Joey Hamilton won Ink Master Season 3, runs four Revolt Tattoos locations between Vegas and Houston, and still tattoos six days a week while the rest of his life runs on what he calls duct tape and a lot of fingers plugging holes. Thirteen years into owning shops and he's still figuring out the business side, because nobody in this industry ever really teaches you that part. You learn to hold a machine before you learn to read a lease agreement, and that gap breaks more good artists than bad talent ever does.
We get into why so many talented tattooers stay broke or stuck even with clients lined up outside the door. Joey traces it back to the old apprenticeship model, the guy with the gun, thirteen hour days, no financial education, just hustle and shut up until the owner says you can go home. That built character but it also trained people to disappear. So when social media and marketing tools showed up, a lot of artists treated self promotion like it was beneath the craft, like being good enough should just be obvious to everyone walking by.
Joey launched a training program at Revolt to hand over the stuff usually hoarded, history, composition, business mindset, actual structure, and caught heat for it immediately. People assumed he was cashing in. Then his student Corbin, a kid who grew up watching Ink Master and wanted in, turned into a real working artist because he got taught instead of hazed. Joey also built an app, kind of a Tinder for tattoos, where artists post their style and pricing and clients book straight from that instead of guessing. His line on the whole resistance to being findable is simple: you exist or you don't. And when Austin brought up getting clowned for his own style before it eventually booked him out eight months solid, Joey just said it's cringe until it fucking works. That's basically the episode.
00:00:00:00 - 00:00:07:06 Joey Hamilton You can't be an owner of a tattoo shop and a full time tattoo artist. And that's where I'm struck. That's because I still tattoo six days a week and I'm like.
00:00:07:06 - 00:00:10:11 Austin Spencer It's so crazy to me, dude. I'm like, super impressed by it, though.
00:00:10:13 - 00:00:17:10 Joey Hamilton It's held together by duct tape and a lot of fucking fingers trying to plug the holes. Oh my god. Yeah, it is difficult.
00:00:17:11 - 00:00:26:10 Austin Spencer Today on the podcast, Joey Hamilton, American tattoo artist, Air Force veteran, season three winner of Ink Master and co-owner of Revolt Tattoos in Las Vegas.
00:00:26:12 - 00:00:41:09 Joey Hamilton The pressures of continuing in this field is great because now you have to either grow with it. Yeah, or figure another way out. How can I get people to see my stuff? Yeah, especially out here. It's like it's harder and harder. Everything is harder to get clients in your chair. You know, like, yeah.
00:00:41:09 - 00:01:02:11 Austin Spencer We talk about the impossible balance between being a tattooer and running a tattoo business, how Joey manages multiple locations while still trying to focus on the craft, and why getting clients has become harder even after years of being booked months in advance. I'm Austin Spencer and this is support your local tattooer. What's happening? Everybody, this is Austin from supporting local tattooer.
00:01:02:13 - 00:01:13:21 Austin Spencer I am in the warehouse this morning. Maverick Supply Co, we are chillin with Mister Joey Hamilton. Winner of the, I don't know, the Ink Master. Season three.
00:01:13:21 - 00:01:14:20 Joey Hamilton Season three? Yeah.
00:01:15:01 - 00:01:21:16 Austin Spencer Season three. Yeah. You're local here to Las Vegas, owner of Revolt tattoos. We just kind of wanted to sit down today. Man. I appreciate you coming in.
00:01:21:17 - 00:01:32:17 Joey Hamilton Well, thanks for chillin. I know I've been wanting to get on here. I, I like a lot of the guys you have on. Oh, it's cool that it's, like you're saying, let's support your local tattoo artist. So it's. Yeah. Kind of cool to see some other guys.
00:01:32:17 - 00:01:38:10 Austin Spencer It's fun to like being in Vegas. We have so many people to pass through. So, yeah, it's awesome. We get a you little.
00:01:38:10 - 00:01:40:23 Joey Hamilton Yeah. Local means nationwide. Yeah.
00:01:40:23 - 00:01:57:17 Austin Spencer Yeah yeah yeah. But I like I like definitely supporting local dudes. And we have so much talent in our city and so many ridiculous types of tattooers to, you know, and different type like tattooers from just crazy different backgrounds too, you know? So, yeah. But I know you got an appointment today, so we're gonna make it quick.
00:01:57:17 - 00:02:01:07 Joey Hamilton Yeah. Early bird gets the worm, man.
00:02:01:09 - 00:02:12:06 Austin Spencer Yeah. Dude, I'm. I'm stoked, man. Thanks for coming down. I like I was doing a little research on you last night, and we were talking, and we were. We were looking over. You said. I thought it was ten years, but it's been 30 years since 13.
00:02:12:06 - 00:02:15:08 Joey Hamilton I don't try to keep track, but, yeah, I think it's around 13 years.
00:02:15:08 - 00:02:24:15 Austin Spencer 13. Dude, that's pretty wild. And you were telling me that now some of the like the you've kind of been receiving like a new boost because they put the show back on Netflix.
00:02:24:15 - 00:02:40:23 Joey Hamilton Yeah, yeah. Once it came out on Netflix a couple years ago. But once that came out, like, it was just like the ten year olds that are now 20 are literally like running a store. Like, I just saw you on TV that, you know, but then they make a joke like, man, you look so much older, you know, because it is 13 friggin years old.
00:02:41:01 - 00:02:41:23 Joey Hamilton Yeah. You know.
00:02:41:23 - 00:02:49:07 Austin Spencer That is really wild. Like, that shit kicked off, like, I don't know what was like the first reality show was hard in Huntington.
00:02:49:07 - 00:03:05:18 Joey Hamilton Or hard in Huntington. Yeah, yeah. Do you know I was on that show also with this little card North? Yeah. So I was on the second season. No. What's the whole reason I'm in Vegas? I ended up here because I was on vacation, came out here, and, I walked in to see if I could do a guest spot because it was the first show on TV about tattooing.
00:03:05:18 - 00:03:16:08 Joey Hamilton Oh, cool. And then I just, I applied, and my last day in town, they said, are you still here? So. Yeah. And I said, alright, you start tomorrow. No, that was it. Yeah. Holy shit. They moved it, sold my shop's house, everything over the phone.
00:03:16:08 - 00:03:17:22 Austin Spencer Really? So were you from the East?
00:03:18:00 - 00:03:25:10 Joey Hamilton I was from, Florida at that. Oh, okay. Yeah. I had a shop in Florida and Destin, Florida. Okay. I had the first shop in a small town, so it was pretty cool.
00:03:25:12 - 00:03:32:23 Austin Spencer What was it about? I mean, other than, like, I'm assuming, like, getting the exposure, like. Like you weren't intimidated or at all. You just, like, saw it as it,
00:03:33:01 - 00:03:52:17 Joey Hamilton You know, it's a lot of things. I'm all. I'm ex-military, so it's always helped out to, like, they could be like, tomorrow. You're going right here. Yeah. Three months. Yeah, yeah. So that mentality of, like, trying something new or going some new place was never I've never been against it, you know. And even when I started tattooing, I was trained by somebody 30 years ago that I've been tattooing six months.
00:03:52:19 - 00:03:55:03 Austin Spencer Yeah. So yeah. Yeah, yeah.
00:03:55:07 - 00:04:09:13 Joey Hamilton Think about that. So, you know, it was so, so hard to get into it. But I got, you know, it gave me Mickey Sharp's right away. Give me some good machines. So it was really cool. I got into it and then just, you know, it was kind of kind of crazy.
00:04:09:15 - 00:04:13:23 Austin Spencer Do you feel like the military background helped you progress in the world of tattooing?
00:04:13:23 - 00:04:29:18 Joey Hamilton I hyperfocus wise yeah, yeah. Focus wise. Yeah. I work exactly when you when it's time to go to work, you go to work. I'm not going there to do anything else I can. When I'm off, then I'll go do all the other things we're supposed to be done. Yeah, but when I'm at work, it's like it's timed. It's.
00:04:29:20 - 00:04:32:00 Joey Hamilton That's what I'm there for. I'm not there to do anything else.
00:04:32:00 - 00:04:36:19 Austin Spencer That's great. Yeah, that's what what kind of what? One of my military and, Air force.
00:04:36:19 - 00:04:39:00 Joey Hamilton Oh. Okay. The chair for surgery.
00:04:39:02 - 00:04:40:09 Austin Spencer Like. Oh, or.
00:04:40:11 - 00:04:45:16 Joey Hamilton I did ten years and years. Yeah, I did soap from, 86 to 96.
00:04:45:18 - 00:04:48:07 Austin Spencer And you jumped all around the States or,
00:04:48:09 - 00:05:08:16 Joey Hamilton The world, like, I literally got to go. I was a part of special Ops out of Herbert Field. So literally any place outside the helicopters with the guns on them, that's what I worked on. So anytime those were going somewhere, we would go like Saudi, Kuwait, Egypt, Turkey, Guam, Hawaii, Thailand, like I've been. Yeah, all over. But that was the funny part.
00:05:08:16 - 00:05:16:21 Joey Hamilton I never been to Vegas, so no shit. Like I literally circle back. I was like, I'm just going to go to Vegas for 30 days. And that's when I walked into Art in Huntington. And yeah.
00:05:16:23 - 00:05:19:04 Austin Spencer And we're like, single dude moved to Vegas or.
00:05:19:07 - 00:05:36:14 Joey Hamilton I was getting divorced. I was already but a year into being separated. Yeah, yeah. And, this one poker was going big and I'm like, I'm just going to go play poker, really, for, you know, 30 days. Me, my buddy came out from Florida and it was, I consider the last day in town. I got the job and and that was it.
00:05:36:14 - 00:05:37:06 Joey Hamilton So no.
00:05:37:06 - 00:06:02:14 Austin Spencer Shit then. Hey, quick pause before we keep going. True or false? Tattoo artists are particular about their gear. Obviously. True, right. Because tattooing already takes enough focus. You're thinking about the client, the design, the skin, the linework, the timing. The last thing you need is gear that makes the session feel harder than it has to be. Maverick's Supply Co was built with that in mind reliable cartridges, gear and shop essentials for artists who care about the details from people who actually understand the work.
00:06:02:17 - 00:06:18:08 Austin Spencer So if you've been meaning to tighten up your set up, scan the QR code on the screen. Use the link in the show notes. You can also use code built for 10% off. Now let's get back to the episode A jump. Right on. So you were on this second season, you said. And how did that go?
00:06:18:08 - 00:06:33:18 Joey Hamilton Like, you know, it was fun. You never think about it. Like when I came on there, I was all excited, and I'm like, man, this is so cool. Yeah, but now I could see it from the point of view of the other artists. Yeah, because they're bringing in this guy that they didn't. Nobody fucking knew. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:06:33:18 - 00:06:52:08 Joey Hamilton And they're just like, this guy's taking my money. This guy's whatever. So there was definitely I just came in excited and they're just like, probably secretly going, fuck this guy. Yeah, yeah, totally. So, you know, but there was a lot, you know, a lot of people I still talk with Lacy. I talk with Josh petty. Yeah. You know, I see Clark around town every once in a while, so.
00:06:52:09 - 00:07:00:00 Joey Hamilton Yeah, you know, of course, you know, just. But, yeah, I think we have the same birthday. Or really, are my son one of those? Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So.
00:07:00:05 - 00:07:08:20 Austin Spencer Dang. That's fucking rad. Yeah, I, I love that you just went for it to. Do you think that that was part of, like, like the writing of the show to, like, bring in the new guy to like.
00:07:08:20 - 00:07:22:20 Joey Hamilton Yeah, yeah. They were searching for somebody new because they had just they it wasn't working out with Thomas, I believe. I never met Thomas. Okay. Yeah. He was on season one. He was like the main guy on season one. Okay. So they were looking for like a not that I was a main guy, but a replacement character, I guess.
00:07:22:20 - 00:07:25:14 Joey Hamilton So, yeah. And it was cool. Like, it's.
00:07:25:15 - 00:07:29:01 Austin Spencer Young, handsome dude. Get talented. Get in there. And then.
00:07:29:03 - 00:07:39:00 Joey Hamilton What? I forgot what they said. Something, redneck rough, or they said something kind of funny about my look back then. You know what I mean? Yeah, yeah. Oh.
00:07:39:00 - 00:07:49:04 Austin Spencer It's fun. And then. So you jumped right in there, did you? And you guys were real busy about the second season. Oh my God, first season. The shop was super slow. Yeah. The show or killed off like as the show.
00:07:49:04 - 00:08:03:17 Joey Hamilton Yeah. You're talking 30 to 50 people online every day. Yeah. As soon as you opened the doors, I was I worked so many doubles just because that's not. I'm not greedy. I just was like, if the money is there, you might. And you got people wanting to get tattooed. Why would I not a tattoo.
00:08:03:17 - 00:08:04:13 Austin Spencer And you love tattooing.
00:08:04:13 - 00:08:21:23 Joey Hamilton Yeah, I love it. Yeah, exactly. Like I can't imagine myself doing anything else. Like when people say it's a job. It is a job. Yeah. My whole body hurts from this job. Yes, but in my mind. But it's like I don't want to be doing anything else. I love creating every day and creating something different. Like, that's the best part.
00:08:22:01 - 00:08:37:06 Joey Hamilton I was, you know, when I first started tattooing was you're going to paint motorcycles or tattoo shit. And, I had a great offer to go be a motorcycle painter, from a huge by builder. And I was like, I don't know what I'm doing. So I was like, I just started tattooing. I was like, oh, kind of like this.
00:08:37:06 - 00:08:48:00 Joey Hamilton I love the idea of every day you walk in and you're doing something that's art based, but different styles. I'm a walking dialog. What do you want to get? Cool. Let's go.
00:08:48:00 - 00:09:06:09 Austin Spencer Yeah, let's make it. I know that's funny because I before I was tattooing, I was an apprentice and for a painter and we were doing motorcycles and low riders. Yeah. So I went from being in this like dusty dark shop and where no one spoke English around me. And they just when they did, it was just to talk shit, which I'm totally okay with, like getting roasted.
00:09:06:11 - 00:09:21:23 Austin Spencer But, then I had the opportunity to take on the apprenticeship because I'd been pursuing that too on the side with tattooing and jump into a tattoo shop and just. I was an illustrator ever since I was a kid, so just drawing and working directly with customers and making cash that day was like, Holy shit, this is cool.
00:09:22:02 - 00:09:28:05 Austin Spencer Yeah, and I was single, you know? So I was like, this is there's a lot of girls. I'm listening to music all day long. Yeah.
00:09:28:07 - 00:09:38:06 Joey Hamilton Yeah, yeah. It's like you're a mini rockstar. Almost like a sense of you. Especially if you're in small towns, because you could, you know, you go out and everybody's like, oh, I want to talk to this guy because. Yeah.
00:09:38:08 - 00:09:53:12 Austin Spencer Oh do we, we would go out and like walk by the hard rock who's playing it in the joint. And then I noticed that I, oh, I did a full sleeve on the front door. Guy. It's like, oh, you and all six of your friends can come in. And then, yeah, it was cool, dude. You know, and in my early 20s.
00:09:53:17 - 00:09:55:05 Austin Spencer Yeah. And now I don't.
00:09:55:07 - 00:09:58:12 Joey Hamilton Go out the same hook up for dinners. I'm like, yeah, I know that guy.
00:09:58:14 - 00:10:07:00 Austin Spencer I think I just, I saw on your blog or on your Instagram that you like just posting pictures with some chefs, and I don't know about you, but like, I fucking love tattooing chefs now. Oh yeah anybody.
00:10:07:01 - 00:10:15:15 Joey Hamilton That's who's carbon chef that's so awesome too. So you know I don't date anybody. It berries. But we just love berries like it's my favorite steakhouse.
00:10:15:17 - 00:10:25:02 Austin Spencer I do when you. Yeah. When you tattoo a chef and you show up and you get that like good table and all the food starts rolling out. Yeah. I personally feel like that's my favorite.
00:10:25:02 - 00:10:27:14 Joey Hamilton Yeah, that's the new rock star for us. Like oh yes.
00:10:27:17 - 00:10:31:13 Austin Spencer Yeah. I take my kids out to dinner to some shit and then really? Well that's fun.
00:10:31:14 - 00:10:32:02 Joey Hamilton Yeah.
00:10:32:02 - 00:10:37:02 Austin Spencer So then you jump from Hart and Huntington. Yeah. And you ended up jumping over to club?
00:10:37:04 - 00:10:54:03 Joey Hamilton Well, actually, I went to Starlight first. I helped Mario open that store. I didn't help him. I just work for Mario. But, yeah, at the beginning, it was me. Clean rock one, Jason Trenton. Like, there was a couple guys that we. Oh, yeah, there's maybe 5 or 6 of us. It was only three station, little shop, so.
00:10:54:05 - 00:11:06:05 Joey Hamilton But it was crazy. It was, you know, you think it was a bad spot because it's a that Mandalay. Okay, that was. Yeah, but the drop off for the escalator, like for the tram. Yeah, it was right there. So every day was doing.
00:11:06:05 - 00:11:11:06 Austin Spencer And people in the middle of the casino Caesars in this class box like. Yeah. How fucking crazy.
00:11:11:06 - 00:11:12:23 Joey Hamilton I went there for a year. So it's cool.
00:11:12:23 - 00:11:30:05 Austin Spencer Our city as far as, like a tattoo economy and a culture is so unique to anywhere in the world, I think. Yeah. First we had all the old school shops on the strip and downtown or off the strip and downtown. Then they opened. They started opening up near the strip. Yeah. And then they started opening up in the casinos.
00:11:30:07 - 00:11:35:16 Austin Spencer And that just created we have like we have a really unique world of tattooing.
00:11:35:16 - 00:11:59:02 Joey Hamilton Yeah. It's I mean, I've always considered a try 4 to 500 shops out here. Yeah. Yeah. So I always seen like we do have a lot of shops you know. So it's and with the, the casinos and stuff like that in the malls, like I'm in a mall like it's, it is, it's crazy to think that that we're on the strip and in, a huge mall on the strip in Las Vegas.
00:11:59:06 - 00:12:23:01 Joey Hamilton Yeah, but now it's common. Yeah. You know, it's. Yeah. So, yeah, it's so crazy. But with that being said, now every casino want to shop, every mall want to shop. And that's where this expansion of what's going on is, is difficult because I've got three within a two minute walk of me probably now. Yeah. You know, so it's, it's hard to compete with, with some of these people.
00:12:23:01 - 00:12:28:12 Joey Hamilton But it's, you know, it's still do your best and. Yeah. Hope they come back.
00:12:28:17 - 00:12:33:13 Austin Spencer Yeah yeah yeah yeah. No doubt it was something you jumped around. You were like over. You went to like you don't.
00:12:33:13 - 00:12:53:23 Joey Hamilton Want to be shopped. Yeah. That's a club. That's. I've always worked in a tourist style shop. Yeah. So even in Florida I worked on the Gulf Coast and Fort Walton Beach. It, tattoos forever. And literally that was like the spring break for Alabama. Georgia, like all these places. And they were just. So I've always been in that high trafficked tourist area.
00:12:54:01 - 00:13:09:03 Joey Hamilton So when I came out here, I'm like, yeah, what's the best spot I can work at? So then I went to club after Starlite and I worked a club for five years, like, okay, Sean and me were pretty good buddies and, you know, and I actually try to get them to be partners in revolt. Really? Yeah.
00:13:09:03 - 00:13:15:12 Joey Hamilton When I took all business plan to them and stuff and, Yeah, yeah, we had a meeting, and it's like it just didn't work out. But, you know.
00:13:15:14 - 00:13:18:13 Austin Spencer I've been conversing back and forth with him. I'm trying to get him on.
00:13:18:13 - 00:13:26:14 Joey Hamilton Yeah. No, he's. Yeah. I mean, we've had our differences and. Yeah. Yeah. Same with Mario. But it's all like now it's like, you know, hey whatever. Yeah yeah.
00:13:26:14 - 00:13:34:16 Austin Spencer Yeah, yeah. We're all getting through the world of tattooing and we're all artists and we're all sensitive at times and business owners and stressed and yeah, it's definitely anxious.
00:13:34:17 - 00:13:49:10 Joey Hamilton You never knew this, but I actually was if it didn't work out where I was at, like the I was going to come to your shop, really. I was like literally going, this is if I have to go off the strip. Yeah, I'm going to this shop. Yeah. This is because you have you back then you had a great reputation.
00:13:49:10 - 00:14:02:01 Joey Hamilton Yeah. You know what I mean. So I don't know if you would hire me, but I'm just saying I was literally hired you. That was my brain was like, okay, studio 21, is it if I, if I am not going to make it in, in, in one of those shops? And then I.
00:14:02:01 - 00:14:18:07 Austin Spencer Do I take great pride in our shop kind of. I've always kind of described it as like being a bridge for Las Vegas, for tattooers that are on the strip, that sometimes kind of had the tendency to get stuck. Yeah, and not build local clientele. But yeah, and they can come to us and then we can still provide them with a good clientele base.
00:14:18:07 - 00:14:38:03 Austin Spencer And then as they build their own local clientele, they obviously like move on or go to go do whatever. But that's kind of like it seems it's, you know how it is. It's sad to see someone go when they come and they work with you for years and you develop a friendship and sometimes emotions get flared or whatever, and it doesn't work out as perfect as it always should, but it's just the way it is, you know, and.
00:14:38:05 - 00:14:39:00 Joey Hamilton We just, I mean, I.
00:14:39:00 - 00:14:40:16 Austin Spencer Think.
00:14:40:18 - 00:14:55:20 Joey Hamilton Ten years or 11 years, I just say one. Yeah. And he decided to move on. And there's like, you know, some of the guys are like, oh, man, we're losing. Am I going? We've lost a lot of great guys. They they want to move on. Like that's why I've moved on from other shop. So I understand that mentality.
00:14:55:20 - 00:15:05:13 Joey Hamilton Like he wants to be pushed talent wise. So that's kind of you know where it's at. And yeah the best of luck to him. And you know if he needs it there's a touch up. Yeah. Oh yeah it's like.
00:15:05:14 - 00:15:06:03 Austin Spencer Oh my dude.
00:15:06:03 - 00:15:22:15 Joey Hamilton Like it was it was funny because when we first hired him we didn't even hire him. We were saying, we said go. Me and, Walter interviewed him and then we're like, hey, go away for a month and work on these three things. And he did came back and showed us and we hired him and and the kids just skyrocketed, like on talent wise.
00:15:22:15 - 00:15:23:16 Joey Hamilton So, yeah. Do you think.
00:15:23:20 - 00:15:37:08 Austin Spencer That military background help you deal with that type of stuff too? And, I don't know how to say just, you know, just like get you through those difficult times, be open minded enough to see that there's, like, value in what you're being taught, but keep your fucking mouth shut. Kind of like.
00:15:37:12 - 00:15:58:00 Joey Hamilton Or you just know I was secretly, like, hating. I was like, what the fuck? This guy's got no world experience, you know? And he's bossing me around, and. And I thought I knew better. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, I did have the respect for him to to keep my mouth shut to an extent. But me, my mean other guy, Jason Stefan was just like, every night strip club, like.
00:15:58:00 - 00:16:15:21 Joey Hamilton Yeah, he would, he would always time it like, okay, you guys can go home and there'll be about 30 minutes left. Yeah. And we'd haul ass over there and, you know, and he's always like, you know, this is the thing about our, you know, our craft industry, whatever is that. Nobody teaches you anything. No financial stuff?
00:16:16:02 - 00:16:16:08 Austin Spencer No.
00:16:16:08 - 00:16:34:00 Joey Hamilton I know how to how to how to, especially in these modern times, how to actually physically run a store, how to run a business. Yeah. Like there's so many things lacking in our experience. And like you're saying you're you're using AI or whatever tool to try and better yourself and better what you're doing for the rest of everybody else.
00:16:34:02 - 00:16:35:14 Joey Hamilton And in your store shop.
00:16:35:14 - 00:16:36:09 Austin Spencer Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:16:36:09 - 00:16:40:10 Joey Hamilton It's crazy that people look down on that because, yeah, there's no training.
00:16:40:10 - 00:17:00:01 Austin Spencer And they say some shit like, oh, you should hire somebody else. I'm like, okay, so I have a full time Google manager like Nads manager. And they use the same fucking tools I use. I have a coach that I paid to help me build and understand how to build my website more, to be more converting. And just like, yeah, I don't know how to do that shit like there is.
00:17:00:01 - 00:17:02:15 Joey Hamilton And we should, we should. I mean, they use.
00:17:02:15 - 00:17:03:17 Austin Spencer The fucking tools to.
00:17:03:17 - 00:17:14:23 Joey Hamilton Yeah. You know, I figure I, somebody said it best, but they were just like, you can't be an owner of a tattoo shop and a full time tattoo artist. And that's where I'm struggling. That's because I still tattoo six days a week and I'm like, that's so.
00:17:14:23 - 00:17:18:14 Austin Spencer Crazy to me. And I'm like, super impressed by it.
00:17:18:16 - 00:17:41:17 Joey Hamilton It's it's, held together by duct tape and a lot of fucking fingers trying to plug the holes. Oh my God. Yeah. It is difficult. Like, it is not especially being where we're at. We have four locations. So yeah, other states we deal with and just even that like knowing the laws or regulations in different states, the health shit, but just financial tax shit and or what is not is not finite.
00:17:41:17 - 00:17:42:01 Joey Hamilton What is it.
00:17:42:03 - 00:17:43:04 Austin Spencer Just all the tax stuff. Yeah.
00:17:43:04 - 00:17:49:22 Joey Hamilton Just different states and you're just like, oh I didn't know how to do that, you know what I mean? Like if we hire lawyers to do it, but yep.
00:17:50:03 - 00:17:52:04 Austin Spencer They it. Yeah.
00:17:52:04 - 00:17:52:12 Joey Hamilton Yeah.
00:17:52:12 - 00:18:09:07 Austin Spencer And then you need a CPA in every state and then need to know each business separately. Yeah, it's a lot dude. And yeah, I, I have my own insecurities with not tattooing a whole lot these days. But I'm also like realize that like, my bandwidth, my brain can't handle like, all these different types of things. Like, I don't even know how you do it with your four stores now.
00:18:09:07 - 00:18:13:08 Austin Spencer Yeah, yeah. And that's wild. But you have a partner that helps.
00:18:13:10 - 00:18:32:19 Joey Hamilton Manage like another managing member. And then I have a GM. Oh, I've always tried to get a really good business CEO and I thought I, you know, it's. Yeah, it's never worked out, I bet. And it's crazy because you think, oh, this guy sells himself as this person. Yeah. And then they come through and you're just like, what are you doing?
00:18:32:23 - 00:18:48:16 Joey Hamilton Oh, shit. Yeah. This happened like, twice. And then, and my GM, he he does a decent job. It's good. Like he's been was ever since day one. Yeah. So I appreciate what he's done but still, like, it's like he can do. He is not a you know business grads laws you know whatever I.
00:18:48:16 - 00:19:05:18 Austin Spencer Know and that and then I know I've had the tendency to get out sold by those type of people too, you know. But yeah. And like it's so easy for us as artists, you're like, I just want to focus on the tattooing. And then, you're then you're everything you're doing is you're you're learning all the time, every little step outside a tattoo.
00:19:05:19 - 00:19:18:00 Austin Spencer I mean, you're you're learning and tattooing too, but imagine like, yeah, like you, you're just going to learn how to run a business. I just remember the largest struggles for me personally were, managing people.
00:19:18:03 - 00:19:18:12 Joey Hamilton Yeah.
00:19:18:16 - 00:19:34:22 Austin Spencer Is incredibly difficult. Yeah. And then you go from your peers to. Then you're working side by side, and then now they work for you. Technically. You know, I always like, did like the word it like that, but, like, you're still working in my world. Like, these are my rules that I came up with. You agreed to them before you came on.
00:19:35:00 - 00:19:38:21 Austin Spencer Yeah, and it's fucking hard, dude. Yeah, I think people are comfortable and they.
00:19:38:21 - 00:19:59:09 Joey Hamilton Yeah, I think that's a problem with Vegas in general is because the casino shops heavily rely on somebody else to sell your stuff for you. Yeah. So when you're, you know, when you're getting into these other shops and you need to sell yourself, they kind of forget how to sell themselves. Yeah. You know what I mean. Just a little bit.
00:19:59:09 - 00:20:09:20 Joey Hamilton And that's where, you know, the traffic or you got to really like hey, let's the team part. Like, hey, come on guys, less people are walking in the door. Let's get it going. You know. So you go from.
00:20:09:22 - 00:20:12:21 Austin Spencer Tattooer to motivator manager.
00:20:12:23 - 00:20:14:06 Joey Hamilton Who will trying to motivate what is.
00:20:14:07 - 00:20:16:06 Austin Spencer Advertising work and how to.
00:20:16:08 - 00:20:42:17 Joey Hamilton That's what I'm saying. Those I've always really wanted to focus on the tattoo part and I've never I don't want to be the owner slash business guy. I don't want to be that. I love being the entrepreneur and thinking about like, yeah, what can I do? Like that's where this goal came in. That's where I had med tat, where I'm, you know, medical tattoo supply work, some great products, but I've never had the strong business guy.
00:20:42:19 - 00:20:49:00 Joey Hamilton You know, when I first opened revolt two, I was the before Instagram Live Facebook Live. We had seven cameras.
00:20:49:02 - 00:20:50:11 Austin Spencer I remember that, yeah.
00:20:50:13 - 00:21:07:23 Joey Hamilton So what a great marketing tool. Like they would come in and they would say like, I want to be on camera right now. Yeah. And so we would, you know, usually in the camera over and people, they could contact everybody they knew. Yeah. To watch them would get tattooed live like it was such a cool thing, you know.
00:21:07:23 - 00:21:22:14 Austin Spencer And you weren't, they weren't afraid. Like, I don't know, you know how just tattooers in the culture. Like, it just seems like there's so much pressure of you not to do anything different than other people are doing, you know? And when you do those things, you get this backlash.
00:21:22:14 - 00:21:38:19 Joey Hamilton That, yeah, I don't know if we got backlash from cameras, but I get it. But, because it was like something cool. And the next thing you know, like Facebook Live, nobody's like Facebook Live. Oh my God, look. Oh, yeah, I do all day. Yeah, but now it's just full circle. Now it's like constantly having to create content.
00:21:38:21 - 00:21:56:22 Joey Hamilton And that's where this huge divide is that in our industry is like, you know, I've seen, it's like almost daily somebody quitting of 20 years and you're just like, I don't want to do this. You know, the pressures of continuing in this field is is great because now you have to you have to either grow with it.
00:21:57:00 - 00:22:16:12 Joey Hamilton Yeah. Or figure another way out of how how can I get people to see my stuff? Yeah. How can I? The word of mouth is especially out here. It's like it's harder and harder. Everything's harder to get clients in your chair, you know, like, yeah, I was booked out six months straight, like six days a week. Yeah. So when somebody says, I'm booked out, like, what, three days?
00:22:16:12 - 00:22:30:13 Joey Hamilton I'm going out six days a week for six months? Yeah. Constantly tattoo on and, and now it's like, I have stuff open in two weeks. Yeah. You know what I mean? So the deal is here, but, you know, how can we. Yeah. Stay busy.
00:22:30:15 - 00:22:40:07 Austin Spencer Now, one thing I've found that, like, by forcing myself to step away from actually tattooing every day, it did give me. Although I didn't make any fucking money like.
00:22:40:09 - 00:22:40:14 Joey Hamilton
00:22:40:16 - 00:23:10:14 Austin Spencer Which everybody thinks are fucking rich when you own a tattoo shop. Yeah, we both know that that's not true. Yeah, I, I got to really, like, focus on and put myself in the, like, a front position to help all of the guys and gals, like, get people in their seats, and. And I couldn't have done both of those, you know, like, I'm stressed this week because I like on Thursday, I'm starting like a need ankle sleeve and I'm rusty lately, you know, like just sitting down and thinking about all the drawing I have to do.
00:23:10:14 - 00:23:21:06 Austin Spencer I'm like, laying in bed at, like 1:00 in the morning this morning. Like, fuck, dude, like, how am I going to draw this? And how am I going to do this? And yeah, like and I'm only two. I'm not tattooing much right now, but.
00:23:21:08 - 00:23:39:12 Joey Hamilton Do you like like that's what I used to do is I would, I'm really good at composition. Yeah. You know what I mean? Because I'm a realistic, basic artist. So it's like, typically OG. I'm just thinking in my brain, and that's what I like. The subject. How do I put this here. Yeah. That there. Yeah. And then I'll go find the reference that I want to use and then put it together.
00:23:39:12 - 00:23:58:17 Austin Spencer And I spend a lot of my time doing like, real like kind of scene driven, like story kind of telling of these cartoon characters, like skeletons. I call them Skelly dudes, like, in these weird worlds. So I would think more about, like, the details of, like, if the skeleton is going to be sitting here, can you have like a, a scorpion behind him?
00:23:58:17 - 00:24:02:02 Austin Spencer And can the scorpion be wearing a cowboy hat, you know, or something weird? I don't know any.
00:24:02:03 - 00:24:13:01 Joey Hamilton Illustrator like this. Definitely. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, just honest question. Like how many people, how many artists do you think are actual, like a true artist illustrator in this profession?
00:24:13:01 - 00:24:14:15 Austin Spencer Pretty minimal these days.
00:24:14:15 - 00:24:15:20 Joey Hamilton Yeah, I would say 1%.
00:24:15:20 - 00:24:21:16 Austin Spencer Yeah. I just did a video. It's true. Yeah. Right. Minimal. Right now the iPad itself.
00:24:21:17 - 00:24:23:13 Joey Hamilton Is still drawing the iPad. I mean, I'm not.
00:24:23:13 - 00:24:38:16 Austin Spencer Saying no no, no no. Yeah I guess I just mean like, yeah. I don't know, like the iPad. I feel like made a lot of people lazy. Right. It was too easy to grab a Google at Google Image and trace the shape of the skull instead of drawing that skull a thousand times and developing your own style and everything.
00:24:38:18 - 00:24:53:01 Austin Spencer I always had my own insecurities too, about my style. Like I had a lot of people talk shit about it because it was different and it wasn't traditional, but it wasn't new school. And I don't know, I just I just finally, like, decided I was just like, this is what comes out of me. This is what I think of in bed.
00:24:53:01 - 00:25:04:02 Austin Spencer So I'm just going to do it. And I became like super successful of it. And like you said, I was booked out. I think at one point in time, eight months in advance, at five days a week, you know, and sometimes six because.
00:25:04:04 - 00:25:05:08 Joey Hamilton I can't say no.
00:25:05:10 - 00:25:06:04 Austin Spencer Can't say no.
00:25:06:04 - 00:25:09:01 Joey Hamilton You know, you're my buddy. Let's go. Yeah, I'll get you on my birthday.
00:25:09:01 - 00:25:29:16 Austin Spencer And I did that for a really, really long time. And I got, I got to the point where I was only doing my style of illustration. So super grateful for that. But then Black and gray had its boom dude. Yeah. Like mid, mid 2000. I don't know, like ten, 12, 15 or something. And it seemed like all of my clients like started showing up with like these black and gray realism portraits or black and gray this.
00:25:29:16 - 00:25:51:19 Austin Spencer And I was like, oh fuck, I don't know how to do black and gray, you know? And then I saw my clientele kind of drop like big time. So that's kind of also the time when I decided, all right, like, I should be taking the knee of this bit of slow time to focus on my business and trying to figure out how to learn and grow and build that, you know, and I still only have one shot, but I take great pride in the fact that it's like.
00:25:51:21 - 00:25:52:12 Joey Hamilton It does a nice job.
00:25:52:12 - 00:25:54:23 Austin Spencer It seems to be run well, you know, like we.
00:25:54:23 - 00:25:59:02 Joey Hamilton Have some of the artists are great. Like I said, we've always had to have known a couple of those guys for a while.
00:25:59:06 - 00:26:16:07 Austin Spencer Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I've turned down opportunities to open shops in the casinos. You know, we had an opportunity to open up one in the MGM at another time. And the Treasure Island reached out to us, and I don't know what it was. I just fucking chickened out. Like at the last second, I, I was too afraid of, like, having.
00:26:16:13 - 00:26:17:22 Austin Spencer It's two different worlds to.
00:26:18:03 - 00:26:27:13 Joey Hamilton Like, two do a lot of money. Like people don't realize, like you're not going to open. I opened my first shop for $12,000. Yeah. That's crazy. And now the shops are 250 to 500. I thought.
00:26:27:14 - 00:26:28:00 Austin Spencer Yeah.
00:26:28:02 - 00:26:29:23 Joey Hamilton And you're just like. You're just like.
00:26:30:01 - 00:26:35:02 Austin Spencer And the casinos want you. You pay all the build out. Oh, yeah. But you don't own anything and you don't fucking like them.
00:26:35:02 - 00:26:50:14 Joey Hamilton I give you 30,000 for the build out, but it's nothing. It's nothing. Yeah. You know. And you'll get to, you know, you're starting in a. Yeah. That was what I liked about my first shop was like you literally such a low entry level. And then day one, you're making money. Yeah. That was like, this is awesome.
00:26:50:19 - 00:26:52:09 Austin Spencer That's why I got into tattooing, though.
00:26:52:09 - 00:27:08:00 Joey Hamilton And then you come out here and it's like, oh, it's, you know, the builds $400,000 and now it takes you two years to even break, even if that's if you're lucky. Like it's. Yeah, this it is not, like this big thing that people know. You know.
00:27:08:02 - 00:27:23:18 Austin Spencer I our first shop, we, we spent like, 30 grand to build out, you know, and then and that was full contractors came in and built the walls and fucking even had an architect lay out like some squares, you know, we did it regular shit. But. And then our second one was just through the fucking roof, like almost 300 grand.
00:27:23:18 - 00:27:25:19 Austin Spencer Oh, damn. No. And then and then I.
00:27:25:19 - 00:27:26:14 Joey Hamilton That's off the strip.
00:27:26:14 - 00:27:37:11 Austin Spencer So that's even crazier. Yeah, I paid myself 50%. Or just because I felt like I was just pay myself the exact same as my artist. Yeah. And I did that for like seven years. Yeah, I did.
00:27:37:11 - 00:27:47:04 Joey Hamilton It for the first five, a revolt. I paid myself just a little bit more than what I was paying anybody else. Yeah, but they could actually I did a sliding scale bonus stuff. They worked hard and got.
00:27:47:06 - 00:28:04:14 Austin Spencer X amount a week or whatever. You get more exact stuff. Yes. You did. Yeah. Yeah. That's cool. Yeah. It's it's not fucking easy to do that. But yeah for everybody out there that, that you know, thinks that it looks glamorous to, you know, at a youngster like you, you think to like, oh, opening shops is slowed down a little.
00:28:04:14 - 00:28:07:04 Austin Spencer I mean, we're seeing a lot of them closed, but, I don't know.
00:28:07:06 - 00:28:09:09 Joey Hamilton Hard to say. Yeah, I know, I spend.
00:28:09:09 - 00:28:09:21 Austin Spencer All my time.
00:28:10:00 - 00:28:27:14 Joey Hamilton With me, break off and go open their own shops. Yes. Yeah, yeah. You know, most people when I leave my shop, they'll move out of town because I'm pretty easy to work for. Like I don't dictate anything. Like literally I've had guys walk in and two hours later walk out on their shifts, like, you're just like, hey, see you tomorrow.
00:28:27:16 - 00:28:28:03 Joey Hamilton You know.
00:28:28:05 - 00:28:30:16 Austin Spencer How's how's that, that inner struggle.
00:28:30:16 - 00:28:31:14 Joey Hamilton Because. Oh, it is.
00:28:31:14 - 00:28:42:21 Austin Spencer It's very tough. Yeah. You know, you're finding that fine line of, like, learning how to communicate. Yeah. In those tough time. Like, artists are just notoriously not good at it. I think most humans aren't.
00:28:42:21 - 00:28:43:19 Joey Hamilton Yeah.
00:28:43:21 - 00:28:44:11 Austin Spencer It's it's.
00:28:44:11 - 00:29:02:18 Joey Hamilton Very our, our field of art. Our artists are definitely they're artists. So they're going to be fickle. They're going to be you know how you know how to say you the most are great. Most are pleasant to be around, but some are not. You know, just like you. Just as the mentality got to just get through the day and get a job, you know.
00:29:02:18 - 00:29:19:12 Austin Spencer Yeah, I've, I've worked with some very difficult humans in my day. Yeah. Especially a youngster to like I opened up my shop when I was 23 years old. Know those hiring guys when they were 35, 41 tattooing way longer than me? Yeah. And just like day one were just they wanted the to work with you because they knew you.
00:29:19:12 - 00:29:34:06 Austin Spencer They can make money at your shop, but they didn't want to respect you. And I'm like, I'm not like an egomaniac. I'm not looking for like, crazy respect. I just like you said, I just just can you please just show up and, like, just be kind of kind to the customers? I'm more concerned with, you know, you could be rude to me, but.
00:29:34:11 - 00:29:51:02 Austin Spencer Right. Just don't be rude to the customers, dude. Like, we're still we're trying to, like, we're trying to break the mold, too. We opened up in 2003 here. We're kind of trying to break the mold of the old school type shop, you know, and bright and fun and clean and friendly and and we got a lot of shit for that to, you know.
00:29:51:02 - 00:30:00:01 Joey Hamilton To me, like, you can never win. I guess you could be like, the cutting edge guy, or you could be like, yeah, I think you're cutting edge. But then everybody hates it because you're cutting edge. Yeah. You know.
00:30:00:02 - 00:30:12:06 Austin Spencer Then if you're following the form of what, everybody tells you to do in your community, like, are you really ever going to stand out? Are you ever going to do something like when you are trying to push and trying to learn and be.
00:30:12:06 - 00:30:27:01 Joey Hamilton I've never been there. I don't think you're that guy. I'm not that guy. Like I want to be. I don't want to be. I don't need my face to be on everything. That's. Yeah, the misconception I've heard about myself is that I wanted to be famous. I wanted to be this and that. Am I never. I'm okay with it.
00:30:27:02 - 00:30:32:06 Austin Spencer You saw opportunity? Yeah. You were just like, you showed up and you're like, oh, cool. I like to tattoo. I'll fucking work with you guys.
00:30:32:06 - 00:30:39:03 Joey Hamilton There's no pressure on me personally. Like, I can handle a camera right here in my face, and I'm not going to get wavered by it.
00:30:39:07 - 00:30:50:19 Austin Spencer When you're also, like promoting your business, you're promoting something that you put in work on and got exposure from. So I always thought, like, I have a buddy who's, he won, Hell's Kitchen nice.
00:30:50:19 - 00:30:52:10 Joey Hamilton And he helped me too. Yeah.
00:30:52:12 - 00:31:00:07 Austin Spencer Here's this little tiny fucking shop. And he has no information about himself and his accomplishments. And I'm like, it's not bragging, dude.
00:31:00:07 - 00:31:03:10 Joey Hamilton It's like there's a to use it for marketing. You don't get me wrong. Yeah. Because I.
00:31:03:10 - 00:31:05:01 Austin Spencer Think. Or why. What is your.
00:31:05:02 - 00:31:07:17 Joey Hamilton Yeah, it's a visual,
00:31:07:19 - 00:31:09:09 Austin Spencer Association, you know, like.
00:31:09:11 - 00:31:25:09 Joey Hamilton The way I see it. Oh, my. Yeah, I just for years I never put up a banner with my for. Yeah, I did for years I never put up a banner with my face on it. So I mean, oh, so maybe two years ago I put one up forward facing them all. Yeah. Yeah. And now daily. Oh, shit.
00:31:25:09 - 00:31:29:07 Joey Hamilton Walter was on there and Joey was on there, and they came on the store. Yeah. So it was just the two weeks.
00:31:29:07 - 00:31:47:11 Austin Spencer Them feel comfortable as customers and like you and and they now see it as an opportunity to kind of maybe even like especially being in Vegas like come in and see something, you know, they're from a lot of people from the Midwest or whatever. And they've never really been exposed to, like, anybody that's been on TV or some shit, you know, and they just get comfortable and they're like, cool, I want to come in and check it out.
00:31:47:11 - 00:31:59:21 Austin Spencer Like, that's what you need. Like as a business owner, you need to take on any and every opportunity to get someone just to walk in your store, correct and be grateful for it, and then treat them with respect. And then that's like the formula for success.
00:31:59:21 - 00:32:11:07 Joey Hamilton Hopefully like always. Like I always use this line on people when like, why would you open in a mall? And I said, because it's a bigger strip mall. Yeah. All tattoo shops are in strip malls typically. Yeah. So now we're just in a way bigger strip mall.
00:32:11:07 - 00:32:21:04 Austin Spencer Totally. And there was like this weird, stigma too, about tattoo shops being in malls back in the day, you know? So like, yeah. How did that work out? Like, how did you end up in.
00:32:21:04 - 00:32:26:11 Joey Hamilton That in fashion show? They actually came to us, okay. Because we had to shop off the strip and oh yeah.
00:32:26:11 - 00:32:27:02 Austin Spencer You're from the.
00:32:27:02 - 00:32:37:06 Joey Hamilton Heartland for five years. Repression, hard rock. Okay. And, that was such a good spot, really. But it was 4000ft² with seven, seven booths. Yeah, it's so silly.
00:32:37:08 - 00:32:39:23 Austin Spencer That's a whole new question to you about mismanagement of space.
00:32:39:23 - 00:32:47:19 Joey Hamilton And so, I mean, I didn't want out there like, yeah, I don't know if I would have put 20 guys inside of there. But yeah, I mean like seven I thought was a lot. Yeah. Yeah. You know what I mean.
00:32:47:19 - 00:32:49:06 Austin Spencer So that's the most I've ever had.
00:32:49:06 - 00:32:52:01 Joey Hamilton But yeah, it's, it was I don't know where I was going to go with.
00:32:52:01 - 00:32:53:13 Austin Spencer Oh, so they came to you and they. Yeah, they.
00:32:53:14 - 00:33:11:22 Joey Hamilton Came to be the actors to to go to Meadows Mall first, which was kind of like, well, let's, you know, okay, we'll try it out. And we went in there, but there was an uphill battle with that because the zoning, we actually got everything approved. And then the zoning primary says you're not even zoned. So it took us a full year to get the zoning in.
00:33:11:22 - 00:33:13:14 Joey Hamilton It causes the next $100,000.
00:33:13:20 - 00:33:18:02 Austin Spencer Yeah. And everybody who's listening like a meadows mall is just more of like a old Roman law. Like.
00:33:18:02 - 00:33:20:23 Joey Hamilton Yeah, they call it Ghettos Mall for a reason.
00:33:21:01 - 00:33:35:14 Austin Spencer And the deciding show mall is like a massive, it was like one of our first, like, outside of a casino. Major shopping districts on the Las Vegas Boulevard. Yeah, right across from the Wynn. So, you know, you have a fantastic location in the Venetians right there.
00:33:35:14 - 00:33:53:06 Joey Hamilton Yeah. Yep. It's all surrounded right there. Yeah. But, and it all it's kind of funny because once we even opened up that and we once we opened fashion show, they literally came to us and said, the mall company then said, how, like, where do you want to go? Yeah. Like there's no, no financials brokers. No nothing. Well, that's.
00:33:53:06 - 00:33:57:15 Austin Spencer Something that you even knew existed like that. Multiple malls are owned by the same companies.
00:33:57:15 - 00:34:16:19 Joey Hamilton Like not really. Yeah. I, I knew Simon Malls because Simon Malls is huge. But I was never like looking to like just target them. But then I was like man what the traffic in these malls. Or if as long as it's an A-plus mall I could travel is crazy. Yeah. Like you're getting a lot of, you know, you just you're paying the rent, but I call it rent slash marketing.
00:34:16:19 - 00:34:18:00 Joey Hamilton Yeah. Thousand because. Because you're.
00:34:18:00 - 00:34:19:04 Austin Spencer Location. Location. Exactly.
00:34:19:04 - 00:34:30:10 Joey Hamilton That's we're getting people walking in the door every day because of where we're at. Yeah. And I don't have to pay that even though we have we've paid thousands of dollars for marketing on the side. Also just to try and compete with some of these people.
00:34:30:10 - 00:34:37:21 Austin Spencer But yeah. So you jumped in and then, you went into the fashion show and then you later went into, well, the mall.
00:34:37:23 - 00:34:42:01 Joey Hamilton Yeah. Well, no, Meadows was first. Oh yeah. They said go again and.
00:34:42:02 - 00:34:42:12 Austin Spencer Didn't go through.
00:34:42:12 - 00:35:00:11 Joey Hamilton Yeah. And prove you can do it and then we'll let you open fashion show. Oh okay. So that was then. Then we did fashion show. And then Walter wanted to move to Salt Lake. So we opened a store in Salt Lake City, okay. And then we had a store in Lake Tahoe. This is crazy to like things just I don't want to say follow my lap, but you put out the good energy.
00:35:00:11 - 00:35:15:17 Joey Hamilton Yeah, yeah. Good stuff comes back. Yeah, I was, I just my biggest belief and, And we got an email from the hard Rock Casino in Lake Tahoe. Hey, you guys want to open a store? Oh, cool. And I went out to a lot of people, but we took the opportunity for $3,000 rent next to the check in desk.
00:35:15:21 - 00:35:16:11 Austin Spencer Oh, shit.
00:35:16:11 - 00:35:33:15 Joey Hamilton So they had to walk past our shop to get to it. So, long story short, there, the the one of our best guys was from Houston, and, and, they sold the casino. The casino kind of tanked, so we couldn't really there's no traffic. So we closed that shop. But that guy went back to Houston and he was like, hey, let's open a store in Houston.
00:35:33:17 - 00:35:55:11 Joey Hamilton And the mall had five A-plus malls in Houston. Yeah, and Houston's are fourth largest city. So it's like, okay, let's open one. And then we opened the second one, hoping that it was as good as the first one. But it's kind of been the Debbie Downer one a little bit. Yeah. Yeah. Well, it's it's all marketing. Like, if you have the dollars to spend on marketing in Houston, you would kill it.
00:35:55:16 - 00:35:57:13 Joey Hamilton We just don't have the marketing.
00:35:57:15 - 00:35:59:12 Austin Spencer So it's like big cities. We have our like.
00:35:59:12 - 00:36:01:06 Joey Hamilton Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's the same as here.
00:36:01:09 - 00:36:02:13 Austin Spencer Too in Houston too.
00:36:02:13 - 00:36:07:13 Joey Hamilton In Houston too. But there they're like literally an hour. I mean they're not I'm not trying.
00:36:07:13 - 00:36:09:19 Austin Spencer To Houston is a monster. I'm from the Americas.
00:36:09:21 - 00:36:12:22 Joey Hamilton Yeah, yeah yeah yeah. Meadows Mall and Woodlands Mall okay.
00:36:12:22 - 00:36:14:23 Austin Spencer Yeah. Dang. That's wild.
00:36:15:01 - 00:36:15:07 Joey Hamilton Yeah.
00:36:15:11 - 00:36:19:22 Austin Spencer And so now you're managing this. You're managing your full time career.
00:36:20:00 - 00:36:31:04 Joey Hamilton Well, I don't say manage because I'm not. I don't want to take credit. I am like guiding as much as possible. Yeah. Mean like asking questions to my GM and going okay, what are we doing on this? Yeah. How are we doing that. Yeah.
00:36:31:04 - 00:36:32:05 Austin Spencer You're still working with.
00:36:32:05 - 00:36:43:11 Joey Hamilton It because I'm trying to micromanage. But you know, he's doing all the paperwork, all that stuff. But I'm just like, you know, trust me, if I was doing all the work he's doing, plus I would, I would go crazy. Yeah. Like, it's.
00:36:43:12 - 00:36:45:18 Austin Spencer The little old grade hair. Yeah. And I am right here.
00:36:45:19 - 00:36:49:21 Joey Hamilton I just my wife made me dye my hair. So.
00:36:49:23 - 00:37:07:01 Austin Spencer That's awesome. Damn. So then, Yeah, that is, that is just mind blowing to me. I was, like, super excited just to talk to you about that and like, the process of that and obviously there's been some ups and downs with it all and everything. Yeah. Do you have goals to continue to expand the revolt brand?
00:37:07:03 - 00:37:27:14 Joey Hamilton No, not right now. Like we're just trying to stay status quo right now and just yeah, yeah, see where this goes. Like that's really where we're at. I this is a good question because I've always had goals like, that's how everything in my life has worked out is like when I first started tattooing, I was like, I want to be known in the state of Florida.
00:37:27:16 - 00:37:43:20 Joey Hamilton Oh, cool. So I started doing all these conventions and, you know, Dino Cook was doing my forearm. I had my mom's portrait. She had passed away, and, he was doing my portrait at a show in Tampa, and prick magazine came up and was like, yeah, do you know, we got to do an interview with you? And this is so cool.
00:37:43:20 - 00:38:06:13 Joey Hamilton And and then they didn't even pay attention to me, you know what I mean? I won't be tattooing maybe five years. And then I won by five awards, like, back to back all portraits. Yeah. So yeah, they literally come right. Chuck came right back by. Hey Joey, we need to interview you also. So I was like, cool. So that was, you know, this this thing of motivation and drive and goals.
00:38:06:14 - 00:38:20:19 Joey Hamilton It's lacking in our thing, you know, in our industry, you know? So I feel like I've always had that and I always want that to succeed. But right now do I have a goal. The goal is to survive. Yeah. Yeah. And that's it. You know, and still these last couple.
00:38:20:19 - 00:38:22:07 Austin Spencer Years especially dude.
00:38:22:07 - 00:38:42:15 Joey Hamilton I know I had the last two years, I had my best two years. Really. That's all I really good you know personally. Yeah. As a business. No. But personally yeah I'm like I it's, it's hard to. And maybe that's the balance. I gotta learn better like yourself as like how do I step back and and focus on other things besides tattooing my family?
00:38:42:15 - 00:38:45:21 Joey Hamilton You know, that's it. My my family in tattooing. That's the two things that I know.
00:38:45:21 - 00:38:50:00 Austin Spencer I just say I don't really have any friends. Like, like, other than my people. I work with them. I just got to.
00:38:50:01 - 00:38:53:08 Joey Hamilton Dinner sometime because, dude, I'm telling you, we'll get some hook ups and.
00:38:53:10 - 00:39:02:08 Austin Spencer I would love that, actually. Yeah. So then your newest project you've been working on is the app. Yeah. So the internet work? Yes. And yeah. Tell us a little bit about that.
00:39:02:08 - 00:39:19:03 Joey Hamilton So, I'll just I'm going to draw this out for a second. So the whole point of it was because I was paying so much money for marketing. Yeah. Like I literally thousands and thousands of dollars a month. And I'm like, the people couldn't really tell me how I was getting my leads. That was my leads coming from all this stuff.
00:39:19:05 - 00:39:44:00 Joey Hamilton So, you know, in my shop we have iPads that you just sit there and you look through people's portfolios and I'm like, how can I recreate this nationwide or worldwide and make it where it's a tool that artists can use to get bookings, like literally just get consultations or whatever. So, I started thinking about it, has the meetings form the company, and then I brought boxes on board.
00:39:44:02 - 00:40:04:01 Joey Hamilton Really good friend of mine and his wife are really good friends, so but she's also tied into Tassel Eternal, like all these brands, which I'm actually sponsored by a lot of them too. Yeah, but I was like, you know, because it was a two faceted thing where I wanted to give the artist as much as possible, give them discounts on supplies and give them, you know, visibility.
00:40:04:05 - 00:40:21:18 Joey Hamilton Yeah. So we just created, a swipe based system, almost like Tinder, where somebody would just download the app. They're in a town, they look at the app, and then it would populate artists in the area first, and you just swipe through it. If you liked your stuff, you click on it and then that's it. You could direct messages.
00:40:21:18 - 00:40:27:16 Joey Hamilton The artist okay, hey, I'm in town. I want to get this, and and that's really what it's for, like a.
00:40:27:16 - 00:40:30:16 Austin Spencer Nice, easy to use directory. Just doing a.
00:40:30:16 - 00:40:50:15 Joey Hamilton Nationwide portfolio database is what I call it. Like it's like a Angie's List slash tender slash Pinterest. Yeah, it's not Pinterest. But that was another reason too, is because if I googled traditional Rose right now on Google, it never took it back to the artist. Okay, you know what I'm saying? It's Pinterest is the same way. Pinterest is.
00:40:50:17 - 00:41:12:13 Joey Hamilton And I wanted to want you wanted to go back. Yeah. To I wanted to go back to the artists that did it. So that was the whole point was now I'm directly looking at tattoos and there's no roundabout way. It's like, that's the guy that did it, okay, this is the guy where he's at. So the artist would create a bio, you know, and it'd be transparent with their pricing because that's a no.
00:41:12:13 - 00:41:27:17 Joey Hamilton I'm trying to create the hottest lead possible. So if we're transparent as much as possible, what I want to do, how what I like to do, how much I charge, you know, here's some examples of cost per tattoo. And then when they're looking at the when they contact you, they already know everything about you. I think it's a great idea.
00:41:27:17 - 00:41:44:12 Joey Hamilton When people look at it, they're like, holy shit. Like I've had some info like not influenced, but put some people in the, you know, in tattooing that they're high up and some companies that are just like, holy shit, this is this is one that can work. You know, there's there's actually there's more and more coming on every day of similar stuff or whatever.
00:41:44:15 - 00:42:01:11 Joey Hamilton Yeah. But ours I think looks the best, acts the best, and we're still working on what's a better experience for the shops to be involved so they can kind of control stuff for the artists. I can control the messaging because we know that there most of them don't like to interact.
00:42:01:11 - 00:42:01:21 Austin Spencer Yeah.
00:42:01:21 - 00:42:12:17 Joey Hamilton So yeah, but yeah, that's so that's really the gist of it. You know it's a it's been about a year. I've got some good influencers involved. I got just in that danger not only involved.
00:42:12:19 - 00:42:14:21 Austin Spencer See the do with the big mustache. Oh yeah. Tell you about.
00:42:14:22 - 00:42:15:21 Joey Hamilton Him. Yeah. The big oh.
00:42:15:21 - 00:42:18:05 Austin Spencer He did had a beard. And then. Yeah. You changed enough recently?
00:42:18:10 - 00:42:20:01 Joey Hamilton Yeah. Now he's got the mustache.
00:42:20:01 - 00:42:23:06 Austin Spencer Yeah. How who is he in? Like, He's a sucker. Yeah.
00:42:23:06 - 00:42:36:13 Joey Hamilton He's so it was crazy. I how I met him because he was on his way to Vegas and we found each other on social media, and I just. I saw I was coming to Vegas. That dude swing by the shop, and he's like, bet. And he came by the next morning. And then it literally I said, where are you from?
00:42:36:13 - 00:42:51:17 Joey Hamilton He goes, Dustin, I'm like, no shit. I was like, I'm was, yeah, I had to shop. And and then I said, a military Amex military goes, I'm going to military too. And I said, okay, what's your job? Because ammo. And I said I was weapons because Amazon weapons always give us other shit. Okay. And it was that was it.
00:42:51:17 - 00:43:11:10 Joey Hamilton And then we became buddies. And he goes, hey, can you can you try and fix this tattoo? And then that turned into now I'm doing this whole other arm. Yeah. But it was like in the beginning steps of the app, but I was showing him, he goes, dude, I'd love to be involved. What can I do? And then that's kind of transformed into now, this weekend at the Hella Tattoo Expo, he's going to his first convention.
00:43:11:10 - 00:43:16:04 Joey Hamilton Oh, cool. So okay. But he's super cool. Like it's like what you see.
00:43:16:06 - 00:43:16:23 Austin Spencer Is what you get.
00:43:16:23 - 00:43:40:12 Joey Hamilton Is what you get. But it's also even crazier because he doesn't film a lot. He films enough to do stuff. But like, I've done a couple events in Florida at the Bike stuff, and I mean, he's on like 12 hours a day. I just 100%. And you're just like, wow, dude. And yeah, yeah, but you see, like, I've been around people on that type of stuff before and you just see the drain sometimes and you're like, you're like, Holy shit.
00:43:40:12 - 00:43:50:16 Joey Hamilton Yeah. Because I'd be like, I'd be so like wore out, like having to be on like 24, seven. Like I'm, you know, I get 30s like, hey, I suck an ink master. Am I going, yeah, cool. You know.
00:43:50:18 - 00:43:51:20 Austin Spencer This guy's like.
00:43:51:22 - 00:43:55:10 Joey Hamilton You know, salon in the wall, but just super nice guy.
00:43:55:12 - 00:43:58:05 Austin Spencer He's funny. I was watching some of his videos with my wife last night.
00:43:58:05 - 00:44:00:17 Joey Hamilton Yeah. Know he is. He's awesome with that dude.
00:44:00:17 - 00:44:13:08 Austin Spencer Like, I'm always preaching that shit. Like the fact that you just reach out, you just throw it out there, just put that energy out there. So many people are so shy and like, feel like they're intruding. And I don't know if that's. I'd. Imposter syndrome. Yeah. A lot of us have. I don't.
00:44:13:08 - 00:44:18:02 Joey Hamilton Do that a lot, honestly, I but it was just one of those things I saw he was coming, so I was like, yeah.
00:44:18:06 - 00:44:19:18 Austin Spencer Sure. He felt it. So, you know.
00:44:19:18 - 00:44:42:15 Joey Hamilton I mean, it's it was almost like I said, it was a the military connection. It's almost like tattoo and connection. Like military connection when you're in this, you've served. Oh yeah. You have that kind of bond. And that's why I do charity work for Veterans Inc. I do, you know, I do I, I'm part of a regiment which is, online gaming for veterans that or even active duty that, they, it's suicide awareness for veterans.
00:44:42:15 - 00:44:56:17 Joey Hamilton So, so they have a lot of bonding between camaraderie with the with the gamers. It's a pretty cool that's all. I try and see what I can do. Yeah. Give back wise, but, But yeah. No, Justin is, I can't wait for this weekend. Yeah. It's gonna we're gonna have a full booth. That just.
00:44:56:19 - 00:44:58:00 Austin Spencer Right? Nonsense.
00:44:58:01 - 00:45:16:15 Joey Hamilton He said he's going to go around to try and do, like, street interviews. Okay. And I, I mean, this is the I hope are the, the the artists understand what he's trying to do. Yeah. And help out. Yeah. You know what I mean? Like, that's the weird part is like, this could go great. Or they could, you know, you get, well, who the fuck is this guy?
00:45:16:15 - 00:45:19:08 Joey Hamilton Was the name. I go on, he's got 21 million followers.
00:45:19:10 - 00:45:21:15 Austin Spencer His riches seem to shy to a.
00:45:21:15 - 00:45:38:04 Joey Hamilton Billion as a reach. Like if he wants to put you on camera, you want you can do it like. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Get out of your comfort zone for half a second. Enjoy with the process. Yeah. And then do it like I don't like to process it but I, you know, I'm like okay do it.
00:45:38:04 - 00:45:52:06 Austin Spencer You know was it you know I mean I don't know. That kind of just brings up total back to like being on TV for you. You was it intimidating as hell at first and quickly got more comfortable or was it for being on TV? Yeah. Or hard?
00:45:52:08 - 00:46:08:23 Joey Hamilton Yeah. I don't mind the cameras. Like, we can sit here and talk. All I can do this all day long. My issue with any TV show is. And I almost felt like. I hate to say it, they were grooming me to do something else. Come was because season two, Tommy Home had his own show. After my show, I did like probably 2 or 3.
00:46:09:03 - 00:46:25:10 Joey Hamilton I did a Taco Bell commercial. Really commercial for him. No shit, I didn't. I did all this stuff on. Yeah, they came to this to revolt and, like, was looking around to maybe do a show. Yeah, but I'm not good at Joey. We need to just say this. We need you to do this exactly like this. Dude, I.
00:46:25:11 - 00:46:41:22 Joey Hamilton And I'm not that guy. I'm not like, a verbatim. I'm a free thinker. Like, flowing. Like we can talk all day. Yeah, but. And they saw that on camera a couple times. When they're doing the live finales, they're like, okay, they're going to say this to you. What are you going to say back? And then that became a dialog.
00:46:41:22 - 00:46:43:03 Joey Hamilton Yeah. And I'm like.
00:46:43:04 - 00:46:45:13 Austin Spencer This is all crooked and unnatural and just.
00:46:45:13 - 00:46:48:12 Joey Hamilton Fucking that become. But they ask you, what would you say?
00:46:48:12 - 00:46:49:00 Austin Spencer And then they.
00:46:49:02 - 00:47:02:14 Joey Hamilton But no, they don't try and twist it as long as you they agree what you're going to say, that's what you're going to say. But then it comes this verbatim dialog that I have to try and memorize. Like they're going to say this, I have to say this back. Oh yeah. Being a.
00:47:02:16 - 00:47:04:05 Austin Spencer Fucking actor. Exactly.
00:47:04:07 - 00:47:13:20 Joey Hamilton Exactly. So that's why that's my only thing. I felt like I didn't ever go past what I did with them. You know, I went back and did other things. A guest judge to coaching. Oh, yeah.
00:47:13:23 - 00:47:14:17 Austin Spencer Yeah, it was just recently.
00:47:14:17 - 00:47:33:11 Joey Hamilton Yeah, yeah, D.J. kills it, right? Yeah. I mean, Ryan, actually kills it because they're very good at so good what they do. But. Yeah, but it adds I've a much respect for that job because I know it's, to critique somebody else's work. Is, is it could be fun at some times. But also then you get the backlash of, yeah, yeah.
00:47:33:11 - 00:47:46:15 Joey Hamilton You know, and you we saw that with DJ with, with him critiquing Freddy. Yeah. You know, he was like, man, I'm getting so much backlash. And you're like, you know. But at the time when you're saying it, you feel like that's the right thing to say because you're critiquing.
00:47:46:21 - 00:47:48:02 Austin Spencer Your job is a critique.
00:47:48:02 - 00:47:49:17 Joey Hamilton Yeah. You know, so yeah.
00:47:49:23 - 00:47:51:15 Austin Spencer Now Freddy works for him, right? Yeah, yeah.
00:47:51:18 - 00:48:08:06 Joey Hamilton Oh, yeah. That was all plan. Yeah, yeah, I think it was all like, hey, I'm going to, you know. Yeah. This is the funny part. When I first came to heart and Huntington, I told them, I said, you should be really trying to get the heavy hitters across the US and make this like the Yankees. Oh, I said that to me.
00:48:08:09 - 00:48:28:21 Joey Hamilton I said, you sure? And I, I got Jimmy lit walk to move out to Vegas. Yeah. I literally had Jimmy come to Vegas. This is a great spot. You'll get some visibility and that's when I was like this. You should be getting anybody like anybody at that level. Joe, Kevin Bianco, whoever else like you could get in the door to say they worked there just so you had got this crazy talented crew and I've always tried it.
00:48:28:21 - 00:48:34:14 Joey Hamilton That's my mentality is try and get the best ones, you know? But, but they didn't listen. Yeah.
00:48:34:14 - 00:48:59:06 Austin Spencer No. Yeah. Dude, we did like, so remember when Orange County Choppers was a big thing, you know? So my dad and I owned our shop together, and we opened in 2003, right when the, hardened Huntington kind of shit was kicking off and the Miami stuff was kicking off. And so we ended up being under contract three separate times with different production companies and pitching reality shows when all they wanted us to do was be just like fucking Orange County Choppers.
00:48:59:06 - 00:49:19:18 Austin Spencer And I was like, it was so fucking hard to own a business with your father. And your mother anyway. And we came in all as equal partners and, and the fact that they just wanted to, like, light fires and get people. And I didn't think that I was emotionally, emotionally intelligent enough to know how to navigate through that without letting you know, like, do.
00:49:19:18 - 00:49:35:14 Joey Hamilton You don't want that. Yeah. You don't want it. It was just remember, all I wanted to do is tattoo. Yeah. There was a show that came when I worked at club. There was a show that came through that was trying. They were. They filmed a pilot. And and thank God they went somewhere else because it was like, that's what they wanted.
00:49:35:16 - 00:49:54:08 Joey Hamilton They literally were were okay with people coming in and fuck this place and throwing all the shirts off the rack. Oh, yeah. Yeah. And I'm like, dude, you don't want this in your store. No. Because then people think you're the thing. That's the common place to come when your store your dog people and trash it. Because most.
00:49:54:08 - 00:49:57:16 Austin Spencer People believe what they see on TV, they think that's how it's really so.
00:49:57:16 - 00:50:15:14 Joey Hamilton Crazy. I probably they were like, Joy, we want you to go back like you're mad and slam this door. I probably did that 20 fucking times. And I'm like, how loud can I yell fuck off and slam the door? Yeah, like I don't. I was like, I don't want to be part of this. Like, that's that was the line, I guess for me was that when it got to that point, you're just like, who?
00:50:15:15 - 00:50:32:18 Joey Hamilton This is too weird. Yeah. I don't want to be. This is not who I want to be portrayed as. I'm okay with being portrayed as how I do. I got it on Ink Master. Like being more quiet guy that just let my work speak for itself in a sense. Yeah, you know what I mean. Do good tattoos and stand up there and take your lumps.
00:50:32:20 - 00:50:44:15 Austin Spencer I kind of worry about that sometimes. Like with, I don't know, it's just nerve wrecking kind of still, I don't have as much hard time about it these days, but putting yourself out on social media, essentially, you're you're your own publication. Yeah. So you. But what is.
00:50:44:20 - 00:50:51:16 Joey Hamilton Right. I need some that for me you want to do it? Yes. You do a good man I trust me. I'm like going that's I that's what I'm saying. I don't want to be the guy on camera.
00:50:51:18 - 00:50:56:12 Austin Spencer Yeah, I don't either. I just want to not.
00:50:56:14 - 00:50:57:04 Joey Hamilton But you got it.
00:50:57:04 - 00:51:07:00 Austin Spencer I want to exist. Yeah, you know what I mean? And, like, that's all we talked about earlier is, like, you basically don't exist in the ethos of tattooing. If you're not, you.
00:51:07:00 - 00:51:08:13 Joey Hamilton Got to put yourself out there. Yeah.
00:51:08:13 - 00:51:31:16 Austin Spencer You know, like, and you just got to find your voice and get out there and try and figure out. And you know what I say? Find your voice. Like you got to figure out, like, what am I passionate about? What do I want to talk to people about? And at this point in time in my life, I'm incredibly passionate about just the business of tattooing and learning more about it and marketing and understanding like how people gain exposure.
00:51:31:16 - 00:51:54:11 Austin Spencer Because I feel deep down that it's a great responsibility of mine to get people to know about my shop so my family can eat and my people, my tattoo artists, get exposed, you know, and that can make a great living. And by the fucking car they want or by the house, like, I just don't take that lightly. So yeah, I, I do sacrifice a lot of my personal time and interest in art.
00:51:54:11 - 00:52:01:23 Joey Hamilton You creating your own show. That's exactly what it is. You're sharing yourself on social media to get to the same point that a show will give you.
00:52:01:23 - 00:52:07:03 Austin Spencer And so and that's what social media is right now. It's turning into exactly your own, right. You're a media.
00:52:07:06 - 00:52:10:18 Joey Hamilton Brand. You people will buy your merch. Buyers.
00:52:10:19 - 00:52:24:07 Austin Spencer People are going to love you. People are going to hate you. People are going to talk shit. And that. Would they do that in real life anyway? So you just kind of fucking be you and just try to have fun and like, talk to people and be okay with, like, learning and failing in front of people. Yeah. You know.
00:52:24:09 - 00:52:39:13 Joey Hamilton That's where the difference is I can do this all day long. But as soon as I'm holding the camera on myself. Yeah, yeah, I don't want to do this. Yeah, I know I can do this all day. I ghost is fine for me. It's there's no pressure. But as soon as I put the camera and you're just like, hey, hey, this is Joey.
00:52:39:19 - 00:52:42:07 Joey Hamilton Yeah. I'm like, this is I hate that. Like, I don't want to.
00:52:42:07 - 00:53:01:14 Austin Spencer I know, it's weird. I just did one last night by myself. Like I was making dinner and there was some. I had a moment and I was like, I need. I'm trying to like, get into the habit of just sharing and things that I'm happy about, you know? And I got to build this coil tattoo machine last week with one of my favorite machine builders, chef Mike, for flying irons.
00:53:01:14 - 00:53:17:12 Austin Spencer And he, he let me in his shop, and we just. I watched him build a machine for me from scratch, and it was super cool. Something I never had done before. I'm tattooing for 26 years and never built a tattoo machine. I just didn't have anybody around me ever. Yeah. So anyway, I got to do that and then I was like, I have this machine I'm super passionate about.
00:53:17:13 - 00:53:27:08 Austin Spencer I so I just did this like, am super thankful for Mike for like sharing this. So I'm like when I say find your voice. I'm just trying to figure out like that feels.
00:53:27:10 - 00:53:29:11 Joey Hamilton Yeah, it's real how it feels. Right.
00:53:29:12 - 00:53:30:12 Austin Spencer Exactly. It's kind.
00:53:30:13 - 00:53:36:15 Joey Hamilton But to get the traction like that's what just until makers. Dude, you got to start doing this. You guys post three times a day.
00:53:36:20 - 00:53:37:20 Austin Spencer Oh my God, I know that.
00:53:37:21 - 00:53:53:07 Joey Hamilton And I'm like, am I? Go on. As you can see, if you look at my social media, I don't post. I post once a fucking day. Yeah, I tattoo every day and I love my tattoos. Yeah. And sometimes I'll just do my today's jam in my story. But I'm like, I don't, I'm an artist. So when I go home and look at it, I'm not going.
00:53:53:07 - 00:53:58:07 Joey Hamilton I don't like it. I swear to God. Like, it's like that's so common for me to go.
00:53:58:09 - 00:54:00:23 Austin Spencer Like I'm scared to share it and yeah, yeah.
00:54:01:01 - 00:54:20:13 Joey Hamilton Or or the same. I'm like, I, I don't I'm not on the, the tech side of like how to even put it together too much. Yeah. So I'm not doing the panning shots and doing the eight different shots. Are you wiping on the lube and all this other shit? I'm just like I always thought, like, I'm going to show you my tattoo and you can look at it if you like, come get tattooed by me.
00:54:20:13 - 00:54:22:07 Joey Hamilton Yeah, but now it's like this direction.
00:54:22:07 - 00:54:23:00 Austin Spencer Yeah, yeah yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:54:23:00 - 00:54:26:10 Joey Hamilton It's like the entry level shot, and I'm. I'm just like,
00:54:26:12 - 00:54:43:04 Austin Spencer I don't think you have to do it like that. Like I thought you did too. And right now it seems like everything just wants it. They want it to be more raw. Yeah. Which is easier for me to comprehend because I just get these little microphones. I just pop them on my shirt, and then I just talk. I don't even introduce myself anymore or anything.
00:54:43:04 - 00:54:47:20 Austin Spencer No, I just talk about what I'm like, and I'm not good at it. I can just.
00:54:47:22 - 00:54:54:15 Joey Hamilton Do any good. Like, that's just so you can sell like that's the best part. You can see yourself grow. Yeah, I'm getting better at the.
00:54:54:15 - 00:55:14:07 Austin Spencer People watching you. That's what they enjoy it. They enjoy that journey of like, watching you because they're fucking terrified to do it. Yeah. You know. Yeah. Whether like, it's scary. Yeah. You know, I just got like, I've had multiple shit thrown at me since I started doing it. And it's it's it's weird how people forget that you're a human, you know, like, I, like, I do have feelings, right?
00:55:14:09 - 00:55:28:15 Joey Hamilton You know, that's the best way to go. But going back to being master, like the people critiquing you. Yeah. You work, you're just like, I'm not getting paid by you to do this, so you don't need to critique me. I don't, you know, then I go look at their page and it's like 100 cat photos that are my.
00:55:28:19 - 00:55:29:20 Joey Hamilton And shut the fuck up.
00:55:29:22 - 00:55:50:20 Austin Spencer Exactly. And that's how it always works out. So you just, you know, and then, you know, what's funny is like, the real nice, normal humans, they don't get into the comments. Right. So they're the ones that are texting you on the side, like, hey, dude, I think you're doing a great job or whatever you know? But I'm like, at the same time, I think we should all, yeah, help each other out and get in the comments, say something at least positive or.
00:55:50:22 - 00:56:08:14 Joey Hamilton That's you don't have to circle back to the school. I hate the fucking the idea of the school, but I had multiple people reach out to me on the side that are heavy hitters. Yeah, literally were like, keep it up. Like, don't fucking quit. Oh good. Yeah. In it, you know? And I'm just like, I'm like, well, do you want to jump on board you I'm kidding.
00:56:08:15 - 00:56:10:05 Joey Hamilton Yeah, yeah, yeah. But I wasn't.
00:56:10:05 - 00:56:11:07 Austin Spencer Even fucking thinking over.
00:56:11:09 - 00:56:27:23 Joey Hamilton There. They would come through and do it like that was a good part. Two is I would bring in artists that and do like a week of their style. Yeah. So they could kind of do lettering. Yeah. But, yeah, but it was like, you know, there is the, the ones that are close to you will root the loudest personally.
00:56:27:23 - 00:56:45:14 Joey Hamilton Yeah. But sometimes you need them to root verbally across the platforms also because that give you validation for what you're doing is not just like, yeah, the people that hate it, there's a lot of people that like what what was going on or the same with you. Like you need your friends to go, man, good job. Yeah. Like the day you're getting slammed for.
00:56:45:14 - 00:56:57:04 Joey Hamilton I like, you know, hey dude, I use I all the time and it's not nothing you can always do. So many statues, David. There's only so many pictures of a tiger or a lion or whatever. Yeah. You know.
00:56:57:07 - 00:56:58:08 Austin Spencer Now you can like.
00:56:58:10 - 00:57:18:04 Joey Hamilton Bro, I'm not Dino could going out in the ocean and fucking swim photographing turtles. I mean, I love the guys in my portraits, like, so. Yeah, but you know that that's not everybody can do that in my time frame. Is is limited. So. Yeah. You know, I use the tools that are going to make my job easier and more proficient.
00:57:18:06 - 00:57:22:01 Joey Hamilton Yeah. So, you know, it's not like you're going to trace six fingers.
00:57:22:03 - 00:57:42:03 Austin Spencer Dude, especially when you're at. And be be aware, get a little older. You dude. I did a six finger praying. Hands on somebody one time purpose when I was a youngster, dude. And I, you know, I did those like on my stencil. I had the dotted, lines for where I wanted the shading to break and stuff, you know, and I just fucking hard lined it nice.
00:57:42:03 - 00:57:58:22 Austin Spencer And I was intimate. I. I didn't even notice it then. Yeah. The dude was this huge Samoan dude, and I'm like, this skinny ass little fucking kid. And he came back like two days later. Was super cool about it, but it was right in front of my boss. He was like, hey, you notice anything about these praying hands?
00:57:59:00 - 00:58:16:13 Austin Spencer And I looked at him and I was like, they look like they're healing. I'm good, you know? Like, so just. Yeah. Oblivious. Yeah. And he goes, count the fingers. And I was like, fuck. One, two, three. Fuck right there. You know, he was a hard ass. And I was just like, I can fix that for you, you know?
00:58:16:13 - 00:58:29:00 Austin Spencer And that's like, yeah. One of the beautiful things I've learned in tattooing is it's taught me how to think in my skin and taught me how to fucking work on the fly. Right? And problem solve, like, you know, and not show face.
00:58:29:00 - 00:58:45:09 Joey Hamilton Yeah. You know. Yeah, that is hard. Because, like, there is times where you're just like your mental inside is screaming like, Holy shit, I just did that. Like, I've done that before. Yeah, I did that, revolt a couple times where you just like in the middle of it and you either the kid's name was fucking misspelled and they didn't catch it.
00:58:45:09 - 00:58:46:05 Joey Hamilton I didn't catch it.
00:58:46:05 - 00:58:47:11 Austin Spencer Yeah, you're just terrified.
00:58:47:11 - 00:59:03:09 Joey Hamilton And I was like, mid fucking line and shit. And oh, that's fucking misspelled. And my brain just exploded. Yeah. I'm like, oh my god, what am I going to do? And then Walter walks over calmly and goes, okay, you got a shade right here. Yeah. Take this out, drop the name down an inch, and I'm like, okay, cool.
00:59:03:09 - 00:59:05:19 Joey Hamilton Thanks. Yeah. You know, so it's always good to have.
00:59:05:21 - 00:59:07:06 Austin Spencer That help from the homies.
00:59:07:08 - 00:59:09:12 Joey Hamilton Yeah, yeah. It's always good to have.
00:59:09:14 - 00:59:27:00 Austin Spencer Yeah yeah. That's good. Well fuck. Dude, I want to keep you too long. I know you got a tattoo today, but, Yeah. Cool. Man, I like I just greatly appreciate you. It's it's it's really cool to sit down with people that we know in the industry, and we we never really get that time. So that's one cool thing I found about the podcast is like.
00:59:27:05 - 00:59:42:17 Joey Hamilton It's a it's a mutual respect because you've done a lot, you know, I don't want to I've done plenty of stuff myself. So. Yeah. Yeah, it's, it's cool to sit down with like minded people and just talk about stuff. It doesn't need to be negative or positive. It just needs to just give you a talking about stuff.
00:59:42:17 - 00:59:46:17 Joey Hamilton Sometimes I'll get stuff out in the open where it's like, okay, there's a dialog. Yeah. You know, and.
00:59:46:22 - 01:00:00:18 Austin Spencer And hopefully people can learn from a younger tattooers or older tattoo. Anybody that may be listening like, I don't know. I just were just genuinely just trying to do this to have fun and chase and like, I'm really reaching out to people that I just respect and admire and want to sit down.
01:00:00:20 - 01:00:07:00 Joey Hamilton So. Yeah. Well, I mean, thank you for that. Thank you. Sam connects if you want to just if I know some artist you don't or you want to. Yeah. You know, if you.
01:00:07:00 - 01:00:10:04 Austin Spencer Yeah, yeah. Some people. Yeah. And then, we'll do some dinner sometime.
01:00:10:04 - 01:00:13:13 Joey Hamilton Nice I know. Yeah. Berries or carbon. We'll see.
01:00:13:13 - 01:00:16:07 Austin Spencer Which is, is bomb. Yeah. And carbon I mean I haven't been to carbon.
01:00:16:08 - 01:00:25:12 Joey Hamilton No, just, you know, just seen it. Berries. I don't so his wife is a cat from McMaster, works at Robert shop.
01:00:25:14 - 01:00:26:10 Austin Spencer Oh. Okay.
01:00:26:10 - 01:00:29:11 Joey Hamilton Yeah. Yeah. Small. It's like such a small world. Women.
01:00:29:11 - 01:00:30:03 Austin Spencer Okay. Yeah.
01:00:30:05 - 01:00:31:18 Joey Hamilton Yeah, yeah, I walked in there, and I need to.
01:00:31:18 - 01:00:34:01 Austin Spencer Reach out to Robert, like. Yeah, yeah, I would like to get him on.
01:00:34:07 - 01:00:44:09 Joey Hamilton Yeah. Oh, yeah, he'd be good. I just I thought you said he's never been on here, so. Yeah, there's no no no. Yeah. Yeah. The Our Town is so heavily talented dude.
01:00:44:11 - 01:00:52:07 Austin Spencer It's I, it's that's what I'm saying is like hard to think about. And then some people I reach out to and they're just I'm shy dude. Like, what if I say something dumb and I'm like, dude.
01:00:52:13 - 01:01:02:04 Joey Hamilton I like 15 shops that are world class, you know what I mean? Why? Just to have that one town of 2 million people. Yeah, is is crazy.
01:01:02:08 - 01:01:19:05 Austin Spencer That's what I yeah, I keep kind of talking about it is like the our little ecosystem here of in the world of tattooing is wild. Yeah. It's really crazy with some of the biggest like, manufacturers of tattooing and, you know, products like all that, like, all right, out of here, dude. Yeah. That's cool. I like, if anything, I've.
01:01:19:07 - 01:01:25:04 Austin Spencer I've just been such a I'm grew up here. I'm in love with the city. So I'm excited to share it more. Yeah. It's it's yeah.
01:01:25:04 - 01:01:32:19 Joey Hamilton It's growing like crazy. The hockey team, football team, baseball team, baseball team. Yeah, yeah. And we had nothing like 20 years ago. It was just like the casinos with it.
01:01:32:19 - 01:01:44:02 Austin Spencer So and we're here to like, you know, that's even cool too. And his shop brings in so many people. Brett, that Rose Tyler came on here. Yeah. But, yeah, I'm just trying to get I'm trying to get down here, too.
01:01:44:02 - 01:01:46:13 Joey Hamilton Yeah. No, I'm sure he's he's he's a sweetheart.
01:01:46:13 - 01:01:48:03 Austin Spencer Yeah. Yeah, he's he's nice to me.
01:01:48:07 - 01:01:54:00 Joey Hamilton Yeah. That's good. He's always nice to me too. He'll stop by if he's in the mall I'll stop by. Yeah. That's the best part to be about in the mall. So I know.
01:01:54:00 - 01:02:12:10 Austin Spencer For sure, because that's how I started. Did you know? So your your stores right next to. We got to go here in a minute. But, your store is right next to the van store and I always park on the back side of the mall to go to the van store. And I walk by your shop. When we started Maverick, you were the first person that I like cold called, like I call it.
01:02:12:10 - 01:02:35:16 Austin Spencer I walked into a tattoo shop. Even though I've been in the industry forever, it was still so intimidating. And I specifically remember going in, you were tattooing, and I was like, hey Joey, I just want to increase myself and just say hi. And I had some samples and I gave you. And I remember my mouth was dry and I was nervous, but like, so, I don't know, I thought, I don't you never knew that, obviously, but I don't know if it showed on my face, but.
01:02:35:18 - 01:02:54:03 Joey Hamilton I do the same thing right now because I'm still for the app. I'm going to local Las Vegas shops. Yeah. And walking in their door. Yeah. And it's like that. It's it's. I don't want to say it's intimidating because we're all tattooers. We all total same thing. But to to go in there, you're pitching something anyways. I always that's the hard thing because like I'm trying to sell you.
01:02:54:05 - 01:03:07:23 Joey Hamilton Yeah. And it's, it's free for artists to be on board. Just so you know. Yeah. There's no charge for artists. So I'm really trying to get them just to participate in this. Yeah, yeah. This ecosystem. But, but yeah, I get a weird feeling. I get that like, hey.
01:03:08:01 - 01:03:10:05 Austin Spencer You're like, yeah, I'm a grown ass man. I'm like, I'm Joey.
01:03:10:05 - 01:03:15:19 Joey Hamilton I own revolves, you know? Oh yeah. Oh, you know, so it's it's cool sometimes. And then there's also.
01:03:15:19 - 01:03:32:17 Austin Spencer Like the old school like it wasn't a thing back in the day, you know, like, if you owned a shop, you didn't go into another shop, right? If you were, tattooer at a shop, you had to secretly kind of communicate on the side with your friends at other tattoo shops, or because your owner was you didn't generally, like, insecure and angry or whatever.
01:03:32:23 - 01:03:47:08 Austin Spencer Yeah. So I guess, like a lot of that, she was still in my head. I'm like, yeah, okay. But you know, you can't fucking not do it, dude. Right. You know, like no one's going to give a fuck if you don't give a fuck. Like, you got to go in there and say hi and introduce yourself to people and not be shy.
01:03:47:10 - 01:03:50:14 Austin Spencer You can still be shy. You just can't do it, you know? Yeah, I just think it's just yourself.
01:03:50:14 - 01:03:52:10 Joey Hamilton Exactly. Just for yourself out a little bit.
01:03:52:12 - 01:04:01:00 Austin Spencer Yeah, yeah. Nothing like drawing your, you know, your first ten tattoos are incredibly intimidating. And then this still intimidating.
01:04:01:01 - 01:04:12:23 Joey Hamilton I just circle back but I, I literally that's how I got when I got taught how to tattoo, I did one orange and then I started tattooing people. Yeah. Like I literally I had no fear. Yeah.
01:04:12:23 - 01:04:13:23 Austin Spencer Yeah, I just working in.
01:04:13:23 - 01:04:22:15 Joey Hamilton My small shop. Yeah. That had two people. And so I was expected to do whatever walked in that door. So. Yeah. Yep. Wasn't the right way.
01:04:22:17 - 01:04:26:14 Austin Spencer Yeah. Fuck it, I don't know. You're here where you are today. You've accomplished everything.
01:04:26:16 - 01:04:37:05 Joey Hamilton I don't have any fear because of that. I think because, like you're saying, you have to get past like, okay, I got to just do it. Yeah. And that's I got past that. I've been past that. Like it's time to just do it.
01:04:37:07 - 01:04:50:11 Austin Spencer Tattooing is wild, man. It's not taught me so much. Like I've just learned so many life lessons through tattooing and my experience in tattooing. Like, that's kind of lately where I'm like, I feel like I want to talk about that more. I don't know if anybody cares about it, but.
01:04:50:15 - 01:04:51:20 Joey Hamilton Yeah, no, it's how.
01:04:51:20 - 01:05:03:17 Austin Spencer I'm feel. And like, I want to try to share, you know, it's like sharing your own style of illustration that's completely different. And people make fun of you forever. Right? But you got it. It's like it's cringe until it fucking works, you know? And it will.
01:05:03:19 - 01:05:22:03 Joey Hamilton If you find that niche like, that's, you know, the guys that come to work for me and they say, I want to do only this. I say, okay, then put together for binders of all the stuff you want to do. And then when somebody comes in, you keep showing them that stuff. Yeah. And then that's how I know guys like Chad.
01:05:22:04 - 01:05:33:09 Joey Hamilton That's not Chad James, but the other Chad, just literally that's how he blew up. Yeah. And then he's only doing what he wants. And that's how your the story is like, yeah, you got to do the work to get to where you want to go. Yeah.
01:05:33:11 - 01:05:34:14 Austin Spencer And there's no fucking easy way.
01:05:34:16 - 01:05:37:14 Joey Hamilton No not not usually.
01:05:37:16 - 01:05:52:05 Austin Spencer Well we'll let you get out of here. Yeah. For sure. Thanks so much, guys, for listening and watching YouTube. If you're watching it on YouTube, consider subscribing. Yeah, apparently it helps. I'm still learning it all this shit. But, thank you so much and we'll see you soon.
01:05:52:06 - 01:05:57:06 Joey Hamilton Download the app on Apple Store and Google Play. Here we go. And come check me out at Revolt Tattoos.
01:05:57:07 - 01:06:01:10 Austin Spencer Yes. Stop in and say hi anytime. My fucker keeps tattooing. I'm trying to get him. Slow down a little.
01:06:01:12 - 01:06:04:22 Joey Hamilton I know I'm getting old, man. It's like 30 years. Oh, all right.
01:06:05:03 - 01:06:09:10 Austin Spencer All right, guys.
