Meet Jadon Tanguma | Tattooist

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

Hi Jadon, what do you attribute your success to?
I wouldn’t necessarily say that I have a successful business as far as worldly standards go. As far as myself, I believe that I have a successful business with a lot of potential. The most important factors behind that success are the heart of it all; people. At the end of the day, if my client walks away with a tattoo that they love, then great, but if they leave with a tattoo they love and they also feel valued and loved…that’s where the real win is at.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m most proud of the fact that I’m tattooing and that I have been almost completely self taught. I’m also so proud of all of the pieces of work that people are wearing and the fact that they love them. I wouldn’t call myself a professional, but I wouldn’t say it’s been easy to get to the point that I am at. Most people give up on side gigs after a short amount of time, but I want this to be my full time gig at some point and I’m constantly dreaming and working to make that dream a reality. It’s been 6 years of trial and error, and even some tattoos I’m not proud of. I want people to know that I love what I do, but I love it most because of the people I tattoo.

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 one of my best friends came to Denver, I’d make sure they were ready to gain 10 lbs in a week. We would start the week off pretty chill and locally, probably get my favorite burritos from Gomez(Their 1A is to die for,) then we would hit Old Town Arvada for some drinks at New Image brewery and some ice cream at scrumptious, before hitting the town we would have to go to the coffee shop I work at; Sweet Bloom. If you think you love coffee, Sweet Bloom will make you fall in love 10 time over with coffee. Then we would head down town for some food at Linger before heading to my favorite bar which I refuse to disclose the name of because it’s such a hidden gem. The rest of the week would look pretty similar but add in a lot of hikes in the foothills and some roadtrips to see some of the best mountain towns imagineable. Come visit me in Denver, I’m a local so you won’t be disappointed.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My friends. The first tattoo I ever gave was to my best friend when we were 19. I used a sewing needle and calligraphy ink. Then my other friends jumped on board, and I learned. They pushed me into it all and also trusted me to permanently mark their skin. Eventually, I found out that there was a whole culture of machine free tattoo artists and even chatted with a few over social media. I made a friend all the way in Frankfurt named Connor(I don’t know his last name but he is @wherethefuckisconnor on instagram.) Connor offered a helping hand, but requested that I set out to buy proper materials and tools to tattoo with before giving me advice. My wife(girlfriend at the time) had a bunch of amazon gift cards that she wasn’t going to use, so she gave them to me to help pay for supplies. Connor gave me some pointers and some feedback, but ultimately it was up to me to practice. And my friends were more excited and willing than ever, now here I am almost 6 years later. I’m still learning and growing, and adding routines and techniques. But one thing has remained, and that is my friends. My community. They don’t only bring me new clients all the time, but they push me, they encourage me, and for some reason they trust me with their skin. Thank you to my friends who have been a foundation to my art. I love you all so dearly.

Instagram: @DeathForBreakfast