Vivid Crystal Tattoo Studio and Shoppe recently hosted Caleb Morgan, a Florida tattoo artist with Elysium Tattoo, which he runs with his wife Alisha. Morgan has made a name for himself in the tattooing world and Crystal Begin, owner of Vivid Crystal, was excited to welcome him back for a third time to Stoughton.
Morgan had always been interested in art, but becoming a tattoo artist wasn’t something he had really considered.
“I went to two different art schools actually,” Morgan explained. “I first went to the Rhode Island School of Design and then I attended the Cleveland Institute of Art.”
“I was disillusioned with the prospects for artists and went into healthcare; I was an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) and a CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant).”
He was working in a nursing home when he met Alisha, his wife. While working at the nursing home one night he had drawn on her leg with a marker.
Smiling, Caleb recalled the exchange of thoughts on his drawing from that night: “Alisha said, ‘This is awesome!’ Which it wasn’t, it was terrible, I sucked. But, she said, ‘You should do this.’ And it wasn’t something I had really considered before.”
“Once we were married she kept going on and on about it and she forced me to buy a tattoo kit,” he said laughing.
From there Morgan headed to the Tattoo Learning Center and his new career took off. Opening a shop first in Connecticut, he and his wife, who is also a tattoo artist, then opened one in Florida as well.
“A lot of artists would say the money [as their favourite part of the job], but I would have to say the satisfaction of knowing something you drew, you created, is going to be on their body forever,” Morgan explained. “It’s almost a rush when you see what you’ve created as a permanent part of their body. You put a lot of work and effort into the image for them to wear forever and they’re pumped about it, that’s the best part.”
Although creating this permanent art is Morgan’s favourite part, he also stressed, “Tattoos are permanent and you have to know what you want, really think about it before you do it.”
The artist has two main styles of tattooing he works with, which includes Traditional Realism and New School. Traditional Realism being a style that recreates an accurate depiction of the subject of the tattoo, while New School takes on an intense 3D imagery, is colourful, and is based on graffiti.
“I like things that have a strong contrast,” he explained. “I want someone to see my work from across the street.”
Morgan has travelled the world as a tattoo artist, attending numerous conventions each year, earning awards for his work, and doing different guest spots, as he has with Vivid Crystal.
“My latest award was at the West Palm Beach Convention,” Morgan explained. “It was for a two-day, large back piece that I did, and there was high competition there.”
“Those are elite conventions, they’re not small conventions by any means and earning an award is very tough.”
With his background in health, Morgan also decided, as he cemented himself in the industry, that he wanted to be part of teaching at the Tattoo Learning Center and has helped to open one in Florida. Here the fundamentals to advanced techniques are taught, with people attending that are already tattoo artists and others, new to tattooing, looking to get into the business.
“We focus a lot on the proper way to tattoo, how to do it safely and cleanly,” Morgan explained. “There’s so many people tattooing out of their home, which is extremely unsafe, and the institute helps alleviate that because it educates people.”
It was over four years ago now that Morgan first met Begin who attended the Tattoo Learning Center in Florida.
“Crystal is one of my top students,” Morgan said. “She’s created a good, successful tattoo shop. It’s good to be able to pass on knowledge and see them succeed with tactics and techniques you’ve taught. Not only is she successful, but she’s successful in a small town which can’t be easy in this line.”
Begin added that the local community has welcomed her, a lot of her business comes from the surrounding communities as well which she says helps being in a smaller centre when people are willing to drive two-hours to come see you for a tattoo.
“She has a great shop and a great crew here, and before first coming, Canada was one of the few places I hadn’t been to,” Morgan explained. “I definitely like your summers better than your winters though.”
Appreciative of the praise, Begin added, “I’ve been open for four years and I’ve invested everything back into the shop for the best products and for our clients’ comfort, so they can have an experience like no other.”
“For me, it’s more about the art than the money.”
