Today we’d like to introduce you to Luis Marrufo.
Hi Luis, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
In my early 20s, my life looked completely different than it does today. I was a musician in a heavy metal band called INCITE. We were signed to a record label, and for years I traveled the world playing music and living what most people would probably consider a rockstar lifestyle. Music wasn’t just something I did — it was who I was.
When I eventually retired from the music industry, that was probably one of the strangest periods of my life. I had spent so many years identifying myself as a musician that when that chapter ended, I honestly didn’t really know who I was anymore.
Then one day I went to a friend’s apartment and got tattooed. Something about watching the process immediately grabbed my attention. I started thinking about tattooing differently. I realized that even though I wasn’t making music anymore, I was still an artist. Music had just been one way I expressed that.
That realization completely changed the direction of my life.
I became obsessed with learning how to tattoo. For about six months, I practiced constantly — fake skin, friends, drawing, drawing, and more drawing. I studied everything I could and spent as much time as possible just trying to get better.
I did try to go the traditional apprenticeship route, but the opportunity I found would have required me to give up 60% of what I made. I decided I would rather take the risk, bet on myself, and continue learning on my own.
That was the beginning of my tattoo career.
Now, more than 13 years later, tattooing has become another chapter of the same creative life I started as a musician. My work has evolved heavily into black-and-gray realism, portraits, religious imagery, sleeves, and larger custom projects. I’ve built my clientele from the ground up, created a six-figure career doing something creative, and today I work out of my own private studio in Phoenix.
Looking back, I don’t really see music and tattooing as two completely different lives anymore. I used to think I had lost my identity when I stopped being a musician. What I eventually realized was that I was never just a musician.
I was always an artist.
Music was one medium. Tattooing became the next one.
And I’m still figuring out where that creativity takes me next.
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?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road.
One of the biggest challenges was starting over after music. I had spent years touring the world with INCITE and identifying myself as a musician, so when that chapter ended, I had to figure out who I was all over again. Tattooing gave me another creative outlet, but becoming good at it took years of patience, repetition, and being willing to suck at something before getting better.
I also didn’t have the traditional apprenticeship or tattoo-shop path. I mostly taught myself through drawing constantly, practicing, studying other artists, working on fake skin, tattooing friends, and learning from every mistake I made. There were definitely times where I questioned whether I was doing things the right way, but I kept going.
Building a clientele from nothing was another challenge. Being a good artist is only part of running a tattoo business. I had to learn how to market myself, communicate with clients, price my work, manage appointments, deal with cancellations, and eventually understand that I wasn’t just an artist anymore — I was running a business.
There have also been periods where business was extremely busy and others where things slowed down. That teaches you quickly that you can’t get comfortable. You have to keep evolving, keep improving your work, and find new ways to reach people.
Even now, after 13 years, I still feel like I’m learning. The challenges have changed, but they never completely disappear. I think the biggest thing that has helped me is being willing to adapt. I’ve reinvented myself before, and I know I can do it again.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Today I’m a tattoo artist specializing primarily in black-and-gray realism and large-scale custom work. I really enjoy pieces that give me room to tell a story — full sleeves, religious imagery, portraits, memorial pieces, darker concepts, and tattoos that incorporate several important parts of someone’s life into one cohesive design.
What I’m most proud of is that I’ve built this career completely from the ground up. I didn’t follow the traditional path into tattooing. I taught myself, practiced constantly, built my clientele one person at a time, and eventually turned something I was curious about into a successful six-figure career and my own private studio.
I think what sets me apart is that I’m not interested in simply copying a picture someone brings me. I want to understand what they actually like about it, what they want the tattoo to represent, and then create something that works specifically for their body. Placement, flow, contrast, longevity, and readability are extremely important to me. Sometimes that means telling a client we need to make something bigger, simplify an idea, or change the placement so it will still look good years from now.
I also put a lot of emphasis on the experience of getting tattooed. Working from a private studio allows me to give each client my full attention instead of making them feel like they’re being moved through a busy shop. A lot of my clients spend an entire day with me, and many come back over multiple sessions as we build larger projects together. Because of that, you end up developing real relationships with people and learning the stories behind the artwork you’re putting on them.
After more than 13 years, I’m still obsessed with improving. I don’t think you ever reach a point where you’ve mastered tattooing completely. Styles change, techniques evolve, and every person’s skin presents a new challenge. That constant pursuit of getting better is probably one of the things I love most about what I do.
At the end of the day, I’m proud that I’ve been able to make a living creating art that people literally carry with them for the rest of their lives. That responsibility is something I never take lightly.
How do you think about luck?
People call me lucky all the time, but I’ve never really looked at my life that way.
I believe I make my own luck.
Everything I’ve built came from making decisions, taking risks, working when nobody was watching, and figuring things out on my own. No one handed me a music career. No one handed me a tattoo career. No one built my clientele or my business for me.
Even when I changed careers completely, I had to start over and teach myself something new from the ground up.
Of course, opportunities come along, and sometimes timing works in your favor. But I think luck only matters if you’re prepared enough to do something with it.
So when people tell me I’m lucky, I appreciate it, but I also know how much work happened behind the scenes to get here.
I’ve always believed that if I want something badly enough, I’ll figure out a way to make it happen.
That’s how I’ve lived my life, and that’s how I run my business.
Pricing:
- Full day session
- Half-day session
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Luismarrufotattoos.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luismarrufotattoo/
