Who is James Allen? The man behind the mustache
Hello Speakeasy readers!
I would like to take a moment to introduce myself! My name is Marléna, and I am one of the new apprentices over here at Speakeasy Tattoo Los Angeles. For my first blog post I will be interviewing my co-apprentice, James!
April showers bring may flowers, and this April marks a shift in apprentices here at Speakeasy Tattoo! Congratulations to the amazing Andreanna, who has recently been spotted tattooing clients, in addition to teaching the new apprentices everything about being apprentices! Don’t tell anyone, but Andreanna has also been holding covert meetings in the garden of Speakeasy, which she conveniently calls ‘tattoo consultations’. There have been reports of laughter during these ‘consults’, which may or may not be a guise for an intricate plan to steal all of Scott’s Reese’s peanut butter cups!
With that being said, I would like to use my first blog post to introduce to you one of Speakeasy’s new apprentices, James Allen!
Hi James! Could you start by telling us a little about yourself, where are you from and what series of events brought you to become an apprentice at Speakeasy tattoo? I’m from Los Angeles, born in San Francisco, and raised here since I was a baby. I’ve spent most of time in the valley, mainly the studio city area. I’ve always pursued illustration and eventually realized I wanted to make a living tattooing. It seems like the best way to draw from my imagination while giving individuals something they will appreciate for a lifetime. I was searching for an apprenticeship opportunity, trying to connect with artists through social media, etc with no luck until I applied to Speakeasy and met Scott. He saw potential in my work and here I am.
If you had to build a secret post-apocalyptic treehouse fort how would you design the floor plan? If the apocalypse happens here in la I would probably get eaten by roving gangs of ravenous cannibals long before I was able to build a tree fort but if somehow I did survive I would probably just cover myself in foliage like a sharpshooter or an orangutan in a rainstorm. I would live in the trees hidden from the zombies.
What place have you never been to but want to go to the most? I would love to go to New Zealand. I’ve only seen footage but it looks beautiful. It’s also full of strange wildlife I would like to see.
What is it about tattooing that has led you to pursue an apprenticeship? I can’t wait to draw my future client’s ideas. I want to create unique designs that they wouldn’t find anywhere else. I would be thrilled just to draw for a living, but it’s a huge extra reward to give my future clients something that they will appreciate and love.
If you you were an alien, what what would your body look like and how would it function? If I was an alien I would be one of those shapeshifting lizard people. I would then become a politician and subtly reveal my form from time to time, frightening those who enjoy tin foil head ware.