Exploring Life & Business with Dean LaBoyd of San Tan Tattoo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dean LaBoyd.

Hi Dean, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Well, where do I start? My story is just a story of a kid who refused to give up. One who never listened to the naysayers, and kept going despite what life threw my way.

I started at 15 in my mother’s garage making prison-style tattoo machines and tattooing myself. Needless to say, she wasn’t very happy about it back then! But throughout the years, she always has been and always will be my biggest fan!

It took a lot of work to get to the point I am today, took a lot of late nights and early mornings, and took a lot of self-discipline to make sure I kept myself on track.

Around the age of 21 is when I really started taking art seriously. That’s when I realized tattooing is a very serious art form, one you take to the grave. Whether you are the wearer or the creator of that tattoo, that is something we take with us our whole life.

I have recently just passed my 6-year mark of choosing this as my life’s work, my career, my livelihood. And it was the greatest decision I have ever made! Art has given me everything I could have ever hoped for in this life!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Has it been a smooth road? I suppose that it depends on how you look at it. I have had smooth times and I’ve had times that I almost quit tattooing to go get a regular 9-5 job. But thankfully I always stuck with it and now here I am at 30 years old, purchased the tattoo shop I started my career in and busier than I have ever been!

Every day with this has its own individual struggles, but it’s all about my mindset, some things are inevitable and unfortunately, we just have to try to be as prepared as we can be or at least ready to make adjustments as we need to make sure our dream continues. Anyone out there who has chased their dream knows this to be true. You are gonna have hard days regardless of what career or path you take. The important part is that you love what you are doing. So when the hard days do show up, they seem just that much easier to deal with being passionate about what you are doing!

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about San Tan Tattoo?
Well I would have to say the growth I see in my team and where we have gotten this past year, I would say that’s what I’m most proud of brand-wise.

I specialize in bright bold colors and cover-ups. I am very well known for the Disney characters that I recreate in tattoos. I have really made a career off of all the Disney fans out there that trust me with bringing to life their favorite characters! I truly enjoy seeing the pure happiness in my clients’ faces when we finalize the tattoo and they get to finally see it. That, to me, makes all this worth it. Seeing that I could bring that sort of happiness to someone has been a reward in itself!

My attention to details, doesn’t matter if it’s 2 inches tall or a whole back piece, is what sets me apart. I pay meticulous attention to detail to ensure I give my clients the best tattoo they could have ever dreamed of having!

We offer walk-in or tattoo appointments and consultations daily tailored to your custom needs!
We have been working hard on our remodel and decor lately. And soon will be offering oddities as part of our sales along with other collectibles, such as first edition action figures all the way to funky pops!

Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
As with everyone, I’ve had good luck and I’ve had bad luck. I feel they both have played a positive role. Circling back to what I said in a previous section, you just gotta be prepared to deal with that stuff. No path will ever be all great with trying to find that next step. Sometimes luck has been on my side and has helped me with opportunities to be able to grow and meet some amazing people, but also had some times when I wasn’t sure if I should continue. But I always stuck with it no matter what outside obstacles came my way. So luck has always been a double edge sword.

Contact Info:

• Facebook: Facebook.com/santantattoo | Facebook.com/dean.laboyd
• Instagram: Instagram.com/laboyd5150 |  Instagram.com/santantattoo