World, meet my good friend, Eli Bischof. I met Eli my sophomore year in college. I sat in front of him on our first day of creative writing class, where we were paired up for our first assignment. From then on, everyday after class we spent 30 minutes to an hour bantering. I had never met a guy that had such a passion for life. The stories of his life's adventures are worth writing a book about. He's a good guy, and I'm blessed to call him my friend.
1. What is your story?
I was born in Salem, OR on November 22, 1986 and am the youngest of 7 children. We moved every couple years and by the time I left Oregon, at the age of 9, I had already lived in 4 different cities. After Oregon, we spent a brief 2 years in the motherland (Utah), before moving on to New Mexico. For most of my adult life, when asked where I hailed from, my response was invariably: New Mexico. I spent most of my teenage years there, graduated high school, etc... those years made the most impression on my memory. However, over the past few years, my answer to "Where are you from?" has become a little muddled, due to years spent working in various states on various jobs, and a declining attachment to my memories in New Mexico.
While working in Michigan as a steel burner and crane operator, doing demolition/dismantling in an abandoned nuclear power plant, I finally went to get my first tattoo, at the age of 21. I'd never thought of being a tattoo artist, though I had been a mixed media artist most of my life. Out of pure curiosity, I somehow asked the right series of questions of the tattooer/owner that was working on me, and within 2-3 weeks, I was holding down a demolition job, while apprenticing to tattoo on the side. I didn't take it very seriously until I quit, due to personal conflict with my mentor. I didn't have much experience tattooing when I quit, so when I picked it up 1 year later on my own in Arizona, I had no clue what I was doing. It took me about a year and a half before I had the technical ability and the courage to approach a tattoo shop for a professional position as a tattooer. By that time, I had fully realized and accepted that I had found my passion in tattooing and that I would do whatever it took to take it as far as I possibly could.
The beginning was quite rocky, as I was ignorant of what to look for in a good shop. I was lied to and cheated financially by both of my first 2 shops, before I wizened up a bit and quit. I had the good fortune of finally landing myself in a great shop, Living Ghost Tattoo Parlour, with great artists to learn and grow with and it has been a night and day difference. I am still quite fresh to the tattooing scene and have a lot of room for improvement, but I strongly believe that an artist who is satisfied with his/her work, is an artist that has stopped growing. I hope that I never believe that I have done a perfect tattoo, painting, or drawing.
2. What/who motivates you daily?
This is a tricky one. As far as the "who", I would say I gather motivation every time I see another artist pull off a great piece. It inspires me to create something as striking and beautiful as they did. And as far as the "what", I'd say that curiosity takes the cake. I'm always curious about what life has in store for me; what will I learn, who will I meet, and how far can I push the envelope with my work?
3. What is your favorite childhood memory?
I don't know if I can pick one memory that encapsulates all of the things that can make childhood magical, but I can pick a time frame. My time in Oregon as a boy definitely gave me quite a few lasting memories. Everything was new and exciting; untainted by worldly concerns or the concept that life can be painful a lot of the time. We lived in the woods, with no neighbors, so I had unlimited access to plenty of outdoor activities. Building forts, fishing for crawdads in the creek with my brothers, being terrified by the idea of Bigfoot, and a dozen others.
4. What is your biggest accomplishment?
Riding out the months and years it took to land my butt in a good tattoo shop.
5. If you could be anyone for a day, who would it be?
Hhmm... another tough one. Nobody in particular. Maybe someone with more wisdom than me?
6. When was the last time you cried?
I can't remember any specific scenario, but I imagine it's been 2-3 months since I last cried.
7. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I'd like to think that I'll be somewhere green, with rain and seasons, unlike Arizona. I think I'll still be tattooing and possibly own a shop by then. No big plans on starting a family. I don't see any sense in trying to force it, so if that's in the cards for me, it'll happen, if not, I'm alright flying solo.
8. What makes you unique?
This is a tough one to answer without sounding egotistical, but I suppose I'll try anyway. I'm fascinated with human potential (what humans can accomplish with the spirit of creation and the pursuit of excellence) and am far too curious for my own good. I crave more life experiences always and the pursuit of those experiences has both benefited me and been harmful; possibly or probably at the same time.
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