Today we’d like to introduce you to Jio Morfin.
Jio, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
It all started my senior year of high school when my ex-girlfriend broke up with me before prom and instead of spending money I had saved up for her prom ticket, I bought My first tattoo machine. After I graduated I didn’t Start tattooing full time right away, I had made a handful of tattoos and worked for Walmart pushing shopping carts slaving away you know how first jobs go. I later quit Walmart and got a warehouse job where I realized these 9-5s weren’t for me.
In January 2016, I quit the warehouse, dove right in and never looked back. Everything from then on out was tattooing. With my last paycheck, I upgraded All my tattoo supplies and started hanging out with one of my closest friend Luis Inda. Inda was also the friend who introduced me into tattooing when we were in high school. At 17 1/2 years old, Inda used to tattoo me in his living room and that is where I took Interest in the craft itself. Something about it drew my attention. I later started hanging out at Killer Tattoos in Montclair, CA where Inda worked. They gave me the opportunity to hang out and watch over them as I tattooed out of my house. Being in the environment motivated me to want to really pursue this craft as a career especially being around very talented artists. Killer (the owner of the shop) gave me the opportunity to get my tattooing license and changed my life. Later I got Hired at my first shop called Tattoo Central in Ontario, CA. Tattoo Central was a cool punk rock traditional tattoo shop and was a huge stepping stone for my artwork. James Holmes (one of the shop owners) offered me to work at the shops regrand opening on a Friday the 13th flash day. I worked as hard as I could. From 10am to almost 11pm with only one or two breaks just to show them I really wanted it. At the end of that day, they offered me a spot at their shop.
Several months later the shop closed down and we all went our separate ways. Killer then gave me a spot to tattoo for a month until one of his employees came back after that I made My way back to being a kitchen magician. I really started to find my style of tattooing once I learned enough about the basics of the craft itself at those shops and went back to tattooing at my house. I did that for a few months and was also in a band for a bit there just living it up at 19 years old making poor choices. You know the good old days haha right before I turned 20 in May 2017 I got hired at my current shop Envision Tattoo by the tat god himself Jacob Doney. Jacob hired me knowing I had only been tattooing for a year and a half but still had faith in me enough to give me the position. This changed the whole ball game for me as a tattooer. I started to notice another side of tattooing, thanks to Jacob, a more professional family-friendly side to tattooing. Being around someone as proactive as Jacob motivated me want to push harder, a lot harder… I’ve been at Envision tattoo for almost two years now and I’m happy to call them family. Tattooing has given me everything I could ever ask for. Tattooing gave me a purpose.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I wish things went smoothly haha Learning the craft itself was the hardest part. I never got an apprenticeship, so I learned The hard way and fucked a lot of people up along the way. (Thank you guys I’ll never forget y’all) I was also going through personal conflicts with partying and other things that got in the way of learning.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Envision tattoo – what should we know?
Envision tattoo is my second home. Working here along side some very talented artist helped me grow a lot as an artist and I’m forever grateful for them! I’ve gotten many opportunities working here that helped me get to where I am today and stay motivated to strive for more. Everyone at the shop is super friendly, likes to kick back and just do art. I couldn’t ask for a better group of people to call family.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Luis Inda – Inda is one of my closest friends who also introduced me to tattooing.
Jose “Killer” – Killer is the shop owner of Killer Tattoos in Montclair ca and also the person who signed off for me to receive my tattoo license.
James Holmes – James gave me my first job at Tattoo Central and also gave me a pretty sweet chest piece.
Jensen Hucle – Jensen took me under his wing at Tattoo central and showed me the ropes of tattooing and tattoo history.
Javi Blends – Javi is my barber and close friend who gave me a piece of advice that I’ll never forget. “You don’t know if you don’t try,” Javi told me this after he told my current shop was hiring.
Jacob Doney – Jacob hired me at my current shop and opened a lot of doors for me in my career!
Jose, Jennifer, Leonor Lopez, and Leticia Morfin – my family has always been my #1 supporters from the start. They gave me motivation and skin to practice on when I needed it most. I love And thank you guys forever.
Contact Info:
- Address: Envision Tattoo
22545 Barton Rd. Suite 201
Grand Terrace, CA 92313 - Website: Envisiontattoostudio.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @Jiomorfintattoos
- Twitter: @Jiomorfin
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
