Meet Carlos Vazquez of CV INK in West Phoenix

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carlos Vazquez.

Carlos, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My parents used to work a lot growing up and I was often left to watch my younger siblings, which gave me a lot of time alone. I remember the first time I picked up a pencil to intentionally try to draw, I was 13 years old with a stack of lowrider and motocross magazines. Both of which depicted people with tattoos and cars with art. For some reason looking through these magazines, it inspired me to try and replicate the things I saw. That whole summer before high school, I remember trying to better myself, drawing as much as I could. I often found myself frustrated because I couldn’t achieve the results I wanted, but something in me didn’t let me quit.

Once high school came around, I found myself indulging in art even more. Freshman art class was amazing for me because it gave me the tools I was lacking on my own but it also humbled me by letting me know I was far from where I wanted to be. High school was also where I met some friends that gave me the idea of tattooing. Honestly, I wanted to get tattooed but no shop was going to tattoo a 15-year-old so my friends mention online cheap tattoo kits and luckily, I had just enough birthday money to acquire one. About a month later, I would find myself ditching school and messing up someone’s thigh tattoo in a friend’s kitchen but hey, we all have to start somewhere right? The interest in art and tattooing grew with time and about a year and half later, I was accepted at Fine Art Tattoos as an apprentice.

There I would watch and learn from the artist. I spent most of the time watching and asking my mentor questions. I started with the very basics like tracing letters, designs, and shapes to eventually being able to tattoo my friends and small walk-in customers. Little by little, forming my own style. With time I moved on from that shop and worked sometimes out of my home and when the opportunity presented itself to work at Razteca Art Tattoo, I took it. Here I have the pleasure of tattooing and learning from other very talented artists. I’ve been here three years now and thankfully, things have been looking up for me. Over the years, I’ve built my own clientele and aspire to keep progressing.

Has it been a smooth road?
Of course not and I use to hate it. I use to get frustrated and mad about things not going smooth but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Now I’ve grown to like the struggles, to embrace the challenges, and look forward to them. I feel like the biggest struggles for me were myself. Suppressing that voice inside my head telling me to quit, to find a “real job”, that what I was working for was not worth it. That voice wasn’t me, it was the negative things people, family, and friends were putting in my head. I don’t think they even said it to insult me or hurt my feelings. I’ve come to understand that sometimes the people you care about don’t want to see you fail so they try to keep you away from things that have a lot of risks and try to steer you in the direction of things that seem more stable.

Low self-esteem due to always comparing myself to others, wondering why others seemed to never struggle and always happy. I learned that EVERYONE has hardships, everyone has bad days, everyone has insecurities, and the only thing that matters is how you overcome those obstacles. Even the undefeated boxers everyone admires have failed and lost before but we only see them in the limelight because they never quit and overcame their defeats. I’m only in competition with myself now.

Also, fear was something I was always trying to figure out how to overcome. Fear of failure, fear of people not understanding my art, fear of people not wanting to get tattooed by me so why even try. I would make up scenarios in my head of how cool ideas I had would not work or be rejected but I learned that you can NOT overcome things that are NOT real. Ninety-nine percent of things I imagined never happened.

We’d love to hear more about your art.
My business name is CV ink tattoos, I have eight years of experience, and I offer high-quality tattoo experiences to anyone 18 and older. I specialize in large scale black and grey realism but also do color and small tattoos as per clients’ request. I’m proud to say that not only do my clients acquire a high-quality tattoo, but I am also responsible for ensuring they feel as comfortable as possible and their tattoo experience is one that makes them want to return to me for future tattoos. I think that what sets me apart is the consistency I have maintained as an artist and the relationships I have built with my clients.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I like that our city is very diverse in culture. Anything you’d like to try or learn about you can get first-hand experience in this city. I try not to focus on the negative but I’d say I don’t agree with the lack of support for local businesses which is why I really like what Voyage Phoenix stands for.

Contact Info:

• Address: Razteca Art tattoo 5270 n 59th ave #18, Glendale, AZ 85301
• Email: cvinktattoos@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cv_ink/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carlos.vazquez.9889

Image Credit:
Geraldine Garcia Instagram: @gerldinegrciaphoto

Suggest a story: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.