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

Hi Paul, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
In one word, Freedom… but, of course it’s not that simple. There are a lot of variables in play at this point in my art my career. When I think back to being a kid, I really don’t remember a day when I wasn’t drawing on something. I think I was born to do it. And I have always had a pretty clear understanding or acknowledgment of that destiny…I just did not know what form it would take. Today, with almost 20 years in the tattoo industry ( many years making art prior to tattooing ), and recently becoming a shop owner, my motivations for pursuing art look a bit different today than when I started. These days I’m officially “not young” at age 48, I’m a father and husband as well, and so life has changed since I was in my 20’s. As I have aged, I’ve had to take on those adult responsibilities that come with fun things like bills and debt to manage. However, I would still say my reason for making art is ultimately the same as when I started. Freedom. But the kind of freedom I seek has changed just a bit. When I began tattooing at age 28 I was still relatively young and full of that fire you have when you stumble upon an intense new form of self-expression. I would relate it to gigging in a band for the first time and playing public shows. Pure creative adrenaline. The freedom I was after when I decided to become an artist was the freedom from society’s conventions and rules, the freedom to throw myself fully into the creative abyss without reservation, the freedom to say what I thought, the freedom to be naive and explore ideas, and the freedom to be left the hell alone. It was a simple time, haha. While my art was admittedly bad when I first started learning to tattoo,I obsessively thought about tattooing at all times day and night. I practiced constantly and drew flash everyday even if I didn’t feel like it. I tried to stay focused on crushing every barrier that got in the way of me getting into the industry. My day job at that time was making acoustic guitars for a gentleman named Bill Collings. The time spent at Collings Guitars is still one of the highlights of my life. I learned many skills that helped me transition to tattooing while working on custom guitars for people like John Fogerty and Keith Richards. The extremely high level of craftsmanship and strong mindset I learned there is what I apply to every tattoo I do to this day. I truly believe the discipline and hand skillsI learned as a luthier were more important to my growth as a tattooer than any other single thing I’ve ever done, and I am so grateful for that. It was from there that I was able to transition from luthier work to tattooing. Many years have passed since then.. I’ve added many skills to my artistic talent stack. I make tattoo machines, and I produce a line of pigment based tattoo inks called Smith’s Parlor Secret. I still push to have a hand in my own future and cut my own path. With so many years invested in my craft, I would still like to achieve more widespread exposure and acceptance of my work and art. I think most people want good attention if they put in the good hard work. Pursuing art has given me amazing experiences with tons of great stories and memories to boot. Years of good times and laughter have been had. As well, it has been a saving grace for me in times of worry and trouble. My life, and art, are inseparable and indistinguishable from one another. I only hope that when I die, people think I did something admirable. 

What should our readers know about your business?
I am part owner of Red Stag Tattoo in South Austin, Texas. I own the shop with my longtime friend and fellow tattooer Caleb Morford. We opened Red Stag about 3 years ago in beautiful South Austin, Texas. Our shop is based on Traditional tattoo shops of the old days. Tons of hand painted flash on the walls, bull-pen style stations with wide-open rooms. You can experience my love of taxidermy on the walls of Red Stag as well. Our artists are top-class, and our shop takes pride in having only the best… Our current line-up is: Caleb Moreford @calebmorfordtattoos Bobby Padron @bobbypadrontattoo Stacey Martin @staceymartintattoos Paul Smith @tattoosbypaul …we also have a list of amazing guest artists that come through the shop. One of the biggest challenges to running a shop in Austin is the fierce competition. Per-capita, Austin has more shops than anywhere in the world. So there are literally shops everywhere, many of them with well known tattooers on staff. Building a great crew is one of the most challenging aspects of building a top class shop. In fact, our shop is currently looking to take on a couple more qualified artists, but as any shop owner knows, it can be a bit of a waiting game. We are very lucky to have a really great chemistry with our current crew, so care must be taken anytime you add to the equation. Our chemistry is one reason why our customers have such great experiences! We believe that our combination of high skill level and the fact that all of our artists are genuine and nice people gives us an advantage. Our return customers prove it, and we are always told by new customers just how great of a time they had coming to see us. Many of those people are now longtime friends. We pride ourselves on creating a safe environment for anyone who wants to get a tattoo without the big egos and attitudes found at many shops. We have love for all folks!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Well, considering the pandemic, my list probably looks different than it might otherwise…but here we go: – McKinney Falls. If the weather permits, spending time at this cool swimming hole is great fun. Huge natural rock formations and flowing pools of water. Swimming at the lower falls, and fishing and cooking out along the upper falls. – Lone Star Gun Range in Lockhart,Texas. It’s a great little outdoor range about 20-30 minutes outside of Austin. – One of the best things about going to the range is that you can stop at famous Black’s BBQ while you’re out in Lockhart and eat some of the best BBQ you’ve ever had. * Runner-Up- Valentina’s BBQ just south of Austin in the town of Manchaca, Texas. – Campbell’s Hole/Barton Springs/Lady Bird Lake, Ziller Park…If you like getting wet and getting out into nature this is the place for you. – The Far Out and The Little Darlin’ . Two fantastic south Austin bars with large outdoor areas. Live music. The Far Out has food carts of various kinds, and the Little Darlin’ has a really good menu for their kitchen. – Quack’s South. This coffee shop/bakery is a long time Austin institution and a good place to grab breakfast and a great cup of coffee. In the evenings they even have live entertainment and serve beer on the outside patio. I remember going to a Quacks when I moved to Austin in 1991, so cool to still see them around so many years later! – The Liberty Bar and the White Horse are two bars over on the East side of Austin’s downtown area. The Liberty is a great place to grab a micro-brew and sit on the back patio and enjoy socializing with friends. The White Horse is a honky-tonk. Grab your best partner and scoot a boot to local country/rockabilly/and tejano bands. – Enchanted Rock – this is a pretty good drive from Austin, but is a must see if your able. Enchanted Rock is a pink granite mountain reaching an elevation of 1,825ft above sea level and it sits 425ft above the surrounding terrain. Once you hike to the top, you get an incredible 360 degree view of the landscape. It’s awesome. They have hiking, camping, and tons of wildlife in this area. That’s it. If you come see me we will be getting outdoors a lot, and topping it off with good food and drink.!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My shoutout has to go to my family, who’s support has kept me going through the most uncertain of times. My beautiful wife Eliza and my amazing daughter Ivy, I love you. I also could not go without a shoutout to my Mom, who’s love and support made me who I am today. I love you too. I want to also include all of the customers who have made their way under my needles and played such an important part of my development as a tattoo artist. I truly couldn’t do it without you, and you are very much appreciated. Much love to ya.

Website: www.tattoosbypaul.com
Instagram: @tattoosbypaul @milsurprifles
Facebook: Tattoosbypaul
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzjGYrbdqSw1ue66P2o_2Uw
Other: https://youtu.be/UkmGJOpVGVU

Image Credits
Photos by Stan Jones and Caleb Morford

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