Matt Stebly Interview Part 1!
What was your first experience with tattoos?
I guess when I got my first tattoo. It is this little tribal fish on my leg I got on my 18th birthday.
Do you remember the first tattoo you ever did?
The first tattoo I ever did was half the Kanji for family. He said it was too big. It was in the middle of his back. He said, “No one is going to know what the hell it means anyways.” He actually came in about two months ago and is getting the rest of his back done. That was cool to see the first tattoo I ever did.
How often do you travel for tattooing?
I try to keep it to once a month on average. Whether it is a guest spot or a convention. I try to spread it out because of my wife. I don’t get to see her that much.
Did you travel more before you opened your own shop?
No. I didn’t. The whole reason I did was to start traveling. I wanted the shop to be more of an art gallery instead of a tattoo street shop.
When did you open?
It’s been around 15 months or so.
How has that been?
It’s nice. I worked by myself for probably 8 months. Then I got to start doing a bit of traveling. I only have one artist now. It’s hard to hire people.
Who do you look up to in tattooing?
I always appreciate different styles. Obviously Jeff [Gogue] just cause you can always tell a Jeff tattoo. Every kind of style has got somebody that has mastered that style.
How would you describe your style?
You could call it NeoTraditional. That’d probably be the closest thing. Some people call it illustrative. It’s a blend between traditional drawn a little different with not as much heavy black.
