Today we’d like to introduce you to Ugo.
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?
I am truly thankful and exceptionally blessed to be able to create for a living, share my gift for myself and for others. It’s humbling to be able to inspire those around me, and with sharing my story, I hope that it resonates with some of you.
My love for drawing began around 10 years old when I found my brother creating a comic book called ‘Timmy’s Great Fall’. He hadn’t finished it, so I took the comic into my own hands and began drawing out the rest of the story. This quickly turned into creating multiple hand-drawn volumes of the comic. Since then, my brother would tell me, “It’s as if I gave you a pencil to draw stick figures, turned around for 5 seconds, and when I turned back around you created a Picasso painting instead.”
The rate of when I started with drawing and where it’s taken me had progressed very quickly. I would always spend time creating something. I remember when Xfinity was originally called Comcast where they had On-Demand, and I’d always hog the tv to follow tutorials focused on drawing, painting, and origami. I was determined to improve as an artist in different mediums.
I remember high school being the first time I thrived with my work. My art teachers genuinely cared about me and knew that I couldn’t let this gift go to waste. I wasn’t used to displaying my work, and it took me a while to get comfortable with having an audience. One of my art teachers would take my work from class and submit them into art shows, which I’ve grown to appreciate as I’ve gotten older. I’d gotten scholarships from my work, commissioned work for an NFL athlete, I’ve had my work under the hallways of the State House Complex, and received letters from the Maryland House of Delegates. This all occurred during my junior and senior year of high school.
Originally, I wanted to go to art school for college, but it was expensive. And with being the daughter to Nigerian parents, unfortunately, they were not having that as an option. I wanted to major in something that was close to art and design but would also give me financial support. This led me to studying architecture at Morgan State University.
During undergrad, like most students, I was broke and needed a job. Unfortunately, my schedule was too hectic for me to find a job that worked around my schedule. I would express to my friends that I needed to do something that worked well with my schedule, that I also had full control over. That’s when I was recommended to get into tattooing, but it wasn’t as easy as it sounds. I had never thought of being a tattooist but was very intrigued with the tattooing process when I got my first tattoos at 18.
I tried seeking an apprenticeship from an experienced artist that I admired, however, they told me that they wouldn’t be available for it and that I could try learning on my own. Immediately when I was told that, I started learning on my own. I am categorized as a self-taught tattooist so my path may not work for everyone, but I do like to share my journey so that other self-taught tattooers do not feel alone or judged. I did extensive research, watched a lot of video tutorials online, I would get tattoos and ask the artists about the process and for any advice that they could give me. When I felt comfortable enough, I started practicing tiny/small tattoos on friends and family.
And I kept practicing, and practicing, and documenting, and practicing all while being an architecture student. My clientele was growing, and my work was improving. During my senior year, I stopped tattooing so that I could fully focus on my classes and other projects. People would still reach out to me in the hopes of getting tattooed from me, but I needed to focus on my main priority, which was graduating.
I graduated with my Bachelor’s of Science in Architecture from Morgan State University in 2020. During this time, the pandemic was becoming more and more of a problem. I was working at an architecture firm but ended up losing that job because of the pandemic. Fresh out of school and unemployed… in a pandemic. I tried looking for another job within my field but was unsuccessful, and eventually, I grew tired of searching. I expressed my frustrations to a friend, and that’s when they asked me the question, “Well, why don’t you tattoo again?” It’s as if that question flipped a switch in me and gave me life again. I would be able to fully invest my time into tattooing without other distractions. Taking this new path in my journey was a risk that I was willing to take.
Fast forward to a little over 2 years later, and I’ve worked with over 500+ clients. My current goals are to create a safe space for those who want to get into tattooing but don’t know where to start and don’t have the support that they need. I want to be able to give what I wish I had for myself when I started my self-taught journey. The joy that I feel from creating for a living that directly impacts people in a positive way is heartwarming. Every day I feel as though I’m fulfilling my purpose. And I’m eternally grateful for the amount of love that I get from those who support me and have been supporting me before I was even a tattooist.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The main struggle was with the gatekeeping that’s present in the tattooing community. You could reach out to a tattoo artist in a very professional way and try to ask questions, but most artists would give answers that weren’t straightforward to purposefully confuse you, or they wouldn’t respond at all. Even the most simplest questions would not get a response (i.e., what needle size is being used, what voltage is the machine running at, etc.)
As a female tattoo artist, I’ve also been told by male tattoo artists that I wouldn’t be able to work in their shops solely because I’m a woman. I was told that being a woman tattoo artist would be a distraction to everyone else in the shop.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m widely known for tattooing, mainly specializing in black work. With my architecture background, I try to translate that into my tattoo work by using different line weights to create bold, contrasting pieces.
I’m proud of all the pieces that I’ve done.
I’m especially proud of the growth that I’ve made in such a short amount of time. The growth with being an artist, businesswoman, and also with myself internally. I’m proud of my work ethic.
I’m very passionate with everything that I do. I often say to my clients that I do all of my pieces with love and that that’s how I share it with others. When my mind is set on something, I try my best at obtaining it. I’m very motivated, determined, and ambitious. I take risks, and all the risks that I’ve taken have yet to lead me astray.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Spending time with the people that I care about, experiencing new things, achieving personal goals, and inspiring those around me makes me happy. These add fuel to my life and makes it worth living.
Contact Info:
- Website: ugco.me
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_ugco/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/_ugco
