Today we’d like to introduce you to Josh Cabrera.
Hi Josh, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I started my career tattooing in Miami over twenty years ago now. I did my apprenticeship at a shop called Doggtown Tattoo off 167th Street and NE 6th Ave in Miami Beach which is unfortunately no longer around. The shop was owned by Donny Lopez. There were two other shops on that strip back then, Merlins and Tattoos by Lou. I decided to move up to Fort Lauderdale shortly after the birth of my son where I’ve been tattooing ever since.
Thinking back on those days now I guess we had the reputation for being the rowdiest crew on the strip. It was hard, fast living back then and all a bit of a blur now lol but we considered ourselves ‘rock stars’ and did everything possible to live up to our ‘bad boy’ reputation. It was a good time back in those days I wouldn’t change a thing.
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?
It’s never a smooth road I don’t think. The ups and downs of living the ‘tattoo life’. I saw a lot of my friends and fellow tattooers slip in and out of substance abuse, and lots of bad habits we collect along the way. I’ve seen lots of trends come and go through the years. Some stick around longer than others. Tattoos are cyclical, like fashion. It’s very difficult to stay current.
The internet, and social media in particular, have played a huge part in it. No longer are the days of tattoos only being something you see in tattoo shops. These days the client has every bit as much information at their fingertips as the artists themselves. It’s never made much sense to try to stay ahead of the curve.
My passion is in American Traditional and always has been. It’s foundational. It’s time-tested and battle-hardened and certainly beyond the influence of current and future trends. In that respect, I guess I’ve been fortunate. I’m not swayed by the ‘new thing’, the old has always been more than enough.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Electric Street is bar far known for its embrace of classic Americana-style tattoos. I and my team are happy to carry the torch when it comes to keeping tattoo traditions alive. Our parlor is covered with wall-to-wall ‘tattoo flash’ (hand-drawn and painted designs ready for tattooing). The shop is properly outfitted with five full-service tattoo stations (a private room is also available upon request).
The work that comes out of our studio is reminiscent of tattoos you would’ve seen back in the 1910s, 1920s, and 30s. Patriotic themes are a mainstay. You’ll notice a lot of nautical artwork gracing our walls, ships, anchors, sexy pin-up girls, eagles, roses, daggers, and panthers. Bold crisp lines, expertly shaded tattoos with vibrant color palettes.
Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Risk is necessary in all aspects of life and I like to think I’m not risk-averse. I make the decision daily to stick to my guns. Not all tattoos are created equal. There are hundreds upon thousands of tattoos being made by the wrong artists every day. Realism artists taking on traditional, or traditional tattooers tackling photorealism? These are apples and oranges folks.
Unless you are genuinely trying to branch out into other styles I think we should all stay in our lanes. Here at Electric Street Tattoo, we do proper traditional and neotraditional tattoos, everything else will be turned away. We love what we do, and we do what we love well.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.electricstreettattoo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/electricstreettattoo
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/electricstreettattoo
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/electric-street-tattoo-oakland-park-2?osq=electric+street
