Raised in the streets of Asheville, NC and now residing in Atlanta, GA, MIYA is an extremely talented and accomplished tattoo artist. A fine tattoo artist, a painter, and a self taught business man, MIYA's clientele includes the likes of Usher, Baby of Cash Money, and supermodel Eva Pigford, amongst others. No stencils here kids. MIYA prides himself on the soulful and spiritual connection he makes with each and every one of his clients, doing only custom tattoos. A true advocate of the arts, MIYA speaks about the art of tattooing, the state of the culture, and his future, which word is, has something to do with a major network!
What was your first inspiration? Where did you get your first glimpse of art?
My mother was the first person that showed me the different aspects of art. She used to draw calligraphy and graffiti letters and man I used to sit there and copy them and thought it was the most amazing thing.
What type of training or work did you have to go through to become a tattoo artist?
When I was first trying to find an apprenticeship I pulled out the yellow pages. I started off doing street art and street tattooing which is not really good in the industry and me not knowing I had built my whole portfolio off of street tattooing. When I moved to Atlanta I just brought my portfolio and people told me my style of work wouldn't make money. So I ended up in the West end tattoo in the "W". Flipping through the yellow pages, I showed a lady my portfolio and first thing she did was balled up my whole portfolio threw it out and trained me from scratch.
What was the apprenticeship like?
The apprenticeship it's like hazing man! Pushups and slaps to the head, and no food! If you don't feel like you want to quit every day and kill your master tattoo artist every day! If there was a day I didn't want to kill or cuss Julie (Alfonzo) out man, then that's what it's about. Now that I have my own apprenticeships I understand it, it's an art form a lifestyle and you can't just come into the game!
What is it about your style or the way you do what you do that sets you apart?
My clients are those people who would spend the money who appreciate a nice piece of art or a fine painting People who are into the culture of art. I sit down with them one at a time and take my time to feel this person out. To vibe with them and connect with them. 90% of my customers don't know what they want they just know they want a piece by me. I just ask them some questions. First what type of music do you want to listen to when I give this tattoo? That tells me a lot. That's how the flow of the tattoo goes, what kind of music I'm listening to. I ask them the theme they are looking for their style how they dress kind of feel them out a little bit so I can create an artwork that will fit their personality. I do free hand work so I draw on the skin with a marker first. So once they see it most of the time I never have to wipe that off. I rarely drop the ball on that I just kind of got a good...I don't know I just read the persons soul!. I can't sign my name so I got to do my signature look So I take my time to put myself into it.
What place do you feel tattoos serve in today's society?
My customers are people who respect the art form. The reasons some people give me are most of the time they came through some type of struggle in life. And they beat and came out of it so many of my tattoos represent some type of rebirth. My clientele are definitely deep thinkers it's more of a spiritual thing rather than a fad.
Give some insight into the tattoo culture of Atlanta.
Its neeehh… It's different. In the early 90's when I first started tattooing. The early 90's it was more Tupac was down here and he had everyone flowing in a more grassroots positive feel. When people were getting tattoos back then they were tattoos with meaning. When Atlanta began to grow it became a Mecca of music, it became more Hollywood. Now you don't know if a customer is getting a tattoo because they want to look like a tattoo or they are getting a sleeve for a spiritual reason. The tattoo artists in Atlanta don't deal with each other it's not a strong tattoo community it is real cliquish. It's at a point right now where its tattoo artists versus tattooists. Where one is a true artist and the other is just throwing stencils up on someone's skin.
What is the status of American tattoo culture, today?
Right now the business is getting diluted a lot. Everyone is copying a certain style. This style is popular and making money so everyone jumps on it just like the music industry. It's getting saturated by the same old same old. People need to step they game up. It's not the consumer no matter what people always buy music and art. If everybody on the same path and everybody not afraid to take a chance and try something new then the people don't have a choice. They aren't going to live without it. You got Mos Def and someone like a Young Jeezy. And you pay more attention to one side not because one person has more talent then the other side. It's just the machine is pushing more than the other. And I'm just like, there needs to be a change where the real artists are being recognized and these guys that are just fakin' the funk to get a little piece of the money need to step aside for a little bit.
Where would you like to see the culture go from here?
I would love to see it one day where it can be respected and shot in an honorable way, displayed in a museum. It is art work; only thing that is different... is its walking and its breathing! It needs to evolve into more of a fine art thing. People need to pay more attention to it. I like to see more people invest more in their body art and respect it as art work the same you would buy a fine painting. It's the same thing except your walking around with it. I just want to see it blow up. This is my life.
Where do you see your shop (City of Ink) and your art progressing.
My style is always going to evolve. Something new every year, I go to a different city and get inspired by something different and I take it home. My focus is to get my business to grow to another level. When I was coming up I didn't have the opportunity to come up in a gang where someone taught me how to make money. I did this on a survival instinct. If I didn't do artwork I wasn't going to eat. I'm now past survival I'm making it a career. I want to take it to the next level where I can employ artists and help as many as I can that went through the same things as I did. I want artists to be paid for what they are worth.
What is The Prophet Family?
The Prophet Family is a whole bunch of visual artists, painters, graffiti writers, emcees, dj's we all come together and just try to make a living. It's like an ant colony where we all help each other where everyone helps the next up.
Is there something you would like to say to the readers?
If you are born an artist you are an artist. No matter what you are doing it will always call you and you won't be happy till you are doing what you like. And you don't have to be a starving artist. I hate that term, "starving artist". If you can't handle the business, find someone who can and they can be the business and you be the talent and make money. I know record labels that go to colleges and pay a kid $150 for a logo and go up to Atlanta to the mall and buy some tennis shoes for $150. There's something wrong with that. The soul and heart that this kid poured out is worth $150? That money isn't buying anything but groceries. Pay these kids what they are worth. Pay these kids. Art is my life. I love fashion I'm an artist that loves to look fly. Art and music is my life. It's not a hobby it's my life. Just do as many paintings and tattoos as I can do before I leave this world. So I can leave a mark and my kids can say my father was one of the great ones.
