Tim Hendricks is a lot of things to a lot of people: a tattoo artist, a machinist, a painter, a surfer, a skater, a husband, and a good friend. Ask him and he’ll definitely tell you that “tattoo artist” is the one thing he was born to be. While he is an amazing artist, and definitely represents those other aspects of his existence succinctly, it quickly becomes clear that the one thing he’s not is a phony. No, Tim is the real deal; an artist who breathes creativity, cut from the very cloth that made the culture what it is today. For the first time in a Bound By Ink interview, names like Owen Jensen, Milton Zeiss, and Paul Rogers are mentioned by a subject. Terms like “coils” and “footswitches” are as relevant in this thriving artist’s vocabulary as the clouds are to the sky. After a few minutes of speech, this disciple of the culture is preaching the gospel of tattooing, according to Tim Hendricks. And the world is listening. “My life is fucking amazing, and I truly love tattooing,” he gushes. “There’s an expression I love that goes, ‘My riches consist not in the extent of my possessions, but in the fewness of my wants.’ It’s true, I’ve gotten more out of life than I ever thought I’d have when I was growing up, and it’s all because of tattooing.” While the quote comes from J. Brotherton, the sentiment comes from Tim’s heart, and that heart beats with the same fervor as the vibrations of the tattoo needles that he still makes by hand.

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