Check Out Gul Ari’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gul Ari

Hi GUL, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I am a graphic designer and tattoo artist from Istanbul, Türkiye. I moved to Los Angeles a year ago. I studied art at university and worked as an assistant to a famous Turkish artist during that time. After university, I worked for advertising agencies, corporate brands, and media companies for years as an Art Director. At the same time, I was creating illustrations for commercials as well as for my personal projects. I have participated in solo and group exhibitions in Istanbul and across Europe.

During the pandemic, when we were all stuck at home, a friend of mine asked me to tattoo him. I had designed tattoos for friends before, but I had never actually tattooed anyone. At first, it was just a joke. I told him I needed tools and a machine to practice. The next day, he showed up with a full set of equipment from an artist and said, “What’s your excuse now?” That’s how I started learning to tattoo—just for him.

But then, I found myself really enjoying the process. It reminded me of working with my hands back in college. For years, I had been designing digitally, using a computer and an iPad. Tattooing took me back to my artistic roots, and I realized how much I had missed that feeling. While still working in design, I sought guidance from a tattoo artist and became an apprentice to the talented Saydan Aksit. He patiently taught me everything I needed to know. After a year of observation and practice, I started tattooing professionally alongside my design work.

After the pandemic lockdown, my first trip was to New York, where I embarked on an exciting 12-day road trip with a friend from New York to Los Angeles. Along the way, we stayed in different cities and states. When we finally reached Los Angeles, I fell in love with the city. The weather, environment, nature, and laid-back people reminded me of the Mediterranean vibe I grew up with. I immediately connected with the energy of the place.

A year after my first trip to the U.S., I decided to move to Los Angeles. Now, I work as a tattoo artist while also doing freelance design projects.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It was certainly not a smooth path. Life is full of ups and downs when you’re striving in any artistic field. It takes immense dedication, long hours of work, emotional breakdowns, and constant battles with your own ego. But it’s a journey—one that teaches you about yourself as long as you keep walking it. Coming from another part of the world adds even more layers to the story, creating unique experiences and challenges.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
In my second career as a tattoo artist, I enjoy working with linework tattoos, often incorporating colorful details. As a graphic designer, my discipline is more focused on lettering, bold black graphics, and unique abstract concepts.

Of course, as an illustrator, I love tattooing in my own artistic style. There’s something magical about tattooing that I find most captivating—there is always a story. During sessions, as an artist, you interact with people, hear their stories, and turn them into something permanent. It’s both a responsibility and an exciting journey for me. Sometimes, I feel like I enjoy the process during the sessions even more than the final result.
Throughout this process, my guiding force has always been my curiosity, and for that, I am grateful.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
When I was an art college student, I came across a magazine on a flight. Inside, I read an article about a creative director who also did trapeze. It mentioned that he had learned trapeze in the U.S. and was a successful designer in Istanbul. In the article, he talked about how you can shape your own reality while enjoying life. That story really stuck with me.

Eight years later, at a design and marketing conference in Istanbul, there was a large outdoor fair area where brands were sponsoring various activities. I noticed a group of people doing trapeze and decided to approach them. That’s when I learned they were from a trapeze school in the U.S., invited to the event for demonstrations. Then came the surprise—they told me that a creative director had invited them to the fair. It turned out to be the same person I had read about years ago!

Even though they were there just for performances, I asked if they could teach me some moves. They agreed, and I took classes for a week. By the end of the conference, I was doing trapeze alongside the very person whose story had inspired me all those years ago.

Last year, when I visited Santa Monica, I spotted the logo of that same trapeze school. It felt like a huge coincidence—or maybe a sign from the universe, who knows? Now, I’m planning to take classes there.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.behance.net/gulari
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/base34.ink/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/g%C3%BCl-ari-79780658
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/dance.with.line/