CODY RYAN PAPPAS Artist

I knew I wanted to make a career out of tattooing after the first time I picked up a tattoo machine. I’ve been an artist from a young age and always knew I wanted tattoos. I just never connected the dots until a close friend pushed me to get an apprenticeship. After that first tattoo, I never looked back; I knew this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life ⸺ What would you say is your favorite part of the job? My favorite part about tattooing is that I get to create art on people for a living. It’s so rewarding to see how my art can have such a positive effect on someone’s life, whether it’s giving them more confidence in themself or helping them remember a loved one/a time in their life. There are so many reasons why people get tattoos, and I really enjoy helping them take that vision and turn it into a walking piece of art ⸺ Was it hard getting an apprenticeship? How was yours? Getting an apprenticeship wasn’t too hard, and in comparison to some of the nightmare apprenticeships I’ve heard about, I don’t think it was too bad. I was one of the first apprentices to be taught by my mentor, so there were some growing pains for both ends. But my mentor and I became very close friends, and I had a lot of good people around at that shop, so it really was a positive experience ⸺ Are there any tattoos you would refuse to do? (face, private areas, etc.) Yes, I turn down projects all the time, whether it’s something I’m uncomfortable with or just something I’m not interested in at the moment in time. I try to be picky with what I accept to tattoo. I feel it’s important to turn down projects if I’m not fully committed to or interested in them. I can tell the difference in my work when I’m not, and it’s not fair to the client ⸺ What do you think is in store for the future of tattooing? I think tattooing is only going to keep growing. In the 9 years I’ve been in the industry; it’s already evolved so much. I feel like technology is only getting better, and artists are continuously pushing the limits of what people thought was possible to put on the skin. So I really think anything is possible for the future of tattooing as long as people keep outdoing what was done yesterday. ✕