Meet Jason Herr | Tattooer

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

Hi Jason, how do you think about risk?
Risk has played a HUGE part in literally every step of my career as a tattooer. I got into tattooing at 32 years old…a lot later in life than when most start out. I had ‘decent’ but unfulfilling jobs prior. My daughter was young at the time. My personal life was in various states of chaos. When given the opportunity to tattoo, I knew I’d have to give up comforts like a steady pay-check, health insurance, a ‘normal’ schedule, etc…and jump head-first into the unknown. I took a job at a small shop in a small town in West Virginia (I’m from Maryland originally) where if I made a few hundred a week I considered myself lucky. After a few years learning the basics of my trade there I worked at a couple different shops in the area and then chose to move to Florida for a change of pace.
That was a huge risk as I had no idea what I was getting into there. I knew one person (the shop owner) in the area. My wife and I had no other friends or family in the area. We moved 900 miles away on a wing and a prayer. Once there for a few months we decided that Florida really wasn’t for us. We enjoyed our time there but it just wasn’t a place we felt like we wanted to make as our home. I got the opportunity to do a guest-spot here in the Springs through a friend that I used to work with in Maryland and I fell in love with this place immediately…so more hard decisions had to be made. At this point money was tight. My wife and I had 2 choices: move back to Maryland where we had just left not even 6 months prior…or take the big gamble and move to another place where we again didn’t know anybody, had no family, and had no idea what we may be getting ourselves into….all with a couple thousand dollars to our name. A big risk…but in all honesty…by that point we’d flown by the seat of our pants enough times that we figured the possible rewards could be worth the risk…and it was.
We fell in love with COS immediately. I hit the ground running at a popular and busy shop in the area, my wife took a receptionist job at a shop owned by the same company, and the money coming in versus living expenses was finally at a ratio where we could ‘breathe’ for a change. All was well with my career for a few years but over time I became disillusioned with how the shop was being run. When I realized that I was never going to be truly happy there, the next big decision had to be made: what was I going to do about it? There were several others at the shop that felt the same, and a few of us decided it was time to seriously start considering striking out on our own. One of my friends and co-workers took the lead in scouting locations and taking on the responsibility of being the shop-owner….and after several months of preparation, Heart of Gold was born. This was one of the biggest risks I’d taken in my career. I left a lucrative position at a busy shop at a time where I was booking a couple weeks out at most. There were zero guarantees that we’d have the type of steady business that I’d grown accustomed to.
Thankfully, Heart of Gold was an immediate success and the couple weeks I was booked became several months in a short period of time. The amount of tattooers on-staff doubled from 3 to 6 within about 4 months and we’ve since added a piercer last year. In the first few months of opening, word-of-mouth spread quickly, and we became a well-respected shop in the area, In just over 2 years we’ve become a mainstay known for having a solid team that can handle all styles of tattooing/piercing. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished and I’m happier and enjoying tattooing on the most ‘pure’ level that I ever have…and none of it would’ve happened without taking several potentially disastrous risks. But the possibility of the ‘big rewards’ has always been worth it to me.

Reflecting back on my career over the past 14 years, I can point to some very specific crossroads…each of which carried huge risks. Some that I’ve taken have paid off more than others in the short-term…but over the long-run…every shop-to-shop or state-to-state move has been a piece of the puzzle to getting to the most satisfying point I’ve ever been at in my career as a tattooer…and also my life in general.

Risk is inherent in virtually everything we do from day-to-day. And when it comes to financial/career decisions, it’s important to weigh those risks versus the rewards…but something I firmly believe is: ‘nothing ventured nothing gained’. Every risk I’ve taken has eventually paid off and gotten me to the most fulfilling point I’ve ever been in my life.

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’m a tattooer at Heart of Gold that specializes in bold tattooing with heavy ‘traditional’ elements. My goal is to always provide my clients with solid, ‘clean’ tattoos that will hold up for a lifetime, in a relaxed, friendly environment. I strive to give attentive, personalized service to each and every client every time. Tattooing is inherently difficult by nature and takes years to learn and build proper techniques. I don’t believe it’s a discipline anyone can ever truly master…and that is both the challenge and the joy of tattooing. Progression…even if it seems slow-going at times…is one of the biggest reward I get from tattooing. Meeting and exceeding my client’s expectations on a regular basis is the other. Most of the people I work with tend to become repeat clients…many of which I work with for months and years. Gaining and maintaining a person’s trust to permanently mark their body is by far one of the most gratifying parts of my career.
Tattooing on a consistent level takes what often feels like inhuman amounts of patience, focus, and discipline…as well as a strong customer-service skill-set. The biggest personal challenges to me (other than the inherent difficulty of this craft) are getting out of my own head at times, trying not to compare myself to others too much, and to find the right balance between my business and personal life without constantly feeling overwhelmed. To overcome all of those takes mental-discipline that I’m still working on and I’m sure I will continue to until I’m in the grave.
If there’s any main thing that I’d want every current or potential client to know about me: it’s that I will always do my very best to give them the highest-quality work that I’m capable of every time.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Supernova (111 E Boulder St) is always gonna be my place as long as I live here. First bar I went to in COS… it’s my ‘Cheers’. I love everyone that works there….it’s our ‘hometown’ spot. You’ll see me there 2-3 nites a week. The Rabbit Hole is another ‘must’ in COS. A unique spot with an Alice in Wonderland theme with some of the best food in city.
Mackenzie’s for a date/‘semi-fancy’ dinner out. Casual enough to roll in with jeans and a Tshirt…but classy enough for ‘special occasions’. A true ‘old-school steakhouse’ and a long-time staple of this town.
Tbyrd’s for ‘fusion’ tacos. Jose Muldoon’s for solid, reliable Tex/Mex. Skirted Heifer for a fantastic burger. Green Line for another fantastic burger
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Outside of food: Red Rocks I’m Morrison is a ‘must see’ for live music. It’s not rated top-5 in the world for music-venues for no reason. For a more ‘intimate’ show in COS…the Black Sheep. No doubt. Sunshine Studios out by the COS airport is a cool music-venue too.

For some local COS ‘must’ see stuff: Garden of the Gods is on top. Everyone should walk around it at least once. It’s super close to downtown COS and OCC so there’s no reason not to go there.
Manitou Springs is cool to see…but I don’t spend much time there. It’s a good ‘touristy’ area to check out if you’re in town.
Downtown COS and OCC are my spots. I’m probably biased cuz I live downtown…but other than an few things there’s no reason to leave a 3 mile radius of downtown.

If you’re willing to travel 2-3 hours:
Salida and Buena Vista are spots I hit regularly. I’ve got friends in both areas and those are my ‘get away from COS’ places when I need to unwind.

The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park is should be seen for obvious reasons if you’re a horror fan.

There’s a lot of cool stuff in the Denver metro area…lots of good food, music-venues, places to chill…too many to mention…but it’s a ‘big city’ like anywhere else. I like Denver a lot but I could spend the rest of my years in CO without setting foot there anymore. No offense to Denver and what it offers. It’s the best ‘big city’ in my mind…but I’m kinda over it.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Too many to name but here’s the short-list: Andrew Androsky for giving me a chance at this career
Joey Broy for linking me up with Andrew
Troy Garris for giving me the tools and some initial instruction to get me on the right path and building the machines I use on a daily basis
Mike Hedrick for convincing me to come out here in the first place.
My wife Karen for always believing in me.
The entire Heart of Gold team for creating a fun and inspirational environment every day
Every tattooer that I’ve worked and made life-long friendships with
And most importantly…my awesome clients that have allowed me to do what I do for the last 14 years

Instagram: Jason.Herr.Tattooer

Other: Email: Jason.Herr.Tattooer@gmail.com