Tami Ho Urban shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Tami Ho, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
I lose track of time when I go out exploring on foot. A long, and I mean looooooong walk in nature always restores and refocuses my center. I throw on a baseball cap, sunglasses, and a backpack lightly loaded with hydration (usually water and coffee), my journal, and the necessary phone/wallet. I easily walk 5+ miles minimum when I do this with no real destination. I like to be prepared if I stop at a store and want to buy something (that is carry-able) or stop at a cafe for coffee and reflection. I love cities, the bigger the better. As long as I’m outside in warm weather, I walk for hours. I also love being alone. I thrive on it, really. It recharges me. I breathe, I think, I listen to music or binaural beats (mood depending). I make the day of it if I can, but even if I can’t it’s easily 2 hours minimum. I return feeling like a new person.
I also lose track of time when I am creating. I can spend hours on a drawing and it feel like minutes. When I sit down to tattoo, time just absolutely races by, although I’m sure my client does not share the experience.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am a classically trained illustrator, customs artist, and tattooist. My brand, The Urban Machine, is my playground where I create everything from original fine art to commercial branding. I have my Master of Fine Arts in Biomedical Illustration and have gone on to work for such companies as General Motors and Campbell-Ewald. I have been tattooing since 1992. I like to keep all of my skills in practice by maintaining a medley of projects across all of my platforms. Right now I’m working on a pair of custom painted roller skates, pet-portraits, corporate collateral campaigns such as coupons and sell-sheets, as well as T-shirt designs for companies and events. And I always have illustrations in the works for posters, books, clothing, stickers, etc. I am aways looking for new clients and fresh projects!
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
I used to think I had to do everything myself, like I had something to prove. I was driven by spite and a desire to “do it all myself.” I had a very feast/famine mentality where I now feel that steady/compounding is the way to live a happy, fulfilling and abundant life full of growth and quality. Life is a process, not an event.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
Go outside every single day and see something new! Explore! Every day doesn’t have to be a highlight reel, but every day should have glimmers that over time compound into a powerful library of experiences, gratitude, and memories. I have always had an adventurous spirit, but I didn’t act on it until later in life. I do not have any regrets, I just don’t believe in living in nor lamenting the past. I learn, I grow, I move forward knowing better. So the closest thing I would have to wishing anything along the lines of “if I could” it would simply be to have more of that time back.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What’s a belief you used to hold tightly but now think was naive or wrong?
I used to be a very finite, black/white person. Externally I have a calm demeanor, not reactive, stoic. However, internally I lived in a very yes/no world of unrealistic and self-imposed perfection goals. Now the only time I say never is regarding the word never. Anything is possible, roll with it. I have always liked change, but I would trap myself in my own thoughts. Somehow I found a way to identify when I was falling into that trap and pull myself out. Now it’s second nature. It’s just not that serious.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What will you regret not doing?
That’s easy. I won’t regret not doing anything, because I plan to do it all!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://theurbanmachine.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tamijourban/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamijourban/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/tamijourban
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/tamijourban
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@tamijourban
- Other: https://tamijourban.com
Image Credits
Tami Jo Urban
