We recently had the chance to connect with Keith Burkhardt and have shared our conversation below.
Good morning Keith , it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? Who are you learning from right now?
Everyone. I think if you’re not learning anything, even if it’s what not to do, than maybe it’s something you just don’t care about. Which is ok. I try and learn new things everyday. Like I said, even if it’s wrong you should be learning what not to do. With tattooing there’s so much to learn and take in, it could be overwhelming but I’ve learned to just take it day by day. As with anything in life. Some things you learn right away and some things might take years. Definitely still learning everyday. It’s tight!
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My names Keith Burkhardt and I’ve been tattooing for about 15 years. I tattoo in Tampa Fl at Atomic in Ybor City. I’ve worked in walk in style tattoo shops pretty much the entire time I’ve been tattooing. I try and provide the best tattoo at a reasonable price for every tattoo I do. I always hear stories about people getting cracked over the head with a wild price for a mediocre tattoo. People are struggling to get groceries and gas right now so I try to the best of my ability to give everyone a fair price and the best experience possible. I don’t necessarily think I specialize in any specific style. I enjoy doing every tattoo. Working in walk in shops keep you on your toes for whatever walks through the doors that day. Just good tattooing.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
My wife for sure. I haven’t always been the easiest to deal with but somehow she stuck around haha. She knows everything about me as a person and it’s never shook her. She’s been patient with slowly guiding me through life pretty much without trying to change who I am. She’s the absolute best!
What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
Like a lot of people in the world I didn’t have a Dad growing up unfortunately. I held a lot of resentments for a long time and was pretty angry about it in general. As far as healing them, man, just being a Dad. Waking up everyday and never even fathoming walking out on Lauren or Aspen. Being a Dad is the absolute coolest thing in the world. Teaching her the things I was never taught. Going back to the first question. I was fortunate enough to learn what not to do about being a Dad. I think everyday with my daughter heals little me day by day! The coolest job in the world with the coolest wife in the world is the coolest!
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What’s a cultural value you protect at all costs?
As far as tattooing, there’s an entire culture there in itself. I try and respect every aspect of it. I think a lot of tattooers now unfortunately skipped a big part of learning that culture. There’s a ton of shops on every street corner now which is great, do your thing. But there’s certain things that people just don’t care about anymore. Not all tattooers are like this but man some are just plain ignorant. You can be the best tattooer in your city but if you’re an a**hole you’re just disrespecting the industry and well, just an a**hole. There’s definitely unspoken rules that just got lost with time. Just because you make tattoos doesn’t make you a tattooer.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I don’t think either. I definitely pursued tattooing but I also think it naturally progressed into what it is now. I was lucky enough to have a mom that wasn’t super pushy about what direction I wanted to take in life and never told me what I had to do career wise. Tattooing along with most things in life, you have to work towards being better if you want to succeed and be good at it. It’s definitely something that gives back what you give to it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Instagram.com/keethtattoos
- Instagram: @keethtattoos
