JONEL ROMERO JAVINAL

that I’m able to create positive experiences for people with them trusting me enough to have my art live with them forever is humbling.

Who is the one artist that has had the greatest impact on you? The artist that I would love to shout out and have great respect for would be my good friend and mentor, Dannie Baisa of Reddirt Tat2. He is an amazing Polynesian/ Japanese style artist who took me to his shop and fine-tuned my skills as a young artist. We worked together for many years, and I can’t express my gratitude enough. Thank you, brother, for everything. Love you, man.

What is the most important advice you can give someone new to the art of tattooing?

To an aspiring artist, my advice would be that consistency and persistence is key. Stay committed and focus all of your heart, soul, and energy on the craft. Create a specialty, master it, and continue learning every day, and the work will speak for itself. Never settle for great, and always strive for the best. ✕

12 Years Tattooing Independent Artist San Diego, CA Location Geometric/Floral/ Japanese/ Polynesian Tribal Specialization oneofftattoosd @gmail.com @jonelrjavinal Instagram

I am an artist, most know for my tattoo work. I co-own Tattoo Boogaloo with Chris Henry (my husband) and Mez Love (who taught me how to tattoo). We moved out to San Francisco from Colorado with big dreams back in 2010. I am happy to report that we are still going strong, and our little family has grown with other tattoo artists. I get to work with the best damn folks around! ⸺ Who or where do you get your inspiration from? Everywhere! Lately, I’ve been really interested in storytellers of all kinds and what drives them to tell their stories ⸺ What would you say is your favorite part of the job? Honestly, getting to draw pictures for a living while hanging out with your best friends is pretty hard to beat... but on a more serious note, I wouldn’t be able to do what I do without the support of my clients. I think that getting to hear their stories and being given the trust to design them something that they will carry with them through their life is really something special ⸺ What kind of tattoo projects have you been doing? Well, last year, I embarked on a storytelling tattoo project. Instead of a client coming to me with an idea of what they want, I do a long consultation where I get to know them. I learn about the things they enjoy in life, the obstacles they’ve overcome, their worries, accomplishments, families, and anything they are willing to share with me. From that conversation, I design a tattoo for them. The ultimate goal is to present either a book or a gallery show when all of the pieces are done, and I complete their accompanying photoshoots ⸺ How was that storytelling process for you? Amazing! It’s actually still in progress, as not all of the pieces or photoshoots are complete, but I decided not to take any more on for the time being. The project was both one of the most fulfilling and one of the most emotionally exhausting projects I’ve ever done. Everyone’s personality and story were wildly different. Some of the topics are incredibly heavy, and I was absolutely honored that people were willing to share so much of themselves with me ⸺ What do you do outside of tattooing? I made a short stop-motion film called “Call it what you will” with my buddy Joey Henry. It got into a few film festivals, which has further sparked my interest in film. I want to keep going down that rabbit hole and exploring screenwriting and how films are made. I also love doing home remodeling and art collaborations with my friends. ✕