Life & Work with Ali Echeverria of Downtown Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ali Echeverria.

Hi Ali, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I started tattooing at 15 years old in Medellin Colombia. At the time, I had few tattoos already but I knew I wanted to be covered in them. However, I was poor and couldn’t afford them. I found out my cousin had a tattoo machine and I let him tattoo me. They were really ugly and blown out. I figured I could do it better so I started tattooing myself. I started practicing by tattooing myself everyday for weeks in a row.
I then moved onto tattooing my friends but it was never something I considered as a serious career path since I was pretty caught up in partying and getting into trouble with the law as a teenager.
It wasn’t until I was 21 and had hit rock bottom, that I turned to tattooing as my saving grace. I had $70 in my bank account but I needed to get away from it all. My big brother bought me a ticket and I moved into my great grandmas small house just outside of Miami and started working at a shop in South Beach.
Ever since then, I have worked every single day to progress in my art and in my tattooing career. Me and my cousin @alias.zala.tattoo now own our tattoo studio called Broken Hearts (insta: @brokenheartstattoola)

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I specialize in color tattoos. I enjoy doing cartoon characters the most. I use very bright, vivid, almost neon color pallets. I also do black and grey chrome tattoos of cartoons.

What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Having the humility to learn is key to growth. As an artist, when you start getting recognition, it’s easy to let your head get big. In order for our creativity to keep expanding, we must be open to new information and perspectives. Other humans have a lot to teach you. Thinking your shit doesn’t smell just as bad as theirs, is the fastest way to kill an artist’s ambition.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://brokenheartstattoo.com
• Instagram: @flydiablo (personal) @brokenheartstattoola (studio)