Meet Justin Shimrock | Tattoo Artist

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

Hi Justin, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Ever since I was two years old, I have taken pencil to paper and felt compelled to create. I would build homes in the mud for small creatures, make little gifts for friends at school, play with blocks and colors in my free time. I was always seeking to make something in a way that I could pass it on, I found that in art and tattooing. Being able to sit in front of another person and ink their way into a more comfortable version of themselves is a reminder every day why I chose this for my career!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My art is a reflection of my deepest inner self. The child who always wished to escape to some fantasy land. This is where my creations come from, the deepest parts of my heart. Every design I make means the world to me and to give a design a home on someone’s skin is like rehoming a puppy. I am never satisfied with my work and I am always hungry to continue growing, however, I am still very proud of how far I have come. As someone who has struggled with attention and commitment problems, I have found my place in life and it has provided me with stability and true purpose. My journey to get here was rough and I still have a long way to go, but I am climbing a mountain that only has a summit when I decide. Friendship, hope, and perseverance were the keys to getting where I am now, but the hard lessons I learned were lessons in humility. The thing that separates an artist from a craftsman is a craftsman is an artist that stopped learning. I spent too much time as a craftsman lacking the humility to keep seeking growth. I hope my work inspires others to never stop growing and never stop climbing!

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.
Everyone who knows me knows I am going to drag them to the places and things that inspire me most. I seek out art in all things so you could bet that we would be visiting the movies to see a film at the Irvine Spectrum. We would definitely visit Laguna Beach to exist in the original artist colony and visit the galleries. Of course, we would stop at a lot of places to eat but most importantly at Mascarpones, which is the greatest family owned italian restaurant in Orange County with the best cheesecake I have ever eaten. We would visit some of the parks, probably Disneyland and Universal Studios. And finally, at the end of the trip, we would have to stop at my shop, Black Umbrella in Garden Grove, so I can give them a little tattoo to commemorate their visit!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are so many people I owe my growth to. Most recently, I shoutout my crew at the shop; Blake, Kurtis, Josh, Marco, and Kaellie who have all supported my re-entry to the tattoo world in their own ways. I shoutout all the artists I meet on the road, especially including my friends in Houston; Casey, Tyler, and Christian who all have openly shared so much with me and invited me into their shop as well. I also need to shoutout my time at LCAD and the amazing teachers I had, including; Daniel Adoff, Scott Flanders, Michael Savas, Chris Ramsay, Todd Smith, and Caleb Cleaveland who have all helped me grow my foundations and push through my limits. And lastly, every client who has trusted me to be my canvas, I will always be grateful to all of you for helping me along the way!