Devon brings his drawings to life

I always made art but never tried to pursue a career in it — I didn’t really know how to do that. I told myself I’ll just get into design and make money working for a company, and I’ll just draw in my free time.

The first time that happened I was like, "I can’t even believe this, for real?"

‍Six years into UX design, Devon gave up the stability and pursued drawing and tattooing full time. Since then, Devon’s finding how tattooing gives life to his drawings.‍

I’m way happier and surprised I find a lot of joy in the things I make. Normally I’ll make a drawing and it shows up in peoples’ feeds for a couple seconds. Unless it really resonates with someone, it doesn’t exist beyond that. Tattooing sort of gives each drawing a new life. If someone comes in where they want to get it permanently added to their body… it’s kinda indescribable how meaningful that is. The first time that happened I was like, "I can’t even believe this, for real?"

Because of that I try to make sure I only do them once. I like that each person is able to have an original piece of artwork, it makes it feel more like an artist practice than just another service. Not only is it a really cool feeling for me to give something unique that no one else has, but it’s the same for the person getting a tattoo too. It's more work for me, but there’s nothing more that I wanted to do with my life than sit around and draw whatever I want.

Turns out Devon already knew how to pursue a career in art — by doing what he does best. @rememburgerme’s books are open. You’ll find him at @shapew0rld, a private studio in Brooklyn.

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