East Side Ink

East Side Ink's Josh Lord on Tattoo Apprenticeships, Bad Habits, "Remarkable" New Artists

Revolver and Inked have partnered to bring you stories on some of the world's best tattooers and tattoo shops, including New York City's East Side Ink. We sat down with East Side Ink co-owner Josh Lord to talk about the early days of his career, and the role of tattoo apprenticeships. "I think I was too rebellious to actually do what anyone told me," says Lord, who reveals his tutelage came informally from shadowing artists like Andrea Elston, Patrick Conlon and Nalla Smith. Watch the video above in which Lord explains witnessing the transition from old-school tattoo "tough guys" to today's more formally trained artists. "The things they can do are remarkable and probably much better than we did when I was starting," he explains. "And the next generation will be better than them."

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