My Journey thus far
Like any other tattooer, tattooing has been a hell of a ride. My father started tattooing when I was very young. It was everything I loved. Loud music, fantasy art and good times. I would often beg to go with him to the shop on the weekends when I visited. Well when I was 13, we were hanging out at a shop my father used to work at and I got to do my first one on him. It was moth to a flame and I’ve been a lost cause ever since.
I was born in Redlands, CA in 1993. I had challenging childhood but I found solace in faith, art, video games and skate culture. Between undiagnosed disabilities, a difficult family dynamic and the treatment from my mother who struggled with substance abuse and her mental health I became very rebellious, frustrated and lonely. Later in life I was diagnosed with complex PTSD and neurological disorders that gave context to my behavior but I digress. I was determined to find a better life so at 16, I ran away in 2010 and moved in with my father in Hemet, CA. It was what I thought I had to do in order to escape a hostile home environment and shame. It was then I rededicated my faith and determined I was going to learn tattooing after graduating high school.
In 2012, my wife and I married in Long Beach on her birthday from an Elvis impersonator even though I don’t recall him being one. Kathryn swears by it but he must had been off the clock because he wasn’t dressed up. Shortly after getting hitched, we moved away from Southern California and landed in Greer, SC, where my father was planning to open a tattoo shop. I was torn between my first love, ministry and my mistress, tattooing. Well, after some discouraging experiences with local church institutions, I ended my pursuit to become a pastor, decided to focus on tattooing and thus began my tattoo journey.
I formally started my apprenticeship under my father in 2013. We had some good times. I didn’t really know my dad much since I didn’t grow up with him. After I ran away from my childhood home in Redlands CA when I was 17 I moved in with him right after junior year of high school. In a way it felt like I was catching up on lost time but I didn’t receive any special treatments in tattoo. Needless to say he was very tough on me. Now I will say, he knew my potential and wanted me to be great, so he pushed me. I can’t deny that it was effective. I became a workhorse and developed versatility. In his own way, I believe he loved me but only knew the way he was taught and though he gave me a space to develop my skills, it was difficult and I was already struggling to adapt to the lifestyle but… everyone has a threshold.
In 2018, I suffered a severe mental breakdown that almost cost me my life. Between complex PTSD from childhood and stress, my body just couldn’t take it. I spent a week in the hospital and so began my journey of healing and battle with mental health. After quarantine in 2020, I finally vocalized my concerns regarding the environment as well as discrepancies over an individual he was teaching at the time. Ultimately, his reaction led me to a very difficult decision. It was time to move one. When his apprentice overheard my intentions to open a own shop, I had no choice but to let him know before I word got to him. I pulled him aside and that is when things escalated quickly.
I was yelled at in front of my coworkers and clients. He left and I was left in shock. “What just happened?”, I thought. The following day after a restless night, I came to the shop to find the machines we built together were gone, a group text accusing me of stealing deposits and a separate text docking my recent pay raise. I was given an ultimatum, give up on that idea and everything would go back to normal or I would have to leave. Looking back, I wish things could’ve gone differently but we parted ways. I took what tools I had left, my prints and left the place we built together.
Heartbroken falls short of what I truly felt. My hero, mentor. My father. That pain is something I still feel to this day but I had to keep moving for my wife and daughter’s sake. What I was going to do? Where am I going to tattoo? When I started tattooing, I had dreamed of working in the city. Well after a friend I was intending to help open his shop in Greenville decided to move back to Georgia, an opportunity came to open downtown Greenville’s first tattoo shop in West Greenville. Could I really do it? Everyone said it wouldn’t happen. Too many had already tried. It would take too much work. But I knew someone would do it eventually, why not me? At least I gave a damn, and I’m not easily dissuaded from a challenge.
I put a deposit down to lease a space in a new building that was supposed to be finished by September 2021. Delays pushed it into 2022. We received city approval, but another problem surfaced. In South Carolina, to license a tattoo facility, it must be 1,000 feet from a church, school, or playground. I had triple-checked the location before paying the deposit, but when the building was finally ready for inspection, I was told it was too close to a church. After some PI work on my end and a month of pushing back, I won my case. It was determined the organization was a nonprofit offering weekend worship, not a legitimate church. All I had to do was lay low in the shadows. Just a few more months, then we could finally open. That all changed in October 2022.
The building I waited on for nearly two years burned down—just two months from completion. Pure disbelief and heartbreak. It wasn’t my building, but I was deeply invested emotionally and financially. I was told it would be rebuilt quickly: “Three to four months tops.” Well, six months later, I was notified it wouldn’t be completed for another year. They refunded my deposit and suggested I find a new space. Devastated, I still refused to give up. I was too close to my dream. That’s when Kelton Cox, who also learned from my father, joined me, along with Brett Wilbanks, a good friend I had the honor of teaching. We decided to let go of the past. I had to stop worshipping the ashes and start looking ahead.
We ditched the previous name “Village Tattoo” and adopted a new one: Blind Tiger Tattoo Co., a homage to the area’s history and the prohibition-like blue laws we had to overcome. We found a suitable location but I was hesitant due to a nearby church but was reassured by officials and locals it would be fine. Shortly after upfitting, we were denied that location by the health department. My fear that it was too close to another church was confirmed. Figures. Still, I refused to quit.We found a small studio space that worked in the meantime. Despite being financially, mentally, and physically exhausted, I pushed forward. But like they say, what can go wrong, will go wrong...
Remember the organization I proved wasn’t a legitimate church before the fire? After my application had been approved and I’d paid the licensing fees to secure the location. Around the time of the fire, three DHEC executives had just resigned and the tattoo facility department was overhauled. Also conveniently, my file was misplaced. My previous claims couldn’t be validated. But despite having a paper trail on my end proving my case, things weren’t looking good.
It seemed as though they were going to deny my application. They couldn’t find my file and they weren’t sure which inspector it was that I worked with. I remember one night, in my garage, in tears, telling my wife: “I don’t think I can keep doing this. I’m not quitting but I surrender.” I didn’t want to quit but sometimes defeat is inevitable. If it was meant to happen, it would. I refused to disrupt the community anymore than it already was just to get what I wanted. The locals and business owners signed a petition for me and that meant the world. But ultimately, I believed only God could make this happen. If it truly wasn’t meant to be, take it away.
The next morning I presented my case to DHEC one more time. After I got off the phone, I prayed my first earnest prayer of acceptance and surrendered. Two hours later, I got a call. “Good news, Mr. Walker. We found the inspector who handled your case. Your application has been approved.” In tears, I busted into the other room (totally not crying, of course) and told the guys the good news. We put the finishing touches on that humble space, and in May of 2023, we emerged from the shadows. I, with the help and support of Brett, Kelton, my wife, and the community, officially opened the first tattoo shop in West Greenville since tattooing was legalized in 2004. Nine months later, a more suitable location opened up and… it was street front! Perfect for growth and could accommodate the community to which I owe everything.
Now, I have the privilege of working alongside a team of six artists I once dreamed of working with. My story is far from over. I’m still rebuilding my life after years of struggling with mental and physical health, hardships, and stress. But I’ve made peace with the beast that is tattooing. Though it brought me heartbreak, it is now my greatest joy. The gift I share with the world.
My mission now is to teach, tattoo, create, entertain and inspire. To build a path that doesn’t require abandoning yourself. I want to give tattoo culture a brighter future—one where the next wave of artists can live in peace without fear of judgment or burnout. When my daughters are ready to learn, I want to have found a way of life through tattooing that allows them to thrive not just survive. That’s why I’m dedicated to mastering not just my craft, but myself.
When you visit, you’ll find a shop filled wall to wall with iconic imagery. I’m inspired by history, mythology, and culture. Though my work is rooted in traditional Japanese and Americana styles, I draw from all elements of tattooing. And now, I get to spend the rest of my life discovering how to make the best tattoos possible. It’s been a journey. I have two lifetimes to master this. And I’m forever grateful I was entrusted with the craft. I’ll cherish it always and aspire to be even a fraction of what my heroes were. I hope to carry this torch forward lighting the way toward a better future, serving with creativity, love, skill, intelligence and excellence.
I’m Justin Walker.
Tattooist of the old school and the modern era.
Proud owner of Blind Tiger Tattoo.
The place that I made for you.
