Meet Dylan Bellerose | Tattoo Artist and Painter

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

Hi Dylan, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I started my business because I wanted independence. I craved the freedom to work how I want, make my own schedule, and be my own boss. Also, I wanted to travel and didn’t like the idea of having to ask permission from an employer to do so. I don’t do well with being told what to do so having my own business was my way out of an authoritarian corporate life.

What’s one piece of conventional advice that you disagree with?
The piece of advice I disagree with is that you have to earn a college degree in order to be successful. I have always defined success not in monetary terms but in the sense of my fulfillment with work, relationships, and ultimately myself. I think being genuinely happy in life is the ultimate success.
I am not saying that getting a degree is a bad thing and I know that for some career paths it is necessary. I just think that a lot of people are unsure of what they want to do after high school and they go to college because they believe it’s the expectation or requirement to move forward. Many end up spending a good amount of time and money to earn a degree in a field they’re not really interested in and by that point a lot of them feel “stuck” with the career associated with their degree.
In my opinion, just because you’re not in school doesn’t mean you aren’t learning. By dropping out of college, I found that I was able to focus more on the subjects I was actually interested in, like art and tattooing. I had the freedom to curate my own education in a way that made sense for me and my passion for artistic expression.
I know it’s cliche, but I really believe if you are passionate enough you will find a way to succeed at whatever you put your mind to. You just have to be open and willing to put in the time and hard work.

How do you think about risk, what role has taking risks played in your life/career?
No matter what, taking risks will always be terrifying. Ultimately though it is necessary and crucial to obtaining success.
The biggest risk I’ve taken was dropping out of college after 3 years to pursue art full time. When I made the decision I didn’t really have a plan for what I wanted to do with my art, so it was not made without trepidation. All I knew was that I was determined to figure it out. For about seven years my decision required that I focus my full attention on taking any art related job that came my way. I really had to keep an open mind and just stay positive that I would eventually find a career that suited me.
Eventually I found myself working in a tattoo shop as an apprentice. I’m not sure how familiar you are with traditional tattoo apprenticeships but they are not easy. They require a lot of humility, time, and effort. Then, at the end of it all you might not even get to actually learn to tattoo. So this was a huge risk in itself. It didn’t take long though for me to realize that I had found my career. That was almost ten years ago and I’ve never looked back.

What habits do you feel helped you succeed?
Definitely having a “no-quit” attitude. Once I decide I want to do something I become obsessive, not stopping until I’ve reached my goal or am satisfied with my results. On top of that I like to think I’m a pretty hard worker especially when it comes to my art/tattooing.
I think these both boil down to consistency. I feel I have to show up everyday, even if it is just for a little bit, in order to climb the ladder of success. I believe through hard work, consistency, and dedication just about anything is possible.

What is the most important factor behind your success/ success of your brand?
There are a couple factors I attribute to my success, which for the record is something I feel like I’m continually striving for. First, I think it is important to keep an open mind. Things won’t always go as planned, and in my experience they hardly ever do. Being able to adjust your goals, intentions, or habits is prudent. Having an open mind was necessary when I first made the decision to quit school and pursue art full time.
My first thought was that I was just going to be a featured artist in a gallery and therefore spent a lot of time focusing my talents in that regard. For many different reasons, I eventually realized it wasn’t the culture or life for me, but I had already spent quite a bit of time pursuing art in that way. If I had’t been open to pivoting in a new direction I would have never found tattooing. Which honestly is more in line with my personality and lifestyle. Also, now I can pursue having art featured in galleries if I want, but it doesn’t have to be my career or sole focus.
Being open wasn’t enough though, I also had to work very hard. When I first started learning how to tattoo I had a full time job working in a restaurant. That meant any “free time” was spent practicing the skills necessary for tattooing. Even now the work never stops, I’m always pushing myself further. At this point though I don’t even think of it as work because I love what I do.
Finally, I’ve always had a willingness to learn new things. I’m constantly seeking to learn new techniques, art styles, ways to market, etc. Whatever I can do to help grow myself and my business. No matter what status I achieve I will always be a student.

What’s the most important lesson your business/career has taught you?
My biggest take away is the importance of perseverance. I have had many periods throughout my life where I wanted to give up because my goal of being an artist full time just seemed intangible. I thought to myself, “Man it would be so much easier to just work a ‘regular’ job.”
I especially felt this way the first few times I tried to find a tattoo apprenticeship. Either someone else would get the job, they would just say no, or I wouldn’t get a response. It made me question if I was good enough to even be a tattoo artist, or full time artist at all for that matter. I kept on pushing until I eventually found an apprenticeship at a shop in Breckenridge, CO.
I’m so glad I did because now I’m living my dream and couldn’t be happier. Not many people get to say that, so I’m happy I persevered.

Work/Life Balance: How has your balance changed over time? How do you think about the balance?
Becoming a tattoo artist was an all around lifestyle change for me. In the past I was a big procrastinator (sometimes still am) so I had to learn how to appropriately plan ahead. This meant putting extra hours into work outside of the tattoo shop, not going out all the time with friends (especially before a big day of work), and making sure I kept my mental/physical health in good standing. I adjusted almost every aspect of my life to cater towards being the best tattoo artist I can be. So, for a time I think my work/life balance leaned heavily towards work. In a lot of ways it is still that way but I love what I do so it hardly feels like work anymore. It’s like my work/life balance just unified into one thing. As the saying goes, “If you do what you love for a living you never work a day in your life”.
One of the beautiful things about being a tattooer is that if things start to feel out of balance I have the freedom to schedule time off whenever I see fit. This allows me plenty of time to recharge, relax, and partake in other activities. It’s a good way to keep my life balanced.

How did you come up with the idea for your business?
This one is tricky because tattooing has been around for thousands of years so it’s not like I’ve come up with anything new. That being said, I like to think that through my own artistic process I offer something unique to my clients and ultimately help evolve the long standing tradition of tattooing. I wanted to help people who may not be artistically inclined bring their ideas to life. It’s a very rewarding feeling when someone says, “that’s even better than I could have imagined!” I feel like through my own individuality I can bring a different perspective to things. I love having the ability to collaborate with my clients and make custom works of art they can cherish for the rest of their life.

Why did you pursue an artistic or creative career?
Well from the time I was 4 years old I always had an affinity for art. I remember drawing cartoon characters from my favorite blanket at the time and showing it to my mom. Her reaction was that of any proud mom reviewing a piece of art from her child, but for me was the most rewarding sensation. To create something that elicited any response, especially one of happiness, was infectious. Since then art has always been a main subject of focus.
This was extrapolated when I started school and was a target for bullies. They were pretty ruthless towards me except when it came to art. It was the one area where I excelled and received positive recognition. It felt good to stand out for something I was good at, instead of whatever qualities my peers chose to poke fun at.
It was at that time art became an escape for me. It was something that was all mine. It was my own world where I was free from judgement. It gave me the ability to share how I was feeling at times when I felt completely alone, and in some ways was the only time people listened to what I had to say.
Without art I couldn’t imagine where my life would be today. I’m not even sure if I’d still be alive because it helped me through some seriously dark moments in my life. So pursuing it as a career didn’t feel like an option, it was a necessity. Being an artist is who I am to my core.

What are you inspired by?
Oh man this is a tough question because I’m honestly inspired by just about everything. Every aspect of life can be a window to new ideas, you just have to find different ways to look at them.
When I was a child my biggest sources of inspiration were dinosaurs. I was completely obsessed with them and still am to this day. The first career I said I wanted was actually to be a paleontologist. At that time my favorite movie was Jurassic Park so you can imagine what all my sketchbooks were filled with.
Now-a-days my main sources of inspiration are movies and comic books. My step dad works in Hollywood so movies were a huge part of my childhood. I remember watching movies like Lord of the Rings or Hellboy and immediately going to my room afterwards to draw fantasy creatures like the ones I had just witnessed on the silver screen. Comic books are very similar, I view them like movies just in printed form. The ability to create entire worlds vastly different from our own is something I have always been fascinated by. I think ultimately that’s what any art form strives to achieve, to transport those consuming the art to new worlds and show them a different perspective on reality.
So in summation it’s pop culture as a whole that inspires me the most.

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.
I think what sets me apart from others is my range of ability when it comes to different styles of tattooing. I’m especially proud when I am able to showcase multiple in one single tattoo.
I get excited about finding new ways to juxtapose differing styles to create unique yet coherent compositions.

I got to where I am professionally through a mix of hard work and “dumb luck”. I wish I could say I had a grand plan but really things unfolded in ways I could have never imagined. This is where being open minded was crucial, because something unexpected would happen and I would have to find how to make it work for me. I definitely wouldn’t say it was easy. There was so much uncertainty in every decision leading up to where I am today. With art there is no “How to” on becoming successful. What works for some may not work for others so every idea is a gamble. I never know what ideas will “stick” so it’s a constant struggle of trying new things. For me the only way to overcome this was to stay positive and just keep working with the hope that eventually it will work out. So I guess you could say the lesson I learned is that positivity is key. I would like the world to know that no matter how insurmountable things may seem, there is always a path to achieving success. You just have to be willing to put your all into whatever you’re doing and be positive, especially when nothing seems to work in your favor. The only way to guarantee failure is to give up.

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?
Depending on the time of year, the first thing I would do is take them up to the mountains to either hike or camp, or if its winter, to snowboard. I would most likely take them up 285 to Buffalo Creek which is outside Conifer, or make the trek all the way up towards my hometown of Avon. I think an outdoor lifestyle is the greatest thing Colorado has to offer.

If we had to stay near the city then I would for sure take them to a concert at Red Rocks, preferably EDM or Rock. I feel like everyone should experience at least one show there in their lifetime.

Going out to eat would also be a main activity as there are so many great spots in Denver. I personally love Dos Santos, Bamboo Sushi, King of Wings, Post Oak BBQ, Denver Biscuit Company; I mean the list just goes on and on.

For drinks we are for sure going to the South Broadway area between 6th Ave, and Alameda. The bars down there have the best vibes in my opinion. I especially enjoy the Irish Rover and Punch Bowl Social. Oh, also the One Up Arcade bar off east Colfax is a super fun place to spend an evening as well.

During the day we could go to the Denver Art Museum, The Nature and Science Museum, or one of the many amazing parks in the metro area like Wash Park to just listen to music and play frisbee or something of the like.

Outside of that we would hang at my apartment in my game room and play one of the many board games I have in my collection. I’m a little introverted so a night in with friends “nerding” out is always a fun option to have.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
First and foremost I have to thank my mentor, Scott Cooksey for taking me under his wing and teaching me to tattoo.

Second, I owe a lot of credit to my step dad. As I mentioned before he works in Hollywood as a screenplay writer. When I was a child I would watch him pour countless hours into his craft. A lot of times working without being paid. It’s his dedication to his craft that really helped me believe that an artistic career was possible if you worked hard enough.

Website: https://Bellerosedtattoo.com

Instagram: bellerosedtattoo

Facebook: bellerosedtattoo

Other: The shop I work at is called Black Altar Tattoo and is located in Golden.

Image Credits
Amber Jack Photography (photos of me)