Bored Panda reached out to Tatu Panda to learn more about his creative process and personal journey. Since the artist started tattooing at such a young age, we were curious about the moment he realized tattooing could be his career. "The moment I discovered tattooing, my first thought was, whoa, can this really be a career?" the artist shared. "I couldn’t believe people were out here getting paid to do something so cool."

Tatu Panda works at a tattoo studio in Miami, so we asked him about the city's tattoo scene and what sets it apart from others. "Miami is weird, in a way it's kind of young in the tattoo scene, and the smaller population compared to cities like New York and LA has hindered its growth a bit, but we now have new artists moving from all over the world. So I'm curious to see where it takes us. I think that when the population grows a little bit and tourists continue to come it's gonna be a tattoo hotspot in the world."

Thinking about getting your first tattoo but feeling unsure? Whether it’s concerns about pain, aftercare, or simply not knowing what to expect, we asked Panda for his advice for first-timers. How should they prepare, and what can they expect from the experience? "Honestly, I feel like getting a tattoo is easy. If my clients don't know what they want, I always have an idea ready. If they're nervous, I'm a great conversationalist. I try to walk them through it and make them feel at ease. Also, I always create the design right in front of them, so they're always directly part of the creation process and get to witness it firsthand. I tattoo a lot, six days a week, so there's absolutely no free time for me to design tattoos, I adapted to be really fast at stenciling and composing."

When asked about the most rewarding part of being a tattoo artist, Panda said it's 100% the clients. "Some of these clients have become good friends, I look forward to seeing my regulars, and my favorite part is hearing them come back and tell me how many compliments they get on their tattoo."

"I think tattoos tell a lot about a person, and they definitely tell a story because they mark a different era in your life if you get them throughout the years. They most definitely can reinforce or reshape your identity, depending on what you want. Similar to plastic surgery, sometimes people can come out with a new persona after getting enough tattoos. I think that's why pain is an important part of the process—you used to have to be tough to get tattoos and having tattoos made you feel tougher and able to toughen up more in this cruel world."