Meet George Gorgonio of Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to George Gorgonio

Hi George, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’t was a bit of a rocky start around when i was 18-24 years old. I grew up really poor with no real direction or guidance, growing up the way i did it was a lot of trying to figure where i was heading in life and who i really wanted to be. It was always important for me to prove to myself that I didn’t have to become a product of my environment as easy as that would have been to fall into at the time. I was a high school drop out jumping from one temporary job to another to make ends meet. After a few years of that an opportunity to get into tattooing presented itself and i took it on in full force, of course there was always doubts whether this was going to pay off in the end but i had always had the passion and love for art and being creative in any way I could, it just felt right nonetheless truly was a test as those first couple years were some of the hardest of my life trying to support myself financially and do an apprenticeship there were a lot of lows during that period but looking back now it was by far the most impactful and in my opinion most amazing decision I’ve made and of course i’m forever grateful for those who supported and offered me a chance to build myself into something i more than grateful to the people who started me off my first shop was at Tattoo Mania on sunset boulevard working under Rocco and all the guys there i soaked everything up and did the hard work stayed the extra hours as tough as it was i would never change a thing, it taught me so many important lessons that carry me through the years even to this day.
I moved onto a new shop shortly after Clandestine Rabbit in tarzana working under greg and all the guys there at the time, this is where my career really started to get a foothold and i was able to really explore my creativity in tattooing and really dare to push the boundaries in my own way with my work. I did a lot experimenting those first few years and i held nothing back i got as wild and unorthodox as the client or friends would let me, there was an urge to really express a lot emotion in my work and i think people had noticed the raw nature of my style which turned out to have really caught on. I do a lot of blackwork and brushstroke type work nowadays i never know what to categorize it as. But tattooing has put me in a truly fortunate position in life, if i asked my younger self where I thought this would have taken me i would never have imagined the scope of what it turned out to be with all the amazing people i have met and the ability to completely work in my own styles with so much trust from my clientele i truly am grateful.

Overall the tireless nights of studying on my own and working truly was worth it. Now i run a private studio in the San Fernando valley and i won’t lie i still have that worth ethic it really had stuck with me all these years and it’s a never ending exploration of art, tattoos, painting and more recently photography but in general just pursuing all the amazing things i love and i’m so happy i get to show these things to my 7 year old son as he continues to grow up.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Not in the beginning it was a pretty rough path. I would say the biggest struggle during my career was not giving up it really took a lot of self discipline there were moments where my only form of transportation was the bus and I would wake up at 5 am to ride from one end of the valley to work my welding job and right after i got off i’d go straight to the other side of the valley to my apprenticeship and work til about 10pm if i was lucky, on top of that my living situation at the time was sleeping on couches and sometimes at the tattoo shop if i was completely exhausted.

Now I’ve built an amazing space for myself and things run really smoothly with my work and i have a lot more time to spend with loved ones and work on personal projects that really feed the soul.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I made it pretty important to be able to learn most styles of tattooing starting out especially. My work is constantly evolving even to this day it really is mostly influenced by my emotions and what’s really calling to me in the moment but lately i have been heavily focused on blackout work and my own variation of an ornamental Japanese style i always have my own unique ways of doing these projects and it’s become a signature for me, that’s mainly what I’m known for but I’m always pushing my own boundaries and trying new things which is what really makes my work unique in the tattoo world

I’m most proud of my work ethic not because i feel like i need to get better but just for the love of learning something new and exploring it really brings out a fire of excitement it might be a little hard to explain.

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
The best advice i could give to someone starting out in tattooing would be trust in your gut and have no fear with your work don’t be afraid to go outside of the box, as weird as it may seem it’s what makes you unique and if it truly resonates with you it will be noticed and there will be people who appreciate it. There’s so many tattooers out there nowadays that can have so much influence on what you do, just focus on what really calls to you.

Pricing:

• Full day 6 hours 1800$

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Gorgoniotattoos.com
• Instagram: @Fd.blk

Image Credits
Joey magallanes