Trying to Break the Tattoo Code

An Interview with Lehigh Valley Tattoo Artist, Jesse Probus

Skulls seem to cover every inch of Sick Ink Studios as you pass the cemetery-like, black wrought iron gate, other artist’s work areas, and through the doorway into 32-year-old entrepreneur and tattoo artist, Jesse Probus’ personal sanctum. It is an “office” unlike any you’ve seen, and includes his collection of nine real human skulls—each with their own history. The setup of his entire shop and tattoo equipment are meticulously organized. The small tray next to his chair is perfectly lined to display his ink-gradation setup of six capfuls filled with “National Triple Black” ink, each one diluted more than the last with water to create his black and grey works of art.

Along with music playing that favors his current mood, and the lights out with a simple spotlight on the area he’s tattooing, you hear the buzz of his favorite Cheyenne Hawk rotary tattoo machine, which tattoos smoothly—somewhat like a marker on skin. 

Probus, in his normal attire of a black wife-beater shirt, jeans, and black flat-brimmed hat is covered in tattoos up to his chin. He’s wearing his favorite bottom grille today that says “Boss” out of the five sets of platinum and gold grilles he owns. Upon speaking with him, it is evident that Probus’ witty and bold personality is one-of-a-kind, yet approachable.

“Normal is boring,” he claims, and his customers wouldn’t expect anything less.

Sitting backwards in his small rolling tattoo chair, he tells me he favors tattooing “dark creepy things,” which subsequently transferred to the setup of his shop. His tattoo style is something he has created and perfected over the years—a mixture of biomechanical and horror or macabre organic style, which translates to skulls mixed with biomechanics or mechanical human body parts.

In high school and college, Probus studied computer aided drafting, where he developed a mechanical drawing formula. Since then, he claims he draws much differently than others because he draws things similar to a framework on paper, but sees his vision for his finished piece three dimensionally in his head. For that reason, once his customers have seen his work and gotten at least one tattoo done by him, they trust his judgment even if they don’t see his vision completely drawn out on the drawing board.

What’s his secret? Probus declares that he creates 24 hours a day, whether he is tattooing, painting, building things, or working on cars, which has all transcribed into his tattoo style. And every day he tattoos, he pushes himself so the artwork he’s created that day becomes his new favorite.

“Every tattoo I do, I put my all into it. Every tattoo I do is like a drug I’m addicted to. It doesn’t matter what else is going on around me, I live in that moment,” Probus asserts.

However, he informs me that this can also be his downfall as he constantly overanalyzes his work, wondering what he could or should have done differently with each masterpiece. He has struggled his entire career with believing his artwork was terrible because of his self-comparison to other artists. Chuckling, he refers to this as: “Trying to break the tattoo code.”

Along the way, he recounts that there have been many people who tried giving him advice, but jokes, “I have a part of my brain that just does what I want. If I have an idea, I make it happen.”

Probus, who had been working in tattoo shops and completing various apprenticeships since he was 14, decided to take everything he had learned along the way and opened up Sick Ink at just 23-years-old. Over time, his shop name has inspired the phrase many customers and followers have used to describe his work as “sick,” but it was originally derived from a nickname for his prized Nissan Silvia, which he referred to as “Sickniss.” Probus mentions he actually hated this for his shop name in the beginning, but no one else had it, and it eventually grew on him.

Although he drives a McLaren now rather than a “sick Nissan,” and has become a well-established and successful entrepreneur and tattoo artist, Probus reveals that he has had many setbacks to get to where he is today, including some break-ins and even his shop catching on fire. Luckily, he adds, there was only some smoke damage from the fire, and while thieves may have run off with some valuable equipment and items from his shop, nothing personal was stolen.

Probus, who admits that he is financially set up to retire at 52 if he should choose to do so and to have his kids’ college tuitions paid for, says he is truly happy with everything he’s accomplished and has no regrets about the choices he’s made or what it took for him to get to where he is today.

“I’ve worked every day of my life as hard as I could—I learn from my mistakes and don’t regret them,” he boasts.

Overall, Probus wants customers to feel confident coming to Sick Ink, knowing they will be given a high level of quality associated with his shop name from himself or any of the artists he hires who must exhibit a similar work ethic to him. And although it may seem like he has achieved his goals as a successful and well-respected tattoo artist and tattoo shop owner, he continues to better himself through his skill as well as his increasing business goals.

What could be next? Conventions? Competitions? Expanding his shop? Probus lights up as he begins to tell me about his next idea: His own TV show. His way.

After watching recent reality TV shows that depict the tattoo industry in negative and exaggerated ways, Probus has decided that it’s time for a TV series containing “real tattoos and real people; no drama.”

So far, there have been five days of recording for what Probus calls, #SickInkTV. He claims that his show will focus on the everyday life of his shop, each of his artists as well as his own talent, and it will also discuss creative ideas, knowledge concerning diseases, piercings, tattoo practices, tattoo removal practices, and tattoo/piercing aftercare, which most of society is unaware of as this information isn’t commonly discussed. Probus believes it’s important for customers to become aware of these topics, and that his show would be the best platform to share this wealth of information with society.

“I want this show to be my legacy,” Probus declares, which doesn’t seem out of reach as he explains to me that his shop has received calls from all over the world in the past two weeks for appointments and information. And although he has already started filming the #SickInkTV series, he is open to offers from all networks for his show as long as it remains true to his vision.

“If it takes off, then I’ll sell my soul,” Probus laughs.

And as the uploaded recordings of #SickInkTV to his social media accounts continue to expand his fan base and customers and his Facebook videos reach nearly 760,000 views, Probus’ legacy seems as though it will soon be established. Perhaps continuing to push the creative boundaries of the tattoo industry will finally allow him to “break the tattoo code.”

 

To reach Sick Ink Studios:
www.sickinkstudio.com/

Find them on Facebook

Also check out: Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover

 

References:

Probus, Jesse. (2016, November 23). Personal communication.

SickInkStudio, directed by Nick Asenjo. (2016, August 11). Sick Ink Studios [Video file]. YouTube. Retrieved February 11, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSTqxi3VHD4

SickInkStudio, directed by Nick Asenjo. (2016, December 22). Sick Ink into #SickInkTv [Video file]. YouTube. Retrieved February 11, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuUT5uywzyI

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