Daily Inspiration: Meet Frank Lao

Today we’d like to introduce you to Frank Lao.

Hi Frank, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve always loved tattoos. When I was a kid I thought they looked tough, like “don’t mess with this guy, he’s danger.” Here’s the outlaw. Naturally, the day I turned 18 I went and got my first one. Like any dangerous outlaw, I hid it from my mom for years.

In my younger days I never thought tattoos could be a career. I went to Jr. College at PCC, then LA Trade-Tech, and took up HVAC after my brother Robert. He vouched for me and landed me my first real job. After a few years turning wrenches I got promoted, jumped companies, did the same thing for almost 10 years. Pay was decent, but when I hit 30 I realized I was trapped in that soul-sucking rat race: trading 5 days for 2, two hours of traffic, eight hours of corporate stress. The idea of doing it till 65 made life feel pointless. It’s fake as hell, smiling when you don’t mean it, ending emails with “thanks” when somebody just dumped another work order on you, break-room small talk with people you’d never speak to outside of work, letting bosses belittle you because they’re having a bad day. And it’s just “yes sir, right away sir.” cause rent is due on the 1st.

I vented to my brother Master Mike (I’m lucky, I’ve got three older brothers). He told me straight up I should learn how to tattoo. “I only have two hands, people are waiting years and flying in from all over the world to get tattooed by me.”
That’s how it started. I kept my full-time job, and every day off I was at the shop learning from him. I traced his work, copied everything I could, practiced on fruit, did free tattoos on friends, and never gave up no matter how hard it got.

Fourteen years later I own and operate the second location of his studio: IFA2 Tattoo Studio in Alhambra, right down the street from Master Mike’s original Inkfiendart Tattoo Studio.
That’s the story. From hiding my first tattoo from mom to running my own shop

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Has it been a smooth ride? Hell no.
Tattooing demands insane fine-motor control (fine, fine motor skills). It takes years of drawing, tracing, and grinding just to get steady hands, and the second you stop practicing, it vanishes. When COVID shut us down for almost a year, we all came back with hands shaking like we were on a week-long bender. Clients were waiting, books were full, and we’re out here praying the liner doesn’t dance across their skin.
The real struggle though? I remember every single bad tattoo I’ve ever done. Every time anxiety hit, I panicked and just jackhammered my way through it. That guilt still keeps me up some nights. If you’re out there reading this and you got one of those early screw-ups from me, I’m genuinely sorry. Come back any time; I’ll cover it up for free, no questions asked.
That’s the truth. The job looks cool from the outside, but the pressure never turns off.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
What do I specialize in? Detail. The tiny stuff that makes people stop and go “wow, how did he do that?”

I’m obsessed with realistic work—cramming as much life and texture as possible into every piece, no matter the size. Whether it’s a delicate single-needle script that has to be flawless from three inches away or a full Kobe-in-the-championship portrait with his head the size of a half dollar, I want it to feel like you’re looking at a photograph.

That’s what clients come back for and what they send their friends to me for. They’ll show me a reference and say, “You’re the guy who’s going to capture every single detail I have in my head.” Big or small, if it needs to look real, that’s my lane.

How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Check out my Instagram it’s @frank_ifa
My brothers is @mastermike_inkfiendart
And my brother @rich_inkfiend amazing people. Rich just opened up our 3rd location in orange county. Please check out his podcast on YouTube @richvasak

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Ifa2tattoo.com
• Instagram: @frank_ifa