Conversations with Nik Lucas

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nik Lucas.

Hi Nik , we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I got my first tattoo about 15 years ago, and I was really impressed by the artistic work. That moment stayed with me. I started learning, practicing, and growing as an artist. After about three years of practicing on the side, I decided to leave my other jobs and fully focus on tattooing. At that time, there were no workshops or apprenticeships in my country, so I had to teach myself. I used forums, YouTube, and spent hours analyzing my own work and the work of other artists to understand how to improve.

After I moved to the United States, my wife and I started everything from scratch. She decided to learn tattooing too, and the idea of opening a small, family-owned studio felt like the right path for us. We found a space here in Culver City, in a nice neighborhood, and opened our little business.

Our clients often tell us they love the atmosphere we created. It’s cozy, clean, and relaxed. My wife tattooed for about three years, and we were both very involved in building the studio, setting up the right workflow, and making sure everything ran smoothly. It took all our free time and energy. Every tattoo artist knows how hard it is to do everything alone, so we decided to divide our roles to make it work better. I focus on tattooing, and she manages the studio.

I specialize in Trash Polka style, which mixes realism with abstract elements. I find it very unique and creative. Many of my clients travel to Los Angeles from other states to work with me, and I feel lucky to meet each one. I enjoy hearing their stories and turning them into full sleeves or smaller tattoos.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No, nothing was smooth at all. We’ve had challenges our whole life. Just starting with our move to the States — we arrived right at the beginning of the COVID lockdown. Everything was closed. No one was showing apartments for rent, and my work agreement basically became useless because tattoo studios were shut down.

But we made it through. We met some incredibly kind people along the way — each of them helped in different ways. Some helped us physically with their hospitality and openness, others gave advice, and some gave us life lessons that really stuck with us.

As for the business itself, it has its own challenges every day. From creating a good work atmosphere, to finding reliable people to work with, to dealing with both expected and unexpected costs, and handling issues that come up in every part of the studio.

Competition in Los Angeles is very high, but I believe if you’re strong with your goals, willing to adapt, and not afraid of responsibility — you can make it.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Oh, I think I answered that question a little earlier, but I’l explain in more details. .

I specialize in Trash Polka tattoo style, which mixes realism with abstract elements. I find it very unique and creative. To be able create tattoo in this style you need to be experienced in different styles first to feel confident to mix those ideas of realism and abstract, so I gained my knowledge in separate styles first and then found myself in love with Trash polka. My clients noticed that and I started to get more and more inquiries specifically for this style. Many of my clients travel to Los Angeles from other states to work with me, and I feel lucky to meet each one. I enjoy hearing their stories and turning them into full sleeves or smaller tattoos.

We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I think luck does play a role. For most of my life, I tried to avoid thinking that luck really matters — I believed you can become anything you want to be if you work hard enough. But over the years, I realized that even with hard work, there are some limits. I think everyone has their own limits — they might be different for each person, but they still exist.

Strong intention, commitment, and consistency will definitely help you grow and become a better version of yourself. But with a little bit of luck, that journey can be faster and easier — or without it, it might take longer and be harder.

The whole path might changes many times, but it all leads you to the point where you want to be.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://artcollectortattoo.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artcollectortattoo/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artcollectortattoo/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@artcollectortattoo2370