Meet Joshua Whitten | Tattoo Artist

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

Hi Joshua, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
When I first got into the tattoo industry. I let it completely consume me! I was getting to the studio early in the morning to make sure it was spotless before my mentor arrived. Then we’d stay there till 12-3am on a pretty regular bases. So my “work/life” scale was completely one sided during the early years. When I completed my apprenticeship I continued to work late hours because I was scared to death of failing. In my head the more I worked the more money id make the less likely it would be that I’d fail. Around a year in my wife and I were preparing for baby #1 our daughter Jocilyn! That brought on a different level of pressure. I continued to put a lot of hours in at the studio and rarely got to spend time with my wife(Hillary). After our daughter was born I tried to work on balancing work life with family life and it didn’t really work. At that point we were trying to make things work off of a single income so my wife could stay at home with Jocilyn. That’s something we’ve both always wanted. So needless to say I still spent majority of my time at the studio. It wasn’t till a couple years later when baby #2 our son Jonah arrived when I really checked myself. I decided at that point I was done missing out on all the “firsts”(steps,words,foods,fun things). I missed a lot of that with my daughter and it ate me up. So at that time I changed my schedule drastically. My life balance went from 90%work/10%family to 50%/50%. I made it a point to be done at the studio at a decent hour during the week so I could help tuck in the kids at night and made sure I was off on the weekends to spend as much time with my family as possible! Doing this I thought for sure I was going to see a drop in income but it actually ended up being the opposite! I limited my time which made it more valuable to my clients. That’s one thing I can say from the very beginning…I have ALWAYS had the best clients/support system! In my opinion it’s a God thing. There’s no other way to explain it! Fast forward 9 years business is still going strong and I haven’t missed a thing with my wife and kiddos! This is the short version of my “life balance” story. I know it sounds like everything went smoothly with the transition, please know it did not! I just got to the point that I was content with whatever the outcome may be from the sacrifices I made. Thank you -Joshua “J-Whitt” Whitten

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’ve been an “artist” for as long as I can remember. We had jack squat growing up but drawing supplies is one thing my parents didn’t let me go without! They were building my confidence in drawing from early on. I wasn’t good at much else. In high school I started dabbling in graffiti which led to a bit of trouble so that’s when I learned about canvas haha! At that point it was nonstop painting! I would take on commission work while in high school to make some money while not having to worry about getting in trouble by the cops anymore , it was a win-win. After I graduated I moved to Tyler, Tx to be closer to my girlfriend(now wife). After bouncing around working at a couple hotels I got introduced to Floyd Guinn, a tattoo artist that moved to Tyler a year earlier from Minnesota. A client of his from New Zealand who was staying at the hotel I worked at introduced us because he saw my drawings at the front desk when he checked in(crazy I know). A little while later I started my apprenticeship! It has been a crazy ride but I wouldn’t change a thing! Tattooing has taken me all over. The farthest I’ve gone so far is Melbourne, Australia. February 2022 makes 10 years that I’ve been in this amazing industry!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
K1 Speed for some cart racing, Topgolf, Mi Cocina and Sprinkles Cupcakes is all anyone needs to have a good time. So if we had a week. We would just do those things on repeat!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would say there’s no way I’d be where I’m at today if it was wasn’t for my amazing wife Hillary. She believed in me from day one. Through all of our ups and downs she constantly reminded me that we aren’t the ones in control!

Website: www.jwhitttattooer.com

Instagram: @jwhitttattooer

Facebook: facebook.com/joshuajwhittwhitten

Image Credits
Bryan Conway and Alyssa Mitchell