Alex Duquette is a machine.

Whether it's tattoos or designs for Take To The Grave, his work ethic is relentless. 

If you've ever wondered how Alex juggles so many creative projects, his secret is simple: he doesn't overthink.

"The worst enemy of an artist is overthinking, at least for me," Alex explained during a phone call from Montreal. "I try the best that I can not to do that when I create. When I sit down to make a new design, I don't think about it for more than two minutes." 

If any aspect of overthinking starts to creep in, he stops and moves on to the next thing. 

"There is always more inspiration," he said. "If you start doubting yourself, you'll never be stoked on what you do. You'll never create as much as you want to, either. I'm kind of a maniac. I just want to create." 

This insightful advice comes from a man driven by the creative process. At 33 years old, his current path is not something his teenage self could have anticipated when he first started drawing. 

Born in Hull, Quebec, Alex started making art when he was around 17. Before that, music consumed his life. He was in bands and toured until his early 20s. 

Finding inspiration from his sister by seeing her art, he wanted to try it himself.

"I made some T-shirt designs for some homies, which led to buying some machines on eBay, which led to me tattooing some of my friends," he said. "I fuckin' sucked at it hard, but I still did it. If I could make $50 before going back on tour, I'll fuckin' do it." 

At 20, he landed his first apprenticeship at Blue Blood Tattoo in Ottawa.

He didn't make much money early on, which led to a Kraft Dinner diet for the first year and a half. After that, he hit the ground running and hustled as hard as possible.

After his apprenticeship, Alex started to gather more clients. Once he did, he realized he wanted to combine the touring portion of the music he loved with his new gig as a tattooer.

"I must have done so many guest spots and conventions in my first couple of years. I just wanted to be out there," he said. 

Alex didn't realize how much those early years on the road would pay off later. 

"Now, everywhere I go, I have clients. It's amazing." 

Time off the road led him to start Take To The Grave with his friend Shawn Cole in 2019. 

The idea came after Alex and Shawn initially connected through a tattoo appointment while he was working in Halifax. They became fast friends, and a weekend in Cape Breton sprouted the idea. 

Shawn initially pitched the brand and came up with the name. After wondering if he'd have the time to dive into something else, Alex decided it was worth a shot. 

He made a few designs to try out this new idea. By his own account, they weren't good. Shawn said Alex could come up with something better, which he did. 

That led to printing and putting some money down. This was now becoming a genuine venture for the two. 

Within six months, the brand had money in the bank, and inventory was rising.

"We were like, 'what the fuck, let's just keep going,' then the pandemic arrived," he said. "Then we blew up. It was crazy." 

That growth through the pandemic has led to the brand's success. Alex works on designs, and Shawn is the marketing mastermind. 

It has become a family affair in Cape Breton, where the warehouse is located. 

"We didn't push too hard, we've just kind of let it all happen," Alex said. 

The brand has been a great addition to the workflow as he continues to bust out incredible tattoos full-time.

While Alex primarily does traditional tattoos, his approach is entirely unique.

When you see his work on someone, you immediately recognize it as an Alex Duquette original, a testament to his distinct artistic vision.

While he can't pinpoint why his work stands out, he noted he just likes to draw things in a certain way. 

"Maybe because I mix it with trad it's easier to see it was me who did it? I don't know," he said. "Tattoos are like accents. I speak French, but my accent has a bit of a twang to it, and so do my tattoos." 

He learned by studying neo-traditional and new-school artists. He never really identified with the bolder traditional style but rather the finer and more detailed approach.

"I've always liked neo-traditional and Japanese, but I have no interest in drawing it," he said. "I've tried to mix the things I like in that style over the years." 

Alex doesn't feel his tattoos stand out in any way, but that may be more so because he doesn't think about that sort of thing much. 

"I have heard that before. People have told me my tattoos are easy to spot, but I always think people are baiting me," he said. "It might also be the sheer amount of art i've produced over the last few years." 

There's almost a compulsion to the way he works. The reason there are so many of his designs and tattoos out there is because he doesn't stop creating.

"I just keep making the stuff because I am obsessed." 

People ask if he runs out of ideas after doing this for a while now, between designs for the brand and new tattoos. Alex doesn't know if that is possible. 

"There is always a different way to do a rose, wolf or an eagle. You can make it trippy; you can make it classic. You can change up the style. There are always ways."

The act of creating and what it takes to get there can be vastly different from person to person. Some people need everything to be perfect before they get going, and some are constantly searching for inspiration. Maybe there is a specific window when it all happens in perfect synchronicity. 

Alex, through the way he has constructed his process, lives in that window. 

"The window is wide open all the time. It's like a portal to craziness," he laughed. 

Whether it's tattoos or designs for the brand, there is always room for improvement. He doesn't get himself down if something doesn't resonate, or he does a tattoo he's not incredibly proud of; he just moves on. 

"I will just do better next time," Alex said. "There's always room to be a better person and elevate yourself." 

Looking back now, he can appreciate his journey. But if he could go back and give advice to a younger version of himself, he would have learned to tattoo the right way.

While Alex eventually got there, he formed many bad habits early on by trying to learn everything himself, which he believes may have set him back a bit. 

"I picked up machines, and I did a bunch of bullshit on people," he explained. "When I learned to tattoo, I had to fix those mistakes. It took me longer to learn because I had bad habits."

No matter how he got to where he is, we couldn't be more stoked to have him as a sponsored member of the Good Guy team. 

Since announcing his joining the team, he has heard many people say "finally," as if it should have happened already. That left him a little confused. But if you know Alex, you also know how much he puts on for our brand—even before the sponsorship. 

Whether it's eco tubes, our barriers, or needles, he has always praised what we do and been a prominent ambassador for the brand. 

"I like to elevate people," he said. "I want people to be successful. When I see people who are working hard, have great values, are nice to people and are making quality products, it's a no brainer for me that I'll push them." 

Alex looks forward to the future and what the partnership with Good Guy could bring. 

"I'm looking forward to what Good Guy will bring into my life," he said. "I always saw Good Guy as such a pilot in the tattoo industry and never thought I'd be a part of a team or have a sponsor. It's crazy that Lucas and Rob are like, 'yeah, we want you to be in our family,' it's just wild to me." 

If you want to keep up with everything Alex is doing, follow him on Instagram. You can also check out everything Take To The Grave by visiting the brand's website.