Today, we’d like to introduce you to Tami Jo Urban.
Hi Tami, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m originally from Detroit. I moved to Miami Beach in 2009, where I lived and worked as a freelance artist and tattoo artist. I moved back to Detroit for a year after Covid, and then I remembered how much I couldn’t stand being cold. I now live in Delray Beach and tattoo at a studio in Coral Springs.
I earned my Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drawing and Painting from Wayne State University and my Master of Fine Arts in Medical & Biological Illustration from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. As a child growing up in Michigan, I had an amazing art mentor, Nancy Salvador, who taught me everything she could starting at age 7. She was my best friend too. I began tattooing in 1992, when I apprenticed under Melvin Earl McElhiney, aka “Mel The Head.”
I have always tattooed as I went through college and into my career. I have worked at General Motors, Campbell-Ewald, and JGA. I quit corporate life to freelance and start my own company (Tami Jo Urban LLC, with my brand being The Urban Machine) in 2007. This has been my focus ever since!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Working for myself is wonderful, but the hustle is real.
The ups and downs of the economy, The search for clients. The retention of business. And, of course, my moods. I’m grateful for every bump that has made me stronger.
I appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am an illustrator at heart. I love to render objects in great detail. I can do any style of art that has proven to be both a strength (versatility) and a weakness (non-recognizable).
I am still undecided on how I feel about it, but it’s a fact, so I will roll with it. My preference is realism and surrealism, but as a tattoo artist, it behooves me to be able to execute anything!
What would you say has been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Fear and success cannot occupy the same space. I had to choose. It took years, but I chose success.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://theurbanmachine.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/tamijourban
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/tamijourban
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamijourban/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/tamijourban
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@tamijourban
- Other: https://tamijourban.com
