Matty Mendez's journey to becoming a renowned tattoo artist is a remarkable testament to dedication and resilience.
He has spent over a decade as his own worst critic in pursuit of becoming not only the best tattooer he can be but also the best father and family man.
His journey speaks to what discipline and hard work can do for someone seeking a better way. But it didn't always seem as straightforward as it does now.
Matty's path to becoming an accomplished tattooer took root amidst the vibrant chaos of street culture. His passion for tattooing was fuelled by early experiences with graffiti and the inspiration from older friends who wore their stories on their skin.
But before that, drawing came into his life through a choice given to him to escape the distractions of television and other things. When Matty came to loathe reading and found out he could draw instead, he clung to art immediately.
"I started super young. But I don't have the story of seeing the older uncle with the tattoo; it just seemed natural to me," He said. "I was 14 or 15 when I saw the dudes I was hanging out with who were 18 or 19 getting tattooed. I wanted to do all the same stuff they did."
Matty admits that some of the older people he hung out with were a mixed bag. There were good influences and bad ones. He noticed that the people he connected with most were those who were starting to dive into tattooing as a way to make a life for themselves.
He got his first tattoo at around 16. After that, it was on.
After high school, he still wasn't 100 percent sold on what he wanted to do. But he did know he was always drawn to tattoos. Life circumstances also motivated him to figure out his life quickly.
"I have four kids. I had my first kid when I was 19 or 20," he said. "My daughter is probably the main reason we are where we are, as far as work. She was the inspiration behind it. She made it easy for me to get good."
The crippling realization that life is no longer centred around Matty and that there is now a child to care for propelled him into action.
At 21, he landed an apprenticeship at an old-school tattoo shop where he used to hang out and draw with his friends. This led to an encounter with a walk-in customer looking for a sparrow tattoo. As luck would have it, Matty had been working on one already.
The tattooers in the shop said they would have no problem creating a design for the lady, but when she saw Matty's drawing, she said, "I want that one."
"Then, I started selling drawings to them," he said.
After about a year of selling to the shop's tattooers, he was told to learn to do them himself.
It was a traditional apprenticeship experience, according to Matty.
"I was doing weird shit, giving dudes twice my age rides home and stuff like that," he explained. "There was also all of the old bullshit stuff that people complain about and the old cool stuff that people don't do anymore."
The tattooers in that shop eventually split up, coinciding with the news of his firstborn being on the way.
"At this point, I'm already drawing tattoos pretty well," he said. "I didn't know how to tattoo, but I could figure out how to build them and know which ones could work and what wouldn't."
Starting at a new shop in San Antonio was a massive step for Matty. Several friends he had met strictly online, one of whom was Chong Tramontana, were also hired at the shop.
"He was my favourite tattooer," Matty said. "He did the most one-on-one work with me when it comes to tattooing."
Matty explained that learning the craft doesn't take incredibly long; instead, it's everything else—what separates the OK artists from the best—that he had to learn.
"Chong always told me, 'You can make a bad tattoo out of a good drawing, but you can't make a good tattoo out of a bad drawing.' That has stuck with me. It's burned into my head."
While tattooing has always lent itself to an alternative lifestyle that allows many freedoms, which initially drew Matty in, he now looks back at that time as more of a "work-ethic apprenticeship."
"You meet these guys who, I would equate them to the one percenters of tattooing. For them, it's more about themselves selfishly in a positive way. These were guys who hated their work most of the time, but it was always about the pursuit of how to get there."
The need to get better became an obsession. Matty recalls getting 2 a.m. text messages from friends reading, "I can't sleep, let's go to the shop," prompting him to drive 30 minutes and draw until 6 or 7 a.m.
"Our asses would be right back in the shop at around 11 or noon," he said.
Matty says this time was crucial for his development. But, eventually, Chong moved to California. The man he always turned to for guidance was leaving. It was time for him to go at this on his own.
"I got the green light, but then he left," Matty explained. "He told me that it would be harder, but it was time to do it for me. It wasn't impossible."
Luckily, he had already formed the habit of constantly drawing, and his drive to get better has always remained.
If you haven't seen his work yet, Matty creates some of the finest traditional Japanese tattoos. If you've visited his Instagram, you'll see that he consistently spends time at his desk drawing every day. This daily practice is integral to his routine and a key reason his work continues improving.
His connection to traditional Japanese can be traced back to the first time he saw a Horiyoshi book. The subject matter blew him away.
"Just seeing that, I always wanted to try and do that and have as much respect towards learning how as a Westerner," he said. "I think, as Westerners, I don't know if we can get there or if we should get there. I know there are a lot of people who do it really well, but the Japanese have it on lock."
As he continues to create amazing tattoos, Matty has found a balance that allows him to improve his craft while also being present for his kids and pursuing the hobbies closest to him, mainly Jiu-Jitsu.
It's a balance that took him a while to learn.
"As a tattooer, if you're of the mindset, you'll always want to work," he said. "I don't think that's necessarily healthy anymore. I used to think that was the way. Now, I think it's more important to block out certain times in the day for work, for being a dad and whatever else."
For him, an outlet like Jiu-Jitsu has perfectly complimented tattooing.
"When I finished my apprenticeship, I started Jiu-Jitsu," he said. "With both, when you start, you're terrible and have no idea what you're doing. And then you get a little better. It's like when you're working through, you're a white belt, and you're learning the basics. Through your blue belt, you're learning stuff you want to learn; it's the same with tattooing. Then it becomes about honing in."
Now, as a brown belt in Jiu-Jitsu, he feels refined. There is a path, and he knows how to walk it, just like he's found in tattooing. The next step in both would be the black belt, which he explains as starting over.
"It's fully adjacent with tattooing," he said. "You get to a point where you realize you need to reflect on your game and find the holes. That's when you find out how to make everything sharp. If I'm a brown belt in Jiu-Jitsu, I also try to be a brown belt in tattooing."
His early experiences taught him that perfection is elusive. No matter how good your work is, there is always something else to learn. Matty's rigorous self-critique is evident in his current work, reflecting a continuous journey of improvement.
Having just returned from a trip to Japan, Matty learned about the word "Shokunin," which roughly translates into "craftsman" or "artist" in English.
"It speaks to the endless pursuit of perfection," he said. "I don't want to say it means negating the result, but it's about negating the fear of whether you're going to make it or not."
The concept of Shokunin plays an intriguing role in Matty's life. His story is a testament to the power of perseverance, creativity, and the unending quest for mastery in tattooing.
"I'm a testament to if you really care, it shows, and people will see that," he explained. "It's like the Field of Dreams, if you build it, they will come. Keep your head down and in a book. Move forward."
