Meet jordybelly | Tattooer

We had the good fortune of connecting with jordybelly and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi jordybelly, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
For me, starting my own business felt like a natural step towards freedom in my life and my art. For years, I had worked in tattoo shops that had a “boss.” After gaining experience in the industry, the existence of this manager role felt autocratic and unnecessary. Tattooing is an inherently anti-corporate realm in which everyone operates independently. Tattooers typically handle their own social media, scheduling, inventory, drawings, and all of the other countess undertakings required for running a business. I didn’t see the purpose of being managed, and I was craving full autonomy with my time and my money. After growing so dissatisfied with the shop dynamic, I started to imagine being my own boss.

I wasn’t alone, as several of my coworkers were simultaneously arriving at the same conclusion. Four of us got together and began to look at the logistics of opening our own shop. A collective, we decided, was the key to eradicating this imposed hierarchy. There would be full transparency on finances, and all decisions would be decided as a group. We would go in as equals, always there to help one another, but ultimately running our own rodeos. It was also extremely important to us that we create a welcoming, safe place for everyone to feel at home. We wanted to honor the magic of tattooing and share that with the community around us. As soon as we set off on the path, life began opening doors for us, and Pale Horse Tattoo Co. was born.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My art is inspired by pop culture, traditional tattoo motifs, and nostalgia. I like making low-brow, whimsical, odd imagery. During my formative years, I worked at a mom & pop video store called Video Americain. It was a treasure trove of rare films. I feel endlessly inspired by scenes from movies I discovered during that time. I’m bummed that this next generation won’t get to experience the joy of going into a video store, picking out a random VHS tape, and having it imprint on you forever. I also go crazy about old toys and antiques, so a lot of my tattoos have a retro feel to them. I treat life like a scavenger hunt to find new sources of inspiration. I love to share with others the things I love, and hear about what makes my clients tick too. (Come get tattooed and nerd out about movies with me, it’s my favorite thing to do!)

I feel extremely humbled and lucky to be a tattooer in this lifetime. I feel that getting to this place professionally was challenging indeed, but existing here now is perhaps the trickiest part of it all. I live in a peculiar space of constant collaboration, because my clients play such a huge role in the inception and evolution of my tattoos. Being an artist/creative in the digital era adds another layer of complexity to navigating this career. My passion is my job, my job requires me to engage on social media a LOT, and “days off” don’t ever truly feel like days off. My perfectionism rarely lets me chill, but I’m working on giving myself more time to explore my own artistic endeavors! It has been a journey to find balance between creating the images in my brain, appealing to a community that wants my stuff on them forever, and finding a creative outlet that is independent from my work. With all that being said, I’m so beyond proud of the tattoos I’ve created with my clients.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friend was visiting the area, we would definitely start with middle school slumber party energy before venturing out into the wild. There would be arts and crafts, belly laughs, baking, and board games galore. We would also have to plot out what ridiculous design they’d be getting tattooed while in town, as that would be a given.

I’m big into eating out, so we would definitely go out to eat every day. There’s actually one street in Foco that has three of my favorite restaurants in town. La Crêperie is an insanely delicious French-owned breakfast spot with some of the most delicious baked goods I’ve ever had. Next door is Khon Thai and Star of India, which are two of my favorite places for Thai and Indian cuisine in town. For drinks, I’m a big fan of Social and Ace Gillett’s, as they have really mellow speakeasy vibes.

For non-food related activities, I’m super into vintage shops and antiquing. I would definitely take them to Wear It Again Sam, a vintage shop owned by an actual earth angel, Kim. She is a ray of sunshine powerful enough to combat the bluest of blues. Her shop is adorable, and I always find the dreamiest gems there. In south Foco, there’s a place called antique row, so we would have to hit that up. I’d admire the carousel horse that I can’t afford and end up buying some more chachkis for my station at the tattoo shop.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to dedicate my shoutout to my Pale Horse crew and my clients. My co-owners and I took a huge risk when we decided to open this business, and I know that I could not have done this alone. They are more than my business partners. It’s not every day that you meet a group of people who can cheer you up on a bad day, take care of business, and inspire you artistically. It’s an honor to work alongside them and I feel incredibly lucky to have joined forces with them on my journey. Also, GIGANTIC shout out to my clients, because without you, I’d be twiddling my thumbs and feeling very sad.

Website: https://www.palehorsetattooco.com/

Instagram: @jordybelly