Jake Omen, is a tattoo artist at Icon Tattoo & Piercing. Check out Jake’s website at jakeomen.com.
“I’m originally from Louisville. I had an apprenticeship there when I was 18 but left in 2005 to tour the country playing drums in a band called Look What I Did. That’s how I ended up in Nashville,” Omen said. “In 2010 I met Ben Ritchie and apprenticed under him and began tattooing in 2012. Fun fact: I worked at Hooters on 2nd [Avenue in Nashville] for six years while on break from touring and during my apprenticeship.”
What made you decide to become a tattoo artist?
Omen: Tattooing is something I’ve known I wanted to do since the 6th grade. I don’t really remember why or how that started. It just always was. I remember doing henna Soulfly tattoos on my buddies. We were dorks.
What was your experience learning the art and process of tattooing like?
It was a lot of work. I apprenticed under Ben Ritchie at Icon, where I currently work. This consisted of working the counter, drawing, cleaning all of his equipment every day, construction on an addition to the shop (drywall, floors, paint, etc.), drawing, yard work as well as construction on Ben’s home, drawing, and any other grunt work that was needed all for little to no pay.
What do you do, if anything, to make your clients feel more at ease and, as a tattoo artist, how big of a responsibility do you feel that is?
I do feel that making people comfortable is a huge part of the job. It’s customer service, though, that comes with any job. You wouldn’t want to go to a restaurant where the waiter made you feel stupid ’cause you didn’t understand the menu. It’s my job to explain how things work and help their idea along to make their tattoo more than they expected. Not saying that’s easy. I can easily see why some artists get jaded after years of dealing with the general public. I just try to remain calm.
Who are some artists you admire?
Dan Marshall, who did my first [tattoo] in New York: By day he paints beautiful watercolor landscapes, by night he does crazy dead-people tattoos.
From what you witnessed, do tattoos have popular trends in the same way fashion does? In other words, is there a certain kind of tattoo that is particularly popular now that maybe wasn’t several years ago?
Yes, Yes, Yes. Trendy tattoos are a never-ending cycle. And Pinterest is the root of all evil here. A tip: if you saw it on Pinterest, I’ve tattooed it 200-plus times, multiplied by every tattoo artist in the country. Trendy tattoos are like when you look at pictures of your parents from the ’80s at the stupid big hair that was so cool then. Now imagine if they had that same hairstyle for the rest of their life! I could go on for days on this subject . . .
