E2W INK

Take a Chance on Life!

Being bounced around through the years wasn’t a day in the park, but Chance grew character and strength with each obstacle. Most people prepare and dream of becoming a tattoo artist, not Chance… this literally fell into his lap and he’s been doing it with pride and ease for the last 13 years. He even had the pleasure of inking up 20 Fort Lee soldiers before heading to Iraq-SALUTE!

“My mom always pictured this for me. It wasn’t difficult at all. I use to do tats on myself and then one day I tatted like 10 people for free when I was living in the Bronx just to get my work out there. The next thing I know, I did one after another after another and then it took off from there.” Chance has even tatted tears on his face for the actual tears he didn’t shed at his parents’ funeral. “I just couldn’t cry, so I tatted these tears on my face for them.”

With all the competition out there, Chance works harder and harder each day and is always striving to reach that next level. He runs from one shop in the Bronx a couple of days a week, to his other shop located in Harlem the remaining days. He has tried to become a part of a popular reality show, which shall remain nameless, about tattoo artists. The fit wasn’t quite right and the end result was, Chance decided to grind harder and eventually get his own reality show in the mix.

With everybody and their mama (literally mamas are getting it in) having tattoos these days, is it just a trend? “For some clients it’s just a fad or just cool and for other clients it’s spiritual. They lost loved ones, etc, some just want to stimulate pain over existing pain. My tattoos have a story.”

For this to be something that literally “fell into his lap,” Chance has definitely made a steady career and well respected reputation behind being a tattoo artist. He is also humble and offers advice to all who inspire to step outside the box and follow their heart, “You have to have faith no matter what. Even when it feels like things are not going your way, you have to KNOW that you are going to make it. One day I was feeling real depressed, basically cursing God out, you know those days? I was riding my bike in Manhattan by the Peninsula Hotel and I said to God, ‘Take me now’ the second I said that I heard a splat.  A man just landed on the pavement after committing suicide by jumping out of the window of the Peninsula Hotel. I was stunned and if that wasn’t a sign that things could be worse, I don’t know what is. I don’t complain. I know God has me here for a reason. One word to describe my life so far is INCOMPLETE. There is so much more I plan on accomplishing before its all said and done.”

Chance can be found on Instagram: EAST2WEST INK