Stories That Move
When we create videos for our clients, there's often an incredibly rich narrative that we can't include in the final cut. Being behind the scenes, we're fortunate to hear the depth and full context behind each story.
So in this podcast, we want to pull back the curtain and allow you to experience the extraordinary stories of extraordinary people we've been honored to connect with.
Go on an adventure with us.
Gain a new perspective.
Learn something new.
Be challenged.
Feel inspired.
www.dreamonstudios.io
Stories That Move
Nathan Underneath | From Engineer to Artist
What happens when you walk away from a successful engineering career to pursue your artistic passion? For Nathan Underneath, founder of Moving Pictures Tattoo Cinema, it meant discovering his true purpose.
Nathan's journey takes us from his childhood as a creative kid in a conservative household to touring as a drummer, teaching preschool, and eventually climbing the corporate ladder in the orthopedic industry. With fourteen national certifications and a Six Sigma black belt, he had built an impressive career—but something was missing. Despite financial success, he yearned for more meaningful human connection and impact.
The transformation from engineer to tattoo artist wasn't as radical as it might seem. Nathan's analytical, problem-solving mindset transferred perfectly to the artistic realm, where he approaches each tattoo as a unique challenge. What truly distinguishes his work is his commitment to storytelling. Rather than simply recreating images clients bring in, Nathan dives deep into the meaning behind each request, crafting personalized art that captures life experiences, relationships, and personal transformations.
As the first and only tattoo shop permitted in downtown Warsaw, Indiana, Moving Pictures Tattoo Cinema operates with a mission to "serve, uplift, and inspire." Nathan secured this unprecedented approval through persistence and community engagement—personally meeting with property owners, collecting testimonials, and demonstrating his commitment to enhancing the downtown area. His business now participates in numerous community initiatives, including fundraisers to eliminate school lunch debt and art nights at local missions.
Nathan's leadership style extends to how he develops his team, encouraging each artist to find their unique voice rather than creating replicas of himself. Through regular roundtable discussions where team members express appreciation for each other and one-on-one mentoring sessions, he's created an environment where creativity flourishes alongside personal growth.
Ready to see how tattoo art can tell your story? Connect with Nathan and his team by searching "Moving Pictures Tattoo Cinema" on social media and discover how meaningful ink can transform your life.
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I came back and just had this like what am I gonna do with my life? Like I built this whole career and I make great money. It's just not doing what I, what I thought I was going to do, which is like have a real impact on people's lives. And so I was like you know, after three months of not working, I was like I gotta do something. I think I'm not working. I was like I got to do something. I think I'm just going to tattoo full time and see how that does.
Speaker 2:Welcome back to Stories that Move, brought to you by Dream On Studios. I'm your host, matt Duhl, and today's guest is tattoo artist Nathan Underneath. But, as you'll hear, he's lived an amazing journey and is more than just a tattoo artist. He's an award-winning published and sponsored creative with nearly 15 years of experience and clients from over 30 states. Nathan is also the founder and lead artist at Moving Pictures Tattoo Cinema, a purpose-driven studio located in the heart of downtown Warsaw, indiana. At his studio, tattoos aren't just decoration. They're personal expressions of identity, healing and growth. Nathan is redefining what a tattoo studio can be. He earned special zoning permission to become the first and only tattoo shop allowed in Warsaw's downtown district. And it wasn't just about art. It's about mission Mission rooted in service, inclusion and genuine human connection. So let's get into it and welcome Nathan Underneath to Stories that Move. Nathan, thank you so much for being with us today on Stories that Move. Such a pleasure to have you here.
Speaker 1:Yes, thank you so much for having me. This is an honor.
Speaker 2:Awesome, awesome. So take a moment, introduce yourself. Just tell our listeners a little bit about you, about your shop, what you guys are doing in the world today.
Speaker 1:Sure, my name is Nathan. Underneath I'm the owner of Moving Pictures Tattoo Cinema located downtown Warsaw. We are the first and only tattoo shop permitted in the downtown district and our mission is to serve, uplift and inspire. It is different from most tattoo shops because everything is about the client Everything is put others before yourself, and that includes non-customers too. So we are very, very involved with the community, with nonprofits, and uh, tattooing is just a very small part of, um, our engagement with the community.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, oh no, it's so good and I am so excited to unpack some of this with you and I've been looking forward to this interview for quite a while. So you are my wife's tattoo artist. She's done a tattoo with you and just going through that experience with her so cool to see you live out this stuff that you just just said. So let's start real quick with the name. Where does Moving Pictures Tattoo Cinema come from?
Speaker 1:It is kind of double meaning. I guess it started because I tend to do very large-scale tattoo work and I utilize the shape of the body, the body's natural contours, how things move with joints and muscles, and I map everything out in a very organic, flowing type of way and people would often make comments and say, oh, your clients just look like moving pictures. Well, moving pictures is also what they used to call old movies and.
Speaker 1:I'm a huge architecture fan, especially old architecture like in old cinemas. Yeah, okay, and the term tattoo shop or tattoo studio there's also, like tattoo collectives. Tattoo theater was one that I saw.
Speaker 1:And I was like oh, that's so cool. I want something that's just a little bit higher level, and the the amount of time that we put into making pieces move and flow, and the fact that all of our tattoos are about telling stories of clients, that's a huge emphasis for the business. So it all just kind of like started piecing itself together of like moving pictures, tattoo, cinema. We tell your story. Perfect, this, this works.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, oh, I love that, I love that. Okay, and, as you said, um, the first um tattoo shop to be permitted in downtown Warsaw. We live in a small Midwestern community, pretty conservative, so, yeah, talk to me about that just process and you know how that came to be Well.
Speaker 1:I knew quite a few people that had made or expressed interest in starting a tattoo shop downtown, and every one of them was immediately told, no. So there was a building not the one I have, there was a different one that was available and I just kept looking at it. I was like, oh, that makes such a beautiful tattoo studio. And then people just kept going, never going to happen. Never, ever going to happen, not in Warsaw, won't happen. Well then I had some of my other friends that are like, but if it did happen, if anyone could make it happen, it might be you.
Speaker 1:So then another building became available. I talked to the owners of it, I pitched my idea, told them you know kind of what my mission was, and gave them my credentials as far as I'm not just some guy like I'm nationally traveling and, you know, renowned for things. So I really want this for the community, and so I did kind of have to give a little bit of a push. But once they were on board, but once, once they were on board, uh, I was able to rent the building and so I got it in june of 2019. I wasn't allowed to start tattooing until, uh, august, end of end of august, first week of september of 2019. Okay, during those first few months I was just pouring money into it, basically living there. I was just doing construction yeah day, building the place and fingers crossed that I was going to be able to open it.
Speaker 3:Wow.
Speaker 1:So that was all during the evenings of that summer and then during the day I had collected the names of anyone who lived, worked or owned property in the C4 downtown district, because a lot of those buildings are owned by investment groups that aren't local. So I sent certified letters to everyone that owned property, introducing myself what my mission was and said this is my intent and I understand. If you have concerns or questions, please feel free to reach out. I'd love to meet with you, talk to you, put your you know, address your concerns. If you have any, then I.
Speaker 1:Then I also did that, like literally hitting the sidewalk, going door to door and just um, and I had a petition with me. So I would just go introduce myself to people while they were working and while they were out walking dogs, and there were several people that had some concerns and after you know I would, I would meet with them and talk for 30 minutes, 45 minutes, and try to put their mind at ease. But ultimately, the thing that got it approved was having a public hearing with the zoning board and I put together testimonials from nurses, police officers that I've tattooed. One woman from Georgia wrote a letter about how getting tattooed by me had helped her heal from an abusive marriage. And you know just, I put in the receipts of everything I had done to the building. I said I don't want to be that guy that comes in and promises this is what I'm going to do. I want to show you this is what I've already done.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:And that hearing lasted about seven minutes. They were like enough, like we're fine with you. We just don't know, if we say yes to you, how do we say no to others that we don't trust? I was like listen if there's anybody that's willing to put in the 300 hours. You know sending letters, collecting testimonials and you know doing interviews with the public all summer long. I also don't want them here. I want them working like on my team.
Speaker 1:So by all means like find these people that are willing to do it because we could. We could go a lot farther together.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, wow, so so cool. Okay, well, I, we're going to unpack a lot more about the work that you're doing and and the culture pieces and the ways that you've engaged in the community, uh, but I, I want to rewind. Um, we love to just kind of back up and talk about you know, uh, childhood, a little bit of your origin story and and just get an understanding of what are the things that led you to who you are today. So where, where are you from originally?
Speaker 1:I grew up in Goshen not too far from here. I moved here for the orthopedic industry. Um, but before that, um, I also grew up. Goshen isn't as, maybe not as conservative as Warsaw, but it is very, very close.
Speaker 1:I grew up in a very conservative household. My mom was the children's director for our church, and so I've always been very creative, very artistic. My mom was very encouraging of that, because she's also is a very creative person. That did mean that most of my Sundays, wednesdays, even a lot during the week, because we were also the janitors of our church but so I was doing vacation bible schools, sundays were working in the nursery. My first job was babysitting. When I was 10, I starteditting, so I've always been like a caregiver and I kind of thought that was the direction I was going to take. I wanted to do something with my art, though, but, being from that that era, art was always a hobby.
Speaker 2:Like it's encouraged but it's not a career.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So I actually, right out of high school, I went to Purdue for visual communications thinking, okay, I'll just make art on computers, I'll move out to Hollywood, I'll start doing special effects, and I hated it. I could not stand it. I had no friends. I was very, very lonely, I didn't drink, so I was not part it. I was, I was. I had no friends. I was very, very lonely, I didn't drink, so I was not like part of the college culture.
Speaker 1:So I literally sat in my dorm room all day making art, but not that I was supposed to, so it was just my art and things that were being commissioned from me.
Speaker 1:So I was already making a little bit of money doing art with commissions. But, um, you know, I went to some design classes but by this end of the second semester I had like a 1.2 GPA and I was like there's no way, I'm making it all four years. So I had also been uh, I'd been a drummer for years and a band had contacted me say said they had lost their drummer. They were just getting ready to leave for tour. Could I help out? So there was a, there was an extra dorm in my building, so I brought my drums from my parents' house and set up a music room in the basement dorm. Okay, and I learned these albums.
Speaker 1:In two weeks I dropped out of college and I went on tour. So I thought that was going to be the life, like, yeah, I don't need, I don't need a formal education, I'm going to be a rock star and just live on the road. And you quickly realized that living in a van with six dudes is not nearly as glamorous as what you think. So I was just at a real like lost point in my life of just not knowing what to do, where to go. I really liked cutting hair in college to pay for art supply. So I thought maybe that's a route I'll go. So I enrolled in hair school and then a woman from my church called and said we need a male on staff at the preschool that I work at. Would you be interested? We'll pay for all of your training. I was like great I've. I've been working with kids my whole life. That's way better than being on a tour bus.
Speaker 1:So, very different direction. But I I started teaching preschool and I just loved it. It was the most gratifying job I've ever had. And then I found out that my girlfriend at the time we were having twins and so I needed to get a real job and make some real money. So that's what brought me to Warsaw is moving here for the orthopedic industry.
Speaker 1:Okay, and so that's uh, that's where most of my life career then landed. I started at Medtronic, um. I really had a knack for it. It really was fascinating to me and seeing the hierarchies of these huge companies and how much growth opportunity there was for people that applied themselves. So I dug in really hard and started getting. I had like 14 national certifications. I went back to school. I double majored in information systems management and industrial manufacturing engineering. So I was going to school full time, double majoring. I got my Six Sigma black belt, my certified quality engineering certificate, certified internal auditor, like I was, I was deep in this I started my teaching came back, I started teaching classes and statistics on the manufacturing floor.
Speaker 1:So did you start? You started on the manufacturing floor.
Speaker 2:So did you start? You started on the manufacturing floor, Like, was that kind of the first step?
Speaker 1:I started in quality control as a temporary inspector and then, once I got full time, I was taking any opportunity I could, so the auditing, working with customs and specials. I became an engineering analyst, just crunching numbers on studies and that's where it really sunk that I like I was good at school If I applied myself.
Speaker 3:I just had to find the right thing, so art was.
Speaker 1:Art went back to being a hobby and I committed everything to climbing the corporate ladder and I became a consultant. I committed everything to uh climbing the corporate ladder and I became a consultant. I went, I moved to uh Bloomington to work for Boston scientific. Uh, it was going to be a six to nine month contract. I was there for five and a half years and, uh, then that took me to 2017 where I had already I had already started tattooing a little bit.
Speaker 1:It was more of just a hobby, but I loved it so much and the reason I I loved the engineering world so much was because you could solve problems solve other people's problems, problems they don't even know they have sometimes, with risk assessment and the idea of using statistics to solve theoretical problems, it was fascinating to me and I really thought that I was improving the quality of people's lives by contributing to these cutting-edge technologies.
Speaker 1:Sure, contributing to these cutting edge technologies and the higher up I guess that I went, the more I was getting frustrated with, like, the sales process of okay, I've identified this potential pitfall, we're going to need X amount of money this many months, a team of this size, and then you're pitching that to a bunch of different departments all over and over, and I felt like I was no longer solving problems. I was just, you know, selling ideas and it really, really started to weigh on me. So in 2017, my contract was up. They said we'll probably sign you again, but with the length of these projects we might go another five to 10 years. And I was just like I miss my home because I still had a house here.
Speaker 1:And I had a townhouse in Bloomington. I was going back and forth every single weekend and it was just just killing me, yeah. So I came back and just had this like what am I going to do with my life? Like I built this whole career and I make great money. It's just not doing what I, what I thought I was going to do, which is like have a real impact on people's lives.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And so I was like you know, after three months of not working, I was like I got to do something. I think I'm just going to tattoo full time and see how that does.
Speaker 2:Dude. That is so, so wild. And I I I recall a conversation you and I had a while back where I was coming from Um. We were doing a video job with one of our orthopedic clients and you started asking me questions about it and all of a sudden I was like how does this dude know so much about orthopedic? And then it was like, oh, like you were deep in, like engineering. So so my question for you now is how is someone that's just deep into orthopedic engineering, how do you pick up tattooing as a hobby, like that doesn't feel like a normal hobby. Is that fair?
Speaker 1:Yeah, you wouldn't think that like it sounds drastically different, especially because now this is my work uniform as opposed to my closet full of three piece suits that I used to wear, yeah.
Speaker 1:And the reason I think I was good at engineering is because it's just solving people's problems. And if you can do that creatively and as a left and right polymathic brain type person, if you can solve people's problems creatively, you can get ahead pretty quick. And then, similarly, if somebody is just right-brained and you know, a lot of times they're not as organized or as disciplined, they don't look for systems, they don't look for routines and building things at work to be a successful, creative person. So becoming a full-time artist is still engineering. I'm just solving other types of problems, wow, wow. But the way that it happened was the kids were a little bit older. I was getting out of school and making engineering money so I could finally do things for myself. And I had uh, I had always been obsessed with tattoos since I was like 13.
Speaker 1:But, my you know, again being in the conservative house, my parents are like we know you're going to be covered. We know we can't stop you but, please, please, just wait until you can afford what you want.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And so I did. I didn't even start getting tattooed until I was 26 or 27.
Speaker 3:Okay.
Speaker 1:And I was going, I had saved up all my vacation time and that's what I did like almost every Friday. Every other Friday I just went and I just alternated sides and so I got really close with the guy that I was working with, yeah, and I started pointing out, as engineers tend to do, of like pitfalls, like hey, you could really do better if you did this, or could you automate this. What if you did this, this and this? And he was like why don't you do it for me and you can just be my manager? So I started taking on little extra things for him.
Speaker 2:You're talking about at a tattoo shop. Okay, okay, all right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so I did it remotely because I still had my other job, and so every night I'd go home, he would send me pictures of the tattoo that he did that day and I would Photoshop it, I'd put it on his website and then I had his email redirected to me from his website. So any client that would contact him it would go to me. So I would sit there and do the consultations with him, I'd quote for him and then I would just send him. I'd pull reference pictures and I'd just send him a packet and be like your website's up to date. Be like you're up your websites up to date. Here's what you're going to be working on tomorrow. His name is blah.
Speaker 1:This is what you're going to be getting paid, and so he just had to show up and do the tattoos and so it was kind of a an intro to the industry. Well then he wanted me to start traveling with him. So I started doing conventions and being kind of a poster boy where he be tattooing, and then I would just work the front of the table and, you know, I would talk about his process. And because I was an artist, that came very naturally to me. So a couple other people you know you're meeting so many people at these conventions. You're meeting so many people at these conventions suppliers, manufacturers, his sponsors, regular clients, other tattooers so you're meeting all these people and people just assume you're also a tattooer, sure, sure. So several artists had come up to me and like what?
Speaker 2:do you?
Speaker 1:do. How is he so busy all the time? Because I've been here all weekend. I haven't done a single tattoo. I'm like, let me see your portfolio book, I'll fill you up. So then I would just learn their style walk around the crowd and be like hey, what are you doing here? Are you looking to get tattooed? I'm like I'm still deciding on somebody. Tell me what you like. I bet I know somebody that can do it.
Speaker 1:And so I just started like trying to play like matchmaker and be like throw me 5% of whatever you charge, and that's what really got me into this. Like mindset of this is where I'm meant to be too bad. I'm an engineer. I can't do it.
Speaker 1:And then with the contract ending and just not wanting to go back to traveling. Coming back to Warsaw, I was like, okay, here are the three places that I would be willing to work at, and if I can get a contract at one of these three places in the next three months, I'll consider going back. Otherwise, I'm going full-time artist and we're going to see what happens.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, Amazing, amazing. I mean, what a journey like artist, preschool teacher, engineer, tattoo artist that's, that's incredible.
Speaker 1:I got a lot of years to go. I might change careers like another two or three times.
Speaker 3:So like yeah.
Speaker 2:Okay. So I mean growing up you said, said art was, was definitely a thing for you. But I mean, did you have that? When I grow up I want to be in. I mean, did you see any of these things?
Speaker 1:you know it's. It's really funny that you asked that, because I want to say no, like I never thought, because art wasn't. It's not something that you try to do like real creatives, that's just who they are. So you know, I talked to my parents about it and they're like well, you know, we had an open concept house and my dad was like the amount of just following you around, picking up a one craft in one room, and then there's another craft in another room and then the next, and by the time you get back there's another craft where I just picked up. Like, how do you focus on so many things? So it's not, I don't think it's anything that like, obviously you practice it but, it's more of a necessity, like you have to get it out.
Speaker 1:So I still have this paper from when I was in kindergarten and it said draw three things that you want to do as a job when you get older. And the first box, I drew a monkey. The second box I drew a robot. And then the third box I drew an artist. So I don't think the monkey thing's happening anytime soon.
Speaker 2:We'll see where technology goes. It might not be too late for the robot, but I still checked one of those three boxes.
Speaker 1:And it's interesting that to have that insight as a five-year-old. But then, like the entire duration of my uh, of my youth, it was like oh no, you don't get paid for this, this is just what you do you just make art.
Speaker 2:No, you don't get paid for this, this is just what you do. You just make art. Yeah, yeah, oh, incredible, okay. So at the point that you lean in and you say, okay, I'm going for this full time, did you have the vision at that point of what kind of studio you were you wanted to create? Or were you just thinking like, hey, I just need a studio to work at?
Speaker 1:Yeah, Um, and I had worked at several studios prior to that, but again, with the engineering job, it was, you know, a couple of days, um, a couple of weekends a month, a couple of days a week, if that, Um, so that was. That was really the first, uh, like six years, and I really like I'm really thankful for having those opportunities because it got me. It was like I'm not going to be here permanently, I have this other job, I just need a place to go for a little bit. But that gave me a lot of exposure to other places and it also allowed me the freedom that I could be a little nomadic. So when I was in Bloomington, if I was driving, if I saw a tattoo shop on the side of the road, I could just pull over and just be like, oh, I just want to check out your guys's place and hope things are going well, Just make nice with everyone, because I was like I didn't have a competing shop so it wasn't a threat.
Speaker 1:And but it gave me a lot of exposure and then seeing what I really admired about places, what worked really well, and then also a lot of lessons of what I don't want happening. Yes, but really at that time it was I didn't want the responsibility of being an owner because I saw what it did to people. With the animosity between artists and owners that happens a lot, the disconnect that they get from like to their clients, because now they're they're not thinking as an artist, they're thinking as a business owner and I really just wanted to like do right by my clients. So it it was like I just need to go somewhere and I just want to tattoo, I just want to focus on creating art for people.
Speaker 1:And after about a year and a half, the, the people I was working with, it just wasn't. They didn't have the same vision that I did, but it wasn't my business. So you know they didn't have the same vision that I did, but it wasn't my business. So you know, really at that point, if you have a different vision, I don't, I don't judge them for doing going a different path, but you know, if, if I'm going to stay in that car of theirs, so to speak, and they're going to LA and I want to go to New York. I can't be mad that they're going a different place. So it was more of just I need out of this car and immediately was. I looked at buildings all over and the, the ideas were just clicking um for, for moving pictures, uh, for the, the type of, uh, the type of ecosystem I wanted to have for any anyone that came and worked there it was.
Speaker 1:It was really coming together and it was terrifying because I had never owned a business before and it's really a here's what rent costs and here's what I'm making tattooing.
Speaker 1:Here's what rent costs and here's what I'm making tattooing. So I guess I can do it, but the like, all the statistics I've done, do not prepare you for what it takes to be a small business owner. Right, and I heard a statistic, ironically, that said all entrepreneurs, uh, if you think you're ready, you know about 20% of what you actually need to know. Like once you think you're ready, you know about 20% of what you actually need to know. Like once you think you're ready. And, of course, I didn't hear that statistic till after I had already opened and I was like, wow, they're being very gracious with that 20%. I don't think I knew even 10%.
Speaker 1:I sat in Dunkin' Donuts most days with graph paper because I had taken the measurements of the building I was going to be moving into, Sure, and I spent like every day just designing it. Wow, Visualizing what is it going to sound like when I turn the lights on, Really trying to manifest this idea. And that is not what I should have been working on. The. When you start getting all these letters, you know from the state of like you got to fill this out, I was like I don't know if that's legit or if this is a scam. So fortunately I knew enough other small business owners that I was able to just go around and can you help me? This is this is hard.
Speaker 2:Yes, oh, my gosh, no kidding, wow, okay. So when you were kind of going through the experience of connecting in different shops, seeing the things that you fell in love with, seeing the things that you thought, nope, don't want to do that, what, what were some of those things? Positive, negative.
Speaker 1:So I love, love, love the tattoo industry. There is a disconnect where people think a lot of times people get into it because there seems to be a freedom with it or this like a rock star lifestyle. I don't want to work for the man, so I'm just going to go down this you know, punk rock, alternative career path and do whatever I want. And those, those people tend to get burnt out real quick because then they're there. If there's no passion or no love behind it, then that there can't be any compassion or love to the clients. They're just transactions at that point. And so watching these, these guys that have what I consider the best job in the world and to have clients come in and they're just rolling their eyes and it's like did?
Speaker 1:did you know you can say no if you don't want to do it. Don't do it Like ah well, my phone bills to do, I gotta, you know, I gotta make money. It's like so this is just a job to you and if you, if you, see it as just a job, there's way easier ones to go after.
Speaker 1:You know most, most tattooers. When you look at like, oh, I don't want a nine to five, no problem, just pick whatever 20 hours in the day that you do want to work. Now you can be a tattoo artist because the amount of time if you go the custom route, like what I do, where you don't print things off the internet and slap them on like I want clients to be excited. I want them to see me as like part of their family.
Speaker 1:And like this is to me, if you're trusting me to alter your body forever, like don't you want me excited body forever? Like don't you want me excited, don't you want me to be like super into it, cause I want you to be excited for all the work that I'm putting in. So then, when we have this contractual thing like it's, it's like almost like a spiritual, like a like a blood ritual type thing, like I take it very, very serious.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so when, um so when I see people that it's just a job, because they don't want to clock in and clock out, that was very disheartening to me Okay, Okay, yeah, no, and I know, you know, as I've I've gotten to know you and your work.
Speaker 2:You have a very specific style and you are committed, you know, to that style and, and I've heard that you care very much about what's the story of. Why are you wanting to put this on your body? So, so where where does that come from for you?
Speaker 1:That comes from getting old. Honestly, Like it used to be, I just want to make cool stuff, I just want to, uh. But I realized, like as I got older, as I got more like wise and started doing a lot of, you know, self growth and inner work on my, on myself, that was all about the ego of making stuff I thought was cool.
Speaker 1:And then, fortunately, back then I could just fill up a sketchbook and people would come in and say, oh, I'm not really sure what I want. I want something. And I was still. I still had a very unique style back then. So you could just open my sketchbook and they're like I've never seen anything like this. I'll take that. So I was still. I've always done custom work, but it was based off what I thought was cool and people were just collecting because they liked my style and that was. That was fine. But the the more I started trying to live in service of others and not, uh, placate to the artistic ego, it was like man, I just, I really want this to be special for you, like what does this, what does this mean? And the stories that came out were just so powerful that I couldn't believe I wasn't asking that before because, some people.
Speaker 1:you know people will tell you you're like oh, I got this heart for mom and that's why it says mom.
Speaker 3:Right yeah.
Speaker 1:Okay, like I never really did pieces like that, but I started going. Well, I've seen a lot of mom hearts, sure, I've seen a lot of well.
Speaker 1:I've seen a lot of mom hearts, I've seen a lot of dates, I've seen a lot of crosses with banners and names, because that's what people have seen, so that's what people ask for. So I started just diving in a little deeper and being like, well, who are you because of that relationship? Can you tell me, like your favorite memories of you and your mom? Tell me, like your favorite memories of you and your mom, and why, like what kind of an impact did she have on you? Or who are you because of that, and how are you transferring that to your kids? What are some of the positive or some of the things we don't care about? Mom, with Sure Right, just like, tell me the story. I want to know, mom, because then, like, I can put your personality into the piece. If I have more information and some people get, they really get put on the spot. Like I was not prepared for this, I just wanted to come in see how much tattoos cost.
Speaker 1:So, there's but, there's so many like people get tattooed in the highs and the lows of their life to symbolize overcoming, you know, life's hurdles and challenges. To celebrate wins. Those are all the most emotional things in life. And no shame or shade at all to the people that just collect tattoos because they're cool Like I love those also. That's just not really what excites me. So when people come in and they have a story to tell now, I get to feel like I'm solving their problem.
Speaker 1:I get to go into engineering mode of how do I take this really abstract emotional roller coaster of a life experience and then make it into something visual.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and it's.
Speaker 1:It's very rewarding and very challenging, but the amount of effort put into it, when you show that to the client and they're just like, like you did that for me, yeah, yeah, that is so beautiful. I can't wait to show my mom, I can't wait to show grandma and you know, they.
Speaker 1:they appreciate it so much more that you get that like that win every day of like I just connected with somebody. I'm bonded with them now the rest of their life. They're going to carry my artwork on them forever and they got a good experience with it.
Speaker 2:Yes, oh, so good. And you know, what I love about this is so many similarities to the work you do and the work that we do here, and that same philosophy of when we get called to make a video for people, it's like, yeah, we can do a video, but like, tell us about your company.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know, you can make videos right. They're calling you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, tell us about your story, tell us about the thing. What is it? What is it you want to accomplish? Where are you going to go with this? Where do you want to take it? And just diving deep into the journey and the understanding and the culture, and it's like we don't feel like we can really serve our clients well unless we have that understanding.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like what's important to you.
Speaker 3:Yes so.
Speaker 2:I love that about what you do and again have seen it firsthand. When Erica came in, you know, to connect with you about her tattoo, it's like she had some ideas in her mind of you know. Like you, she's an artist, she loves flowers, and so she knew there was this kind of thing of like I want to do something with that. And you worked with her and created this beautiful, beautiful piece that like, like you said, like she's so proud of it, she's so into it. I love it.
Speaker 1:Well, and that's. That's a kind of an unfortunate misconception that people have, where they think, oh, I'll come see you, I just haven't figured out what I want yet. Yeah, and I actually. I got fired from one of my first studios because I would talk so much to the clients and they're like nobody cares. Nobody cares, like they.
Speaker 1:they come in with a picture, just copy the picture just trace it and color it in, like it's Warsaw, we don't care about, like the artsy, fartsy stuff that you're trying to do, and I was like, no, I feel like there's, there's more to it, um, but having that, I don't know what I want. I want something. It's because you have a story, like I have something, I'm, you know, maybe a relationship that was lost or, um, you know, you don't want it to be too obvious. You don't want to wear something on your arm that says, like I lost a child, like that's heart wrenching, but you want to do something to honor that person, to memorialize.
Speaker 1:And so when you're, when you're so close to the emotion, it's really difficult to also be creative. And you know, it's like you can't be fearful and angry if you're living happily in gratitude. It's the same kind of thing with if you're in grief. You can't be happy and creative Like that's where I come in, because I'm there to honor the person and to help you celebrate that relationship and that life. But a lot of times you can. If you're looking at it from the outside, it's oh, you just go in with an idea but you're not walking out of it because Nathan's going to come up with something else, and some people are really grateful for that because, they need that Like.
Speaker 1:I call it like bookending where because this is a very collaborative effort, because it's on, it's on your body forever and it is not my place to tell anybody what they should or should not have on their body. But I wouldn't be, I would be doing them a disservice if I didn't try to open some doors and go. It's your body, but there's this door, this door, this door, this door. 99% of the time it's. Oh my gosh, I never thought of that.
Speaker 3:Thank, you so much.
Speaker 1:This is so much better than I ever could have imagined. So it's not me trying to maneuver people into different decisions. It's I want you making a knowledgeable decision, and you're not in this world every single day like I am. So I have a lot of experience. I've seen a lot of regrets, a lot of mistakes a lot of impulses that uh led people to having bad experiences. I want to put a stop to all of those things before I ever bring somebody in.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, amazing. And you also do a lot of work where you help people with a coverups right Of maybe a tattoo that they got a while back based on circumstances or things, and things have changed. Now they're thinking like I don't love this thing as much as I did back then, so talk to me about that.
Speaker 1:Well, most, most tattooers will do cover ups as a necessity of it is very common that tattoos can be covered, but the term cover up is is very misleading because you're not actually covering anything, you're camouflaging it because that old pigment lives inside the skin with the new pigment. So I started doing it as a necessity, where people were just asking me for it my, you know, med device experience. I started getting real into studying like the layers of skin where does scar tissue actually come from.
Speaker 1:I did a big breakdown of surgical scars versus versus burn scars, tattoo scars, piercing scars, self harm, self inflicted scarring. They all have different densities, they all have different acceptance levels of new pigment. So, uh, that became like its own art form. It's like again solving a problem, because it's if you can put in systems, then you can achieve way better cover-ups than what are happening. You know, know, on the average, where someone goes well it's we've got something this big, so just pick something this big and we'll do the best we can.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Because the old one always shows right back through.
Speaker 1:And uh, so that became kind of like what I was known for and now is about 80% of my business. Wow, and the the. The really cool thing is not just being able to give somebody their body back and get rid of a past regret, especially if it's something that they're they have a lot of shame around. Sure, I was, you know, I was 18, or I was at a party and I got talked into doing this or um, you know so. A lot of times those stories are so for the last 15 years, I've never worn short sleeves or I've always worn this type of swimsuit because I don't want it being shown. And then when you give them their body back with something that they are so excited to show off and they're like man, I used to cover this and now, like, all my shirts are tank tops.
Speaker 2:So, it's.
Speaker 1:it's a very gratifying um experience. It's also incredibly challenging and that's, I think, again, the engineering of like I need to solve this problem. Yeah, and if somebody has come in and they're like I, I've been told no by 12 different tattooers that this can't be covered Like right. Right, let's see.
Speaker 2:Let's see yeah, so cool, so cool. Well, one of the aspects that I just absolutely love about you and your business and so grateful for is your commitment to community. Um, you know, again you stepped into a space here in Warsaw and, uh, created a lane for your business. Uh, but not only did you establish, you know, a business and and have done well in growing that, but you've been all about giving back, and in pretty big ways. Um, I mean just a couple of quick examples you created a fundraiser to pay off school lunch debt for families in the community, which was amazing. You do art nights at fellowship missions, the gathering on Sunday evenings. I mean just a bunch of different things that you've done. Tell me about that, your heart, your vision and just what it means you serve on the downtown board. Like, what does it mean for you to be a business that gives back?
Speaker 1:I think the again being like getting older, you start look looking for, like, what is the, what is the meaning of life and what is the, what's the big picture? And you, you stop living for yourself and realize that, like the, like Gandhi said, it best find it to find yourself, lose yourself in the service of others. Anytime, uh, someone you know says something negative about me, or, uh, you know a rumor you know, whatever, anytime that happens and I feel that, like that blood pressure raise, the first thing I do is go do something for somebody else, because the, the act of service and lifting other people up around you is, I mean, it's just fun for one like it is, and the more I've done it it almost seems like, the more divisive I not I personally become, but like it makes people mad.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like real mad when you're doing stuff and, um, I saw this interview with Mr Beast and he was like, oh, if you want people to like you don't ever help anyone, because the more you help people, the more angry and the more like evil people will try to make you become. And it was just like I'm not going to stop, like I've always been about helping kids, families and the community and a lot of that, I think, comes from that being such a huge part of my life for so long. And tattooing is not welcoming to that Like can't have kids there, it's not like a family thing. Like you got to visit while Erica was there, but like we like that, but it's.
Speaker 1:It's not a family endeavor. And so to have a business that is about uniqueness, individual self-expression. Those are not things that are like community, groups, family you know, uh, by stepping out of what we do, because what we do isn't isn't welcoming to all people. Not everyone collects tattoos, not everyone, you know, wants them or wants to spend eight hours in my chair, you know, and that's fine. Yeah, I still want them to be connected to what art can do for you.
Speaker 1:And so, even though a lot of our involvement is from an artistic standpoint, like as a, as a small business owner, I don't ever want to be the person that just writes checks and says here, here, it is Like there's big companies for that. If you're looking for money, tattoo shops are not where you go. But I have time, I have talent.
Speaker 1:I have an amazing team that is all on board and that is the driving mission of like. If you want to succeed at moving pictures, you have to put others before yourself and if you're willing to do that, you're going to do great. If you're not willing to, you're not going to last very long, because we do it all the time and that can be frustrating. If you're wanting to be a tattooer, and at least once a week we're like okay, and what are we doing next for the community? What? Like? Let's find a fundraiser. Let's find, you know and that seems odd on the outside, but when you're on the inside of that and you have seen the impact that it has, where you put others in front of, put others before you and you live in service of them, the rewards that come back not just like feeling good and you're helping, but like you have a sense of purpose, that you are a high agency person that is welcomed and needed.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, that's awesome. Um, you mentioned your team. Talk to me a little bit about them, um, you know, I think that, um, you know, what's been cool to see is you have invested in your team in the ways like you've done apprenticeships, um, in the ways that you've opened up to having a social media presence and including, you know, your team in that and them having very visible pieces of your business, um, which is really cool. So, yeah, talk to me about that. Just that, that development the team.
Speaker 1:I think that's one of the things that I it took me. One of the it took me a really long time to learn is, uh, building an effective team, because I had always been on my own. I started moving pictures as a private studio. But in this industry, you, if you say yes to doing apprenticeships and you charge money for it, you're a greedy scam artist. If you say yes to people and you don't charge, then you're exploiting them for free labor. If you just say, no, I'm not gonna do that because it's a huge amount of time, it's a huge commitment on my end and there's no guarantee how long you're gonna stick around. So you want me to hand you a career? Well then, if you say that you're a gatekeeper and just trying to crush the dreams of the youth, so it's a, it's just like a you can't win with it.
Speaker 1:And. But teaching has always been a part of my life and I think that anybody that's willing to put in the work deserves that chance. And so, with the team that we have, it has, uh, it has morphed over the years and the team that we have now is just amazing. Like they are all into fitness, uh, self, like self, inner work, um, shadow work, we do, um, we do what are? We call them roundtables, which are is a very common thing in the corporate world, but not in the tattoo world.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So we do roundtables where we have to go around and we say what we're, what we appreciate or what we're grateful for about each of the team members, and that's kind of the warm up round, because it's really like artists tend to be very warmup round, because it's really like artists tend to be very self-deprecating and we have a lot of insecurities with um, just, am I ever going to be good enough? And I just want to be better. Yeah, so it's, it's hard to say what you're grateful for about yourself. So if but it's pretty easy to say nice things about the people around you, so when you do that and then each person gets to hear five really good things about themselves, then by so when you do that and then each person gets to hear five really good things about themselves, then, by the time we go around it's all right now, say what you're grateful for about yourself.
Speaker 1:It's a little bit easier. And then the added bonus is when you hear that if you ever have friction with that person, you can go well. I know they love me, I know they care about me, I know they respect me. I've heard them say nice things about me every single month. So if I do have this issue. I'm not scared to bring it up, and our issues tend to get solved very, very quickly.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, oh, that's so good, that's so good. Yeah, on our team we talk, talk about. There's always gaps in relationships, gaps in communication, and what are you going to put into that gap? Yeah, you're gonna. You're gonna put trust in there or you're gonna put suspicion there right and it's like when you do that work, you're building that trust so that we can start with the benefit of the doubt.
Speaker 1:Right, we can start with a trusting relationship yeah, when you know that other people have your best interests, it's really hard to uh, uh, to not be accepting of the, you know, um, the possible resolution. Yeah, and I like doing. I do one-on-ones with each team member, which is a time where I take them out for dinner on their own, so they're away from the group and now it's my time to listen, so then I can say you know, I want to know where do you think you're at? Yeah, are you happy with where you're at? Is there anything that I can be doing to provide you for to get to where you want to be faster?
Speaker 1:And is there anything that you think I shouldn't be doing with you, like, is there anything that you know? Because I don't want to be the over critiquing, you know, mentor, and be like Nope, this is what you need to fix, this is what you need to fix, this is. And be like nope, this is what you need to fix, this is what you need to fix. And next thing, you know I'm taking their passion away, because I'm just correcting and I'm making it what I want it to be not what they want.
Speaker 1:So there's a very fine balance there, and as long as they keep showing up, those one-on-ones always have something that comes out of it Like, all right, here's, here's the next projects you're going to do. Here's the type of content you need to be making, because you don't have a talent issue. You have an awareness issue and we need to get you in front of more eyes.
Speaker 1:So, here's some things that you could do, here's some homework assignments and we put together kind of a little mini plan that kind of reignites that fire for them to start, um, you know, getting back on track mentally. And so if we don't ever want to see an artist like fizzle out or like flatline- and then just get stagnant. So, we all have those ups and downs, but we need those, those uh little boosters sometimes.
Speaker 2:For sure, for sure. Well, and and I think too, it's very cool to see you know with your, your younger guys with with Jack, with Baxter, like they are not you, and I don't think and I haven't seen you push them to be. They're very different artists and their style is different and I think that's very cool to see that you have, you know, created this, but you're allowing them to create their own lane.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I don't want a bunch of mini me's running around Like. I. That's one of the things I told them that I'm I'm most proud of them is that I was like I love that you guys have your own friend groups. I love that you guys have your own hobbies. I can't stand those hobbies, I don't understand those hobbies. But like I'm really glad that you have them and that your entire life doesn't revolve around the shop because, like with me and Alex, like we live there.
Speaker 1:We live above there and she works there and so, being my partner, she has to hear me talk about marketing all day long. And then I start tattooing and then, as soon as I'm done, we start talking about marketing again. And yes that's her job again. And, yes, that's her job, but, um, I love how committed everyone on the team is and understands that, like I'm going to, I'm always going to be planning the next thing for anybody on the team yeah and yeah, it's cool that I have like competitive rates and I pay for all the supplies, so they really have like an open lane.
Speaker 1:I do training courses for them where I buy seminars and give them access to all the educational material. I want to give as many opportunities for them to go down whatever road they want.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's not.
Speaker 1:This is the path that Nathan has set for you. It's. I'm not here to tell you who to be. I'm here to help you or get out of the way. So you tell me where you want to go and I'll see what I can do to get you there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so cool, so cool. All right, man, I could talk to you all day. This is awesome, but we are going to have to wrap it up here in a minute, but two more questions for you. First, for our entrepreneurs, our business owners that are listening in what encouragement or what challenge would you give to them as they're thinking about their businesses? What's something they can apply, maybe from your world?
Speaker 1:maybe from your world, the number. The best advice I ever got was collab, collab with other people because you can leverage their networks and their audiences to bring awareness to you and organic growth. Um, through social media is very challenging unless you are doing it a lot and really researching. Um, I mean, I I love researching it, but like understanding, hooking audiences and re hooking three seconds in so that you can control the psyche of their you know emotional reaction. And then you have to toggle between entertainment and inspiration, but pull on this heart string like it's a lot. Yes, it is so.
Speaker 1:Unless you're going to do that or hire somebody to do that for you, yeah, you have to collab, collab with other other businesses. That is the number one thing that is going to bring awareness to you. And I think with small, it's the same thing with artists. It's not a talent issue, it's not a product issue, it's an awareness issue. And the sooner you wrap your head around the fact that 99% of the world does not know you exist and that's okay, yeah, 99% don't know I exist yeah, it's finding the right people and attracting the right people to you.
Speaker 2:That's good. That's good. And then, what are you excited about for the future? What are you dreaming about?
Speaker 1:Man, I'm really excited about the progress of the guys. They're doing really, really well and the groove that we're in right now is really leveling out. We don't feel like we're like chasing our tails with it and I don't think they have the impression of like Nathan's driving us to posts, you know, three times a day or it's becoming. It's becoming really fun. And the ironic thing about creating videos for social media as an artist, it has now become another art form for us and it is so much fun. And now we're getting a lot of pushback where it's like oh, you guys are, you know, just make better tattoos. You know, clearly, you don't have any customers if this is all you do. And you know, just make better tattoos. You know, clearly you don't have any customers If this is all you do. And you know it's like we're learning to take to lower our levels of sensitivity and just receive the negative, negative comments and then that in itself becomes the art form of like we need. We need people in the comments. We need people being positive and negative.
Speaker 1:And we need that, but like, negativity sells and I refuse to do it. I I want, but building a platform or like a building visibility on social media by being positive, is incredibly challenging. So, being just a little, just just divisive enough to get people like ah, I hate his hair.
Speaker 3:It's like all right, we'll take it, that's that's that's that's what we have to do.
Speaker 2:That's so funny. So where can people connect with you guys, if, if they're wanting to learn more, they're wanting to connect with you, come in for a consultation. Uh, how should they connect?
Speaker 1:Uh, just Google Nathan underneath and all of my links will pop up there. Or Google moving pictures, tattoo cinema.
Speaker 2:You can find us on LinkedIn, Tik TOK, Instagram, Facebook, yeah no, and truly, I mean, you guys have just one of the most amazing social media presence. So, yeah, great, great work on that. Um, all things to Alex on that one.
Speaker 1:We come up with ideas, but she keeps churning them out.
Speaker 2:Yes, absolutely Well, it's, it's so good. Well, nathan, thank you so much for taking the time to join us today and, um, can't thank you enough for the work you're doing, uh, through your shop, the difference you're making in our community, the stereotypes that you're helping to shatter. Yeah, just, you have such an amazing place and such an amazing team and really proud to have you part of the community. Thank you so much. Yeah, it's an honor, awesome. Well, to all our listeners and viewers, thank you so much for joining us for another episode of Stories that Move. See you next time. Thank you for joining us for this episode of Stories that Move. See you next time. Thank you for joining us for this episode of Stories that Move, brought to you by Dream On Studios.
Speaker 3:Make sure to subscribe so that you don't miss the next episode. And remember, if you or your organization have a story you're eager to share with the world, Dream On Studios is here to bring that story to life.
Speaker 2:Don't hesitate to reach out. You can find us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook or visit our website at dreamonstudiosio. We understand how overwhelming it can be trying to bring your vision and story to life, but that's why we exist, and we've walked alongside hundreds of clients doing that very thing. Yeah.
Speaker 3:We believe every story has the potential to inspire, to move and to make a difference.
Speaker 2:Let's make yours heard. Until next time, keep moving forward and keep telling those stories that matter.
Speaker 3:Take care, everyone. We'll see you next time on Stories that Move.