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It’s been almost 10 years since I got some of the greatest advice I’ve ever been lucky enough to receive. I was getting tattooed in Pensacola, Florida at a beautiful shop called Hula Moon. Famous Gabe, a name he received from Bob Montagna, was tattooing me, a little skinny 19-year-old. I had just received news that I was going to start my apprenticeship at Aerochild Tattoos, and was so excited that it was all I could talk about…

Read the rest of Sean Herman’s write-up on Gabe Smith on the Tattoo Artist Magazine blog.

Tattoo by Sean Herman at Royal Street Tattoo in Mobile, AL

Just in case you haven’t heard – Sean Herman is now on Twitter. If you know Sean, I’m sure you’re excited as I was to hear he’ll be sharing his thoughts 140 characters at a time. If you don’t know Sean, do yourself a favor and follow one of the nicest genuine guys in the tattoo game.

Tattoo by: Sean Herman at Royal Street Tattoo in Daphne, AL

Read all about ‘em.

Tattoo by: Sean Herman at Royal Street Tattoo in Daphne, AL

Armpit tattoos are so… gnarly. I want one so badly, but I only think about it once summer rolls around. Probably not the best time to spend a week or two deodorant free, eh?

Tattoo by: Sean Herman at Royal Street Tattoo in Daphne, AL

Rebel Ink published a copy of their April cover, and it’s stirring up some controversy. Featured on the cover is Michelle “Bombshell” McGee and Michael Lohan as the “Tattooed American Family.”

Did that sentence make anyone else sick to their stomach? Yeah…

I’m having a hard time understanding why Rebel Ink insists on idolizing these two. It’s not like Michael Lohan or Michelle McGee are known for their good deeds, their contribution to the tattoo industry, or their inspirational messages to the kids. Instead both are known for despicable behavior, and generally considered embarrassments to everyone they’re associated with.

I’m confident if you’re still reading this, you don’t plan to buy this magazine. I’m willing to bet you’ve never purchased an issue of Rebel Ink, nor really thought twice about it. If you see it however, don’t be afraid to pick it up. I encourage you to form your own opinion, and at least read the piece about Royal Street Tattoo. Those guys are a tattooed family we can be proud of.

Sean’s tattoos don’t need much introduction or witty commentary from me. They do such a great job of speaking for themselves!

Tattoo by: Sean Herman at Royal Street Tattoo in Daphne, AL

Sean Herman was kind enough to send us this piece about the continuing effects of the BP oil spill on his home, the local economy and the tattoo industry. Read Part 1 first, if you haven’t already.

A huge part of our economy is the fishing industry. Everyone fishes here, the shoulder of the causeway going across the bay is filled with people fishing, fishing to make a living, and fishing to eat that night. You see, where we live, a majority of people are blue collar and working to survive. When this oil pushed the fish to the shore, to be eaten by the sharks, it did the same to our economy and our workers. It pushed the fisherman toward the shore, to then be eaten by the BP execs offering to give them a job. Their “jobs” only lasted so long, and put them in harm’s way, causing many to get sick. But that’s ok, they are just little fish that have to be sacrificed, right? It is sickening to watch.

Sean Herman was kind enough to send us this piece about the continuing effects of the BP oil spill on his home, the local economy and the tattoo industry.

Pete and I were looking out from the front of the new shop, the bay glistening in our sights, and he looked over at me and said, “It’s like watching a terminally ill family member die before you. It’s looming, impending, and there is nothing you can do about it, everyday you watch them fade before you.” Pete was talking about the bay that we had both grown up on.  I grew up on the Eastern shore of it, and he grew up on the other side, in Mobile. This was a few days after the oil spill in April that forever changed our lives. I worked with him a lot at that point, trying to do the build out for the second shop we were opening on the eastern shore.  Our conversations went in every direction, but always seemed to come back to the spill, time and time again.

I don’t know what a shark would look like were you to encounter one while on acid, but I think it’d look a little something like this.

Tattoo by: Sean Herman at Royal Street Tattoo in Daphne, AL.

Sean Herman is a name I’m sure most of you are already familiar with–but I think this video does a great job of introducing us to rest of the members of Royal Street Tattoo in Mobile, AL. Hearing the thoughts from multiple tattooers (including apprentices) about the philosophy of tattooing was a nice look into a thought process regarding tattooing seldom touched upon.

Being the people-watcher that I am, hearing folks off the street voicing their thoughts on visible tattoos was a pretty serious bonus. Obviously this remains a topic that can get people talking, especially given their comfort with expressing a wide variety of opinions about the subject.

Live Free from Alek Rost on Vimeo.