and every goal that I ever had for him. He has been tattooing for 14 years and is the only person that I have ever apprenticed who completed the apprenticeship and has gone above and beyond. He has many murals around the DFW, and recently, he has come back to the shop, and we are now business partners in the shop. The shop has given me so much in my life. In 2016, I met my wife through a friend at the shop. I began teaching her to pierce, and now here we are, 9 years later, traveling the United States. making money, providing for our family, and meeting people. I think that is the most amazing part of being a tattoo artist and business owner: you get to meet people from all walks of life, and they trust you enough to be part of the most intimate parts of their lives. Birth, Death, Marriage, break-ups, graduations, birthdays, favorite things, travels. I was able to meet and hang out with Lyle Tuttle one weekend in New Orleans at a tattoo convention, and he told me tattoos are like stickers on your luggage through life. I have enjoyed working with everyone in every tattoo shop that I have ever worked in. The way that my shop got its name is through everyone hanging out and people coming in and asking the price of a tattoo, and not liking the price, and they would say Well, I will just go Somepalce Else. So that is how the name was born. I will tattoo till I cannot tattoo anymore. I eat, sleep, and breathe tattooing. There are not many things that you can take to the grave with you, but you can take your tattoos. I thank anyone who has ever worked with me or has let me tattoo them. I am forever grateful to the clients who want to walk around daily with my art on their bodies, and to my fellow artists and friends through the years, thank you for the memories and experiences and knowledge I am forever grateful.
Alright, 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?
The road by no means was smooth. I can remember splitting a bologna sandwich with my brother with nothing in the shop except for a couple of folding chairs and tables, and a yellow couch. Not knowing if we were even going to be able to pay the rent. There have been many ups and downs. Things get going good, and then everyone starts to wild out, becomes their own worst enemy. It is very easy to get caught up in the party lifestyle and lose sight of the initial goal. I am very guilty of it myself. People also learn and grow, and nothing stays the same forever. You have to learn in this business that we are all gypsies and do not conform to societal norms; therefore, there is a lot of moving around that happens and shop hopping. There is a tattoo artist out there for everyone, and not everyone will gel together, and sometimes it takes a while for everyone to find the place and the shop they belong in. The biggest thing that happens as well is that once you get so far in your career, you want to become your own boss and make 100% of your own money. We are all private contractors, and no one owns or has to answer to anyone else. The best shops that I have seen succeed are the shops where everyone enjoys being around each other and helping each other grow.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Someplace Else Tattoos?
I started Someplace Else back in 2009 til current it is a Tattoo Shop on the west side of Dallas, Texas. South of 183 on Highway 10. We have two artists, Daniel Bryant and Caleb Cannon, and a Body Piercer, Tianna DeCamp. We are open 6 days a week from 2 pm to 12 am. We do all styles of tattoos and can help you create any tattoo or piercing idea and bring them to life.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
My favorite childhood memory is when we would run around the woods and play all day. We were taught to work with our hands and always be kind and love our family and help our neighbors. My mom’s food.
Pricing:
- 100 shop minium
- 150 per hour
- 50 piercings
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/setattoos?igsh=dzZnYmVra3B5YXpl&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/SomeplaceElseTattoos
Image Credits
Todd Maxey Photography
