Meet Alex Keith | Tattoo Artist/Painter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alex Keith and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alex, how do you think about risk?
I strongly believe Risks in life are absolutely necessary. Without risks we as humans are not able to become the people we want to be. Risk played as a huge role in my career because I am a Artist; Screams Risk! Being a Full-Time Artist i am depending on myself and artistry solely for everything in my life. Even as a kid I remember my mother and step-father told me that art is just a hobby, too risky, it’s not sustainable. I have to become a doctor. I listened and absolutely regret listening. You can have the sustainability, but without joy of life there is no point. I was going through a lot mentally and I needed to take that risk to become a Tattoo Artist and drop out of college and leave my corporate job, creating my artist journey, along with my happiness.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My art focuses on portraits/the human face. I have always loved the way the eyes, nose, and lips shape the face so beautifully. What sets my art apart from others is my uses of colors and different mediums. I create portraits of artists/musicians/singers. Music combined with Art is my absolute flow so I like to connect the two. I am most proud of my growth, i can pick a piece, but after each portrait i do i find that i’m creating a style that is more of me each time. I am most excited for how I Design my future pieces along with what mediums I will be dabbling in. I got into spray painting and I definitely am getting into mural work!
To be considered a professional artist, you basically have to have a brand/website/sell/etc. I have been creating portraits since I was 8 but took a long break from taking it seriously because of how i was raised. Once i was in a better state i began to create again, finding myself. I ended becoming an apprentice at a local tattoo shop and that opened the gates for me. It was me accepting that I am now taking the path of an artist and not a doctor.
I did my apprenticeship and during that i discovered the arts district out here in Las Vegas. Met the community and then became part of it. Felt like home. Made great friends. I started to vend. I made prints of my art, sold pretty well! I then took it deeper and created a website to go with my brand name being my name Alex Julia Inks. I got a great response and then continued on and joined First Fridays. That was great for consecutive months. I ended up sharing a space at the arts factory and I was living there basically. Always creating. When i was done tattooing I was there painting or drawing. I then met an amazing artist and became his apprentice. I ended up having my art showcased in San Diego, the latin film festival, the art crawl, and more.
I am tattooing just about full-time while designing and creating more of my art the all other times.
My journey was not easy, but aligned so well that it almost felt as though.
No matter what, you have to put in the work. That is when you get your reward. I overcame challenges that were hard to deal with by knowing i deserve better and I am going to go get that no matter what. I have been miserable majority of my life because i was doing what others told me what to do so i have to take action for the life and do what I want and deserve. Everything starts with your mind, you just have to create it. Don’t let anyone define your life and future because it is all up to you!
What I want the world to know about me and my story is that mental health is so, so, so important and everyone needs to take care of it. By taking those steps you can unlearn everything that is not meant for us and become your true self.
I am on the journey of taking care of my mind, body, and soul; learning that you cannot neglect a single one.
I am becoming more and more of the person I want to be each day by taking care of each aspect and with my art i want to spread that message.
Take care of you, till you are overflowing, then can you give to the world and others.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would take them downtown. Experience the arts district when it open to see the local artists. Go down freemont and check out the unique bars; lucky day has great spanish music and friday nights are popping! Go to the strip and dine in at the paris! The strip of las vegas is a tourist attraction in itself! Red rocks, if its not too hot! Take a beautiful hike there.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I actually have someone in my life who is my Life, Spiritual, Business Mentor. I strongly believe everyone in life needs mentors and guidance. We don’t know everything and we need help to figure out what we need to know for our lives. You can do everything alone. My mentors artist name is @ninobuni creator Juan Muniz. Him and his brand focuses on mental health which is something I strongly care for and think is so important. He is releasing a childrens book called “I’m not okay, today”; which is a story to give light on mental health within children. You can pre-order it on the website. Ninobuniworld.com

Website: Alexjuliainks.com

Instagram: Alexjuliainks