Today we’d like to introduce you to Jose Arriaga.
Hi Jose, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
since I was young, tattooing fascinated me. I loved to draw, and that passion naturally pushed me to try tattooing at an early age, practicing on friends who trusted me. As time went on, I found myself getting busier and busier with it. I had just graduated high school, and like a lot of young kids, I was involved in things that could’ve easily landed me in serious trouble if I didn’t change direction. When I found out I was about to become a father, everything shifted. I needed a real way to make money, but because of my legal status in the U.S., good job opportunities were limited, and school wasn’t an option financially. I had to survive, and the situations I was putting myself in weren’t always safe. That’s when I decided to pick up a tattoo machine and take tattooing seriously.
As more people started seeing my work, word spread fast. I got busier, and I made the decision to leave everything else behind and give tattooing 100%. I committed to doing it the right way—through a proper apprenticeship-and I spent years working in shops all across Fort Worth, learning from some of the best artists in the area. I made friendships, absorbed everything I could, and focused on leveling up my skills.
All that work eventually paid off. I was offered the opportunity I’d been chasing: a position at Renaissance Tattoo in downtown Fort Worth— one of the top shops in the DFW area. I’m proud to be there now, while also working at a shop in my hometown of Cleburne, where I get to tattoo many of the clients who supported me back when I was working from home.
Tattooing saved my life in a lot of ways. It gave me a career, a purpose, and a way to support my family and a path to be able to stay and work in this country legally all thanks to my career path And every day, I’m grateful to be able to do something that I love so much everyday.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It’s been a long road when you apprentice you don’t get paid working long days and long nights for up to 1to 2 years and after you apprenticeship is over you learn really quick that you need to start building clientele to survive clients don’t just fall into your lap you have to go out and get them market yourself promote yourself everything solely depends on you to make money. social media is very important and if you don’t put your all into promoting yourself you’ll definitely won’t make it out here because tattooing has grown so much and there’s so many good artists out there now and a lot that get missed because they aren’t promoting themselves like they should be. there were plenty of days where I would have no money waiting at a shop all day for clients to come in hoping I’d catch a walk in so that I’d at least have a little gas money to make it home sometime being so broke I’d have to look for change in my truck just to get something to eat out of the vending machine definitely some hard winters. finding a steady shop To work is a must that wasn’t full of drama and crazy things always happening I got to witness a lot of crazy things happen but I wouldn’t change a thing I’m definitely grateful I’m out of those situations but glad I went through those times to learn what I had to that got me to where I’m at now in my career
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a tattoo artist in the dfw and I specialize in Neo traditional tattoos which consists of big bold colors & elaborate concepts ,big works of art that are made to fit your body just right and concepts that are eye catching and attractive a lot of attention. I’m known for my attention to detail and bold color work and being anble to turn clients ideas into original works of art . I’m most proud of the dedication and time I take to draw and prepare each piece for every individual client working along side them to come up with something they are proud to wear. What sets me apart from others is how serious I take my craft the amount of hours I put into the drawing the piece and the tattoo itself and the work speaks for itself
What were you like growing up?
I was a really shy kid growing up coming to the us when I was 5 I had to learn English I remember coming to San Antonio where we lived at the time and one of our neighbors was a kid and he was the one who sparked my interest in art I would sit there for hours watching him draw and would eventually start learning along the way little tips he’d teach me and even started learning English and from drawing and trying to understand everything that I was being taught it was definitely one of the coolest memories I had from being a kid
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Arriaga_Artworks
- Other: TikTok Arriaga_Artworks
