Meet Josh Romani | Tattoo Artist

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

Hi Josh, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I’ve always loved doing art from as long as I can remember. Drawing, Painting, Art shows and competitions when I was a kid and so on. However, growing up you realize art doesn’t really pay a living wage for the average person so I figured it was time to join the mold. I bounced around and tried to learn in as many career fields as possible to give me a wide variety of experience in multiple areas. The reasons to do this were to set an end goal of being as self reliant as I could so if I needed to do something, I could do it myself. Some jobs I liked better than others of course but I never had the freedom to set my own schedule or work when I wanted to. You were always treated like a machine with no free time or anything going on outside of work. You’d also think ‘work smarter not harder’ would be common sense throughout most occupations but it, in fact, was opposite. Usually to make other people like your superiors look good or to battle over positions with co-workers which I didn’t care for. I’ve always considered myself a hard worker but if you don’t like what you do it’s extremely hard to be motivated and willing to learn. I loved art and creating however getting paid for it was difficult. When people wanted me to tattoo them I was honored and started messing around with it as side revenue outside the regular jobs. After the struggle of getting into the tattoo industry, I started learning everything I could as I still am. Art and tattooing are my true passion in life therefore it made it extremely easy to put in the work and aim for the best product I can produce. Tattooing is by no means an easy career either, in fact, it is probably one of the hardest mentally I have experienced. It’s way more than just sitting down to tattoo, It’s gathering your own clientele, picking brains, turning what people are thinking into permanent art even when they sometimes don’t really know what they want, extremely long hours and some pain, for both of us. However seeing the clients reaction to the finished product is always worth it. I am always learning and always growing. Constantly picking other artists brains and studying how things are done or can be done. I’m excited to see where the future brings tattooing because how it has changed over the last 20 years is crazy and the work people are putting out to date is insane! Remember, if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My tattoos are realism but more on the loose side so they look more painterly. I just try to have fun with them honestly and always try to create something unique for the client that fits them and their personality, something that nobody else will have. I’ve always thought creating custom pieces has always been the most enjoyable for me and seems they appreciate them more. My style is unique enough for the most part that other people can identify my tattoos on somebody else and know who did it which was my goal and pretty cool.

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?
I’m located in Grand Junction, CO so a little bit outside of Denver but for anyone who would want to travel here the outdoors are what make this area beautiful. Hiking, off-roading, camping, fishing, hunting, shooting etc. There are tons of trails you can get lost on and it’s amazing. 15 minutes in either direction and you can be alone and away from everyone forgetting that people exist. True bliss. East is high forest, trees, brush and green foliage. West is high desert, Monument, Moab style rock formations and nothing but gorgeous rocks, sage and warm temperatures. I’ve traveled all over the world and I can tell you that this is the spot to be!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
God of course. My wife, my pops and family. Dustin Nelson who took me in at his studio giving me a real chance to tattoo and give me a start in the industry. Meraki, the shop I’m at currently with a good group of friends and co-workers who all share the same passion for art and creating. All my supportive clients and friends for giving me the honor of working on them, letting me practice and experiment on them to learn the trade as best as I can. All the other artists I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and learning from and not only about tattoos but also life in general. I love to hear all the stories from everyone I meet, clients also have some great stories and experiences they share which I love to hear. Overall I’m just grateful for the position and chance I was given through the trouble and turmoil. We all experience life on different levels and grow into different people in different ways. I am just extremely blessed that people enjoy my art and let me tattoo them and I couldn’t have accomplished anything I’ve done so far without the help of all of it together and the big man upstairs!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshromanitattoo/?hl=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063972168387

Other: Instagram @joshromanitattoo Facebook @joshromanitattoo