Meet Tim Jewell | Tattooer/ Co-owner Heart Tattoo

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

Hi Tim, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
When we opened Heart Tattoo, the thought process was pretty straight forward. We wanted to open a shop in Sioux Falls, that had all the parts about shops we’ve been to or worked at here in our city. We wanted to create a space that felt like a tattoo shop. I think there is certainly a place in the world for private studios, with white walls, and fine art on the walls, but that isn’t what we wanted to create. We wanted a space where you felt like you were in an old school tattoo shop. Designs all over the walls, music playing, tattooers and clients talking with each other. As one of the owners I wanted to create a space where we can all grow and learn from each other, bounce ideas, and push each other to be better tattooers.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a tattooer and I think everything I do circles back to that. I came up after I graduated in 2000 and I think in many ways tattooing found me. In many ways I think I came into tattooing at a wonderful time. I learned how to build needles, mix pigment, scrubbed tubes and did a old school apprenticeship. At the time, I was playing music, and thats what consumed me. My job at the shop was to do nice tattoos on people who walked in, and I am thankful that I came up that way. As the years passed I started to realize how much tattooing had done for me and thats when I really started to put in the work. Drawing, painting flash, and really focusing on becoming a link in the chain of traditional tattooing. I don’t really think its my job personally to reinvent the wheel, I am more interested in continuing a tradition of tattooing that the old timers laid out. You work hard, you treat people right, and you do the best damn job you can. I believe that tattooing will give you as much as you put into it. There is a spot in the world for all kind of art, and amazing artist doing all types of tattooing, but to me, the traditional tattooing has always looked the best to me. So when you walk in to our shop, you’ll feel like you are in tattoo shop, and there wont be any question about that.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Oh boy, this is a good question. For food, I’d have a lot of suggestions. Bagel Boy, MB Haskett, Daily clean food and drink, Looks, Natures Way, Sushi Masa (my favorite), Sannas, Bread and Circus, and Parkers. We would for sure eat some good food! It’d be impossible to spend a week with me without hitting the gym, and Forged Strength is the spot! I spend a few nights a week at my pottery studio, where Sonja (@sonjagloriapottery) has created a wonderful, low key spot for people to learn how to do pottery! I think the city has some nice parks, Falls park because of the namesake and good views, and of course a few of the disc golf spots. I also adore music and collecting vinyl and Total Drag Records is a must!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The people who deserve credit are the people who paved the road for us to do what we do. All of us have different tattoo heroes, mentors and peers. I’ve been lucky to have been mentored by some incredibly talented and smart tattooers and I am forever thankful for that. I also think its very important to have mentors that are outside of your business. I’ve learned a lot about creativity and being a good person from Steve Bormes (@stevebormesartlighting) and his wife Tove Bormes. I admire chefs, and am lucky to have a few in my circle that are great peers and mentors. Shaley, from daily clean food and drink is a great example of that. My coach Matt Dolan (@matt_forgedstrength) has been a great mentor to me, as well as showed me how much physical health can directly benefit mental health. But I owe a lot to my business parter Tyler (@the_skribe) for who I am and where I am at professionally, and mentally. I think its hard sometimes to accept that people younger than you, or people who have been doing what you do for a shorter amount of time, can teach you so much. I am thankful for our whole crew, because we always push each other to do better work and be better people.

Website: www.timjewelltattooer.com

Instagram: @timjewelltattooer

Other: www.hearttattoosf.com

Image Credits
Photo of me by Wes Eisenhauer (@wes_eisenhauer)