12/05/2026
Lately, I’ve been hearing a lot of weird stories about myself from clients, so I realized maybe a lot of people actually don’t know me that well.
So here are a few facts.
I’ve been tattooing since 2013. Since I was 16 years old.
This is my first and only real job.
And no — I never had a mentor, never worked in a studio, and was never anyone’s apprentice. Everything I know, I learned myself: from YouTube, from tattooing friends, my own legs, random brave people around me. Same with drawing — completely self-taught.
For years I worked alone from home, and people found me mostly through word of mouth.
Another funny myth is that many people think I’m an expat. Then they get surprised that I speak Georgian fluently. But I grew up here, went to a Georgian school, and genuinely consider myself Georgian, yet by blood Im Ukrainian. I love Georgia deeply, probably why I never left it.
And no, I didn’t suddenly become a better artist “after working abroad.” I barely worked abroad at all. I tattooed a little in Spain, mostly my own Georgian clients in temporary rented space. I’m a local tattoo artist and always have been.
One thing many people don’t know about me is that cover-ups and reworks are actually one of my favorite parts of tattooing. I love figuring out how to transform old tattoos into something people can love again.
Last autumn I finally opened my own studio, and I’m building it very slowly. Mostly because I realized that while I might be a good tattoo artist, I’m not naturally a great entrepreneur. I’d always rather spend time drawing than doing marketing, planning and organization.
And ADHD definitely doesn’t help.
I love tattooing more than anything, but it’s also physically and mentally exhausting work, and I know I need to build a healthier balance before I burn out.
That’s also why I slowly started building a small team around me.
Valentina is basically my right hand now, and Temuka specializes in styles I personally don’t enjoy doing myself, like cyber sigilism — so now I can confidently send those projects to artists I truly trust.
So yeah.
A few myths busted.