Today we’d like to introduce you to Derek Zielinski.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Tattooing was never really on my radar as a kid. I grew up drawing cartoons and logos and things like that. Redrawing popular characters, as well as creating my own. Throughout Elementary School and all the way through high school, I was actively involved in all of the elective art classes and contests. I won multiple awards through those years for drawing, painting and photography.
It wasn’t until my junior year of high school when I began to experience the tattoo and body modification industry. I was a competitive BMXer on the local and national scale for about 10 years. When my family relocated to Florida in the late 90’s I made friends with a bunch of riders who were also into the Punk and Metal Scene. That’s when I began to really see Tattoo and Piercings and the culture around that more frequently. It sparked an interest in me to start getting pierced and tattooed myself.
When I was around 19 I went with a friend of mine to one of the local shops we were friends with, while he made an appointment to get a new piece in his collection. The artist booked him, then asked me if I wanted to get anything. Without hesitation I told him yes and booked an appointment for myself. Shortly after that I received my first tattoo. My budget at the time only allowed for the linework. When I went back to book the color session, that artist had moved on. So instead I had it finished by a different artist named Tim, in the same shop. It was through Tim, that I then made some connections in my local tattoo scene that would spark my journey to an apprenticeship.
Tim invited me along to watch him get tattooed at another local shop, Pleasures of the Flesh, in Ft.Myers Florida. This shop hosted some of the top artist in the area at that time. I went along and was able to meet everyone who worked there. Eventually making it a regular hang out when I was not working. His artist, Piper, at the time just finished her apprenticeship and was looking for more people to work with. So I volunteered to be a canvas for her. I liked her style and was drawing similar stuff. She did the center piece on my chest, and eventually a few more in my collection.
After being introduced and tattooed with them, I began to hang out and draw regularly. It caught the attention of one of their other resident artists who asked me if I ever considered becoming a tattoo artist. I told him no, I just enjoyed drawing that style art. He said I should consider it, because my work was solid. So naturally I asked if he would be interested in teaching me, to which he promptly replied “Nope.” But I didn’t let that phase me. I understood why.
A few years later I relocated to North West Georgia. Through some connections made while I was there, I met Wes Lingerfelt. Artist and Owner of Eternal Expressions. Wes was the go to guy in that area for tattoos. I brought along all of my drawings and creations to show him. Let him know I was interested in becoming a tattoo artist. After a few hours of hanging out and talking about my art, my goals, and ideas, He agreed to teach me. And that is where I started.
I worked in that first location for about a year or so. Then he opened up a second location in a town about 45 minutes away, where myself and our other artist, Mark Green, started working. Mark was another instrumental artist in my early stages. He is an American Traditional tattooer, focussed on clean lines, and solid application. The fundamentals I still hold true to today.
After about three years in Georgia, I found my way back to Florida. Reconnected with my friend Kelly Rogers. Owner and Artist of Gear Head Tattoo in Cape Coral. Kelly had been one of my early local influences before my apprenticeship. He offered me a space at his shop, where I created for about a little over a year. During that time, I was still doing regular visits back to Georgia to tattoo with Wes and Mark.
Just before one of my last visits there, I met my now wife, Michelle. We were talking for sometime when I invited her to come spend the week with me while I was in Georgia visiting and tattooing. She agreed, and by the end of the week we decided we wanted to be together. This then started the journey to where I am today.
After a short run together in Florida, we relocated to Northeast Pennsylvania. Since moving here, I have worked with multiple shops in the area. I have tattooed at multiple conventions in the region. And I have made connections with some of the areas best tattooers, artists and business owners alike.
In 2015 I opened Glass Heart Tattooing & Arts. It was a place for me to feel home in, and just create. Since opening the shop, I have been able to tattoo alongside some of the areas best creators. I have been a mentor to multiple students. My most recent one being my son Dylan, who is already beginning to make himself a solid pool of collectors. And I have been able to experience the joy, the story, and the transformational power tattooing has on collectors.
In 2017 I was invited by my friend and tattooer Thom Bulman, to be on his team for Season 9 of Inkmaster “Shop Wars.” We appeared on 10 episodes of the competition before being eliminated. That experience was an interesting one.
I still love this craft with the same amount of excitement as I had when I did my first tattoo. Possibly even more. I love being able to create images for the story clients have. Develop a body of work for a collector, that connects them back to themselves. Sharing in the experiences of Love, Overcoming, Success, Expansion and even the simple “That’s just a cool design and I want that.”
Tattooing has connected me to the inner artist in ways I could have never imagined. I am forever grateful to all of those who helped get me here, be it Artists or Collectors.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Finding an artist and/or shop that is willing to mentor you can be a challenge. And honestly it absolutely should be.
In my search for a mentor in those early years, I had been considered by a few artists. Sometimes it didn’t work on their end. Other times it didn’t work because of me. I was pretty reckless in a lot of my decisions when I was younger and I had a lot of things I needed to work through personally.
Prior to TV promoting tattooing, and the internet coming online, Business was mainly word of mouth, and your hustle to promote yourself. Going to shows, local hang outs and events. Doing whatever you could to let everyone know you were an artist. Some weeks you would go a few days without doing anything. Other times you would open the doors to a few people, and tattoo well into the early morning hours the next day.
There are more tools and outlets these days to be seen and heard everywhere. The internet changed everything. The TV shows and competitions changed the landscape for tattooers and collectors. It didn’t necessarily make it easier to find business. But it did open up opportunities with people who otherwise may have never considered getting work done.
Tattooing now seems to be a mix of personal expression, fashion, collector culture and medicinal experiences. If you do not know how you land in these areas as an Artist, you may find it tough to find your audience.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Over the twenty one years of tattooing, I have practiced many different styles. Working in the shops I have, it was necessary to be versatile. Be able to replicate the work on the walls, create original and specific work, and change from one to the other as the clients continue to rotate.
In the early years I was very much into Illustrative Tattoos and New School Style pieces. Designs that were cartoon influenced. Wild in design and colors. After some time with that, I began finding my way into more of the American Traditional application. Pieces with simple images, clean line work, saturated colors, and a balance of ink and open skin for longevity. I have also spent a significant amount of time learning Cover Up Work, then Portrait and Replication work in my early years here in Pennsylvania. For a while it was one of the styles I did regularly. Creating memorials of loved ones, and a whole lot of dog and cat portraits for their owners.
Since opening Glass Heart, I have been more focussed on Illustrated Realism and Neo Traditional style work. I love the aspects of portrait work and replication, while adding a mix of different line weights and heavy black elements. These two styles I have found to have good longevity, and the freedom of movement and creativity I enjoy.
I have recently been getting more into large scale work – Full Sleeves, Backs and Torso Panels. I have also been really enjoying large scale Blackwork and Blackout Projects. There is a certain experience for both collector and creator that happens with that kind of work, thats something you can’t really explain.
The thing I enjoy most about this career is being able to work with clients to not only create images that they will be proud to wear forever, but also being able to be a part of their transformations. There are a lot of conversations that happen when someone is in the tattoo chair, and the space we can hold for someone while they go through these experiences is essential. Especially when it comes to memorial work, or large-scale projects where they are sitting for multiple hours under the needle. Our bodies can only take so much pain before we need some assistance in processing it. That’s the time when we become more than someone just making images in the skin. I enjoy that work.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
I am a reader for sure. I read all sorts of things. Books in both Fiction and Non Fiction. A lot of topics around self improvement, personal development, business and memoir. Lately I have been diving into Fiction books a little more. Stories about mediums and mediumship, Lit RPG books have been fun. Books on religion, faith and spirituality have always been in my collection. Alternative Thinking and Practices. I enjoy reading blogs as well. The different views and ideas on all sorts of subjects.
I listen to a lot of music. I would say that is one of my biggest things. All genres too. Although lately it has been more storyteller vibe or mellow in nature.
I enjoy podcasts a lot. I have about 10 or 12 in my weekly rotation. Mostly business related, with some others around personal wellness and spiritual ways of thinking.
I do a lot of personal journaling myself. I have a blog I try to keep up with when the time allows. I recently released my own podcast that talks about personal stories and seeing life through the eyes of the artist. I am helping my wife launch her first book which has been rather exciting. That’s something I may consider in the future as well. And creating short and longford content has been a lot of fun. I am motivated by so much in these spaces, and have been enjoying creating my own spot within it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.glasshearttattoo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/derekzielinski_artist
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/derekzielinskiartist
- Other: www.derekzielinski.substack.com
