Meet Sergei Fish | Artist, Tattooer, Biker

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

Hi Sergei, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Risk taking is an essential part of any success story, in my opinion. Courage to start and just a little luck are key factors in achieving goals. Taking risk will eliminate chances of you looking back and asking yourself “What if I tried and it worked out?” Even if you try and it does not work out, you will walk away with new knowledge and experience, that can help with your future projects. Fear of failure is normal, but only those stand out who overcome it. I am as everybody else oftentimes hesitant to start a new venture. I weigh all pros and cons that I could get out of it, and if I think it still worth it, I give it a shot. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I was drawing and sketching from a very young age. When I was a teenager, back in 2000-2010 in Russia, where I am originally from, TV shows and documentaries about skateboarders and musicians were very popular. All of those guys had so many tattoos. I thought, “Wow, their tattoos look so cool. I want to get one too.” That is when I first got interested in tattoos. I had been wanting to get a tattoo long time before I could actually get it. My first tattoo said “Blink-182” because I am a huge Blink fan. I got it when I was 18 or something like that.

Later, in my twenties, I spent a lot of time working as a set designer and decorator in film production in Moscow, Russia. I met many talented artists, actors, producers, etc. Working with creative people got me very inspired. I thought it was so awesome that you can do something that you really like and get rewarded for this so well.

In 2016, I saw online that well-known Russian tattoo artist and machine builder, Zak, was looking for an apprentice, so this is how I started tattooing. First year, I had been tattooing my friends and coworkers for free and drawing my own tattoo flash.

Currently, I am tattooing full time here in San Diego. My favorite styles are American traditional and Japanese. This is what I have myself. I like those styles for their simplicity, bold lines, and vivid colors. Also, I am doing a lot of so trendy right now fine line work.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
When I want to go out but not sure where to go, I almost always end up going to the beach. Southern California is an amazing place to live in. I like all kinds of beach activities: taking my dog to dog-beach, surfing, riding my motorcycle or skateboard along the beach, or just walking barefoot on sand. My favorite place to eat is local chain of Mexican food, Sombrero. It is “San Diego style” Mexican food, so if you are here, you got to try some burritos from Sombrero, just because!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My shoutout will be dedicated to my wife, Eva. She has been with me nearly half of my life and always was a big inspiration. She is very involved in my work now. Aside from managing our daily life, she also does marketing, budgeting, and customer service for me, and I am really grateful. The other shoutout would be to my friend and former coworker Denis, who was the very first person I ever tattooed back in 2016. Well, my leg was my first customer, but it does not count. Anyway, I really appreciate the trust he had in me.

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Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7y72WfCoZuxkTNnuP34Oag