Meet Ari Starks | Owner & Tattoo Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ari Starks and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ari, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Taking risk is second nature to me. I think everyday you wake up and decide to be an active participant in your life, you’re taking a risk. Being so risk forward is what actually got me the opportunity to tattoo and what launched my career. Normally, in most “risk” you loose more by not trying then trying in the first place.

What should our readers know about your business?
What sets ADIC apart is the fact that we are not just a tattoo shop but we are a collective. Our collective allows artist to operate independently as their own brands, which is something that is important to our culture. This allows the artist to be an artist. A lot of times artist join shops and have to mend their personal brand with the shops. That’s not the case with us. We support all of our artist without requiring them to mold to our branding.

ADIC is for artist by artist. We are black-woman owned and strive to be trailblazers in paving the way for more black and brown tattoo artist to make an imprint on the industry as we know it today.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My favorite spots in the city really depends on my mood.

I’ll give you my all time favorites though.

The stockyards is so nostalgic for me even though it’s in Fort Worth.

Double D’s is a vibe and so is deep ellum but if you know, you know. It is not the safest.

The farmers market and the Dallas museum of art are always favorites of mine.

Oni ramen and Zalat for good quick eats.

Then to finish the night, insomnia cookies will always be that girl.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have had many amazing mentors along my journey so far, but two I will take the time to highlight. First, is Andrew or @el.don.pirata on Instagram. He open the door to tattooing and took a chance on me when I was 17 and just some girl off the street who wanted to tattoo. He met me at a very tough time in my life and not only coached me professionally but was someone I could call on personally. Without him, there would have been an “Ari Starks the Tattoo Artist”

Secondly, Doll aka @dollshouseofink was a major stepping stone in my career, as it was my first professional role as a tattoo artist and first professional shop. Doll really is an amazing artist and has a beautiful vision for women of color’s growth in the industry. Working under Doll was truly a one of a kind experience and an opportunity I hope many can experience and benefit from like I did.

Website: Adistinctiveinkcollective.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/adistinctiveink

Other: Tattoo inquiry form https://form.jotform.com/232215889549166 Booking https://adistinctiveinkcollective.booksy.com/