Meet Hero Bishop

I was apprenticed at Black Dagger Tattoo in Westmoreland, TN by my brother from the 661 Nate Moore. I’m technically an independent contractor under his shop.

Not believing in myself enough. I was very hesitant because a lot of people said I couldn’t be successful with the style of tattooing I wanted to do. Luckily my co workers Nate and Selena pushed me and believed in me. My family really did too. Shouts out to Samantha and Crystal.

Focus on what you are passionate about. I did a lot of tattoos I didn’t want to do before people started to come to me for the manga tattoos I wanted to specialize in.

I don’t really have a company name but I just tried to build a brand under the name I’ve been called since I was a kid “Hero Bishop” Hero was a nickname form early on and Bishop is my last name. So I’d say just be authentic and don’t over think it.

I’m always keeping an eye out on getting better and growing as a tattooer and entrepreneur. A lot of times that’s just asking other tattooers how they do things and what they use or listening to coaches and mentors. I also do other things like Manga Tattoo panels at Anime conventions and any other out of the box way to promote or give myself fresh ideas.

I’d say be first and try to be the biggest. You can try and copyright and patent stuff and all that but in my business it’s not that easy. As a tattooer you just try and put in the best work possible. It’s all subjective with art. It’s all based off of other pre existing art and we just put it to skin.

The biggest mistake you can make is to let your ego stop you from asking questions and seeking out mentors. The best way to get somewhere is to have coaches and mentors who are in the position you wanna be in.

I’d say that depends on the line of work you are doing. I’d speak to the mentors you have or the people who are in the position you wanna be in.

Doing more and more challenging Manga Tattoos and pushing myself more and more to make them look as accurate as possible to the source material.

Only work with people who you trust and who are there to be positive and wanna win. A lot of people can be on your team but a lot of them can secretly wanna see you do good but not better than them. I only roll with high vibration people.

Mainly through social media and handing out business cards. Content creation and being authentic are crucial in this new age. Also like I said earlier think out the box. I think I’m maybe the only tattooer who has done a fan panel about Manga Tattoos at an Anime convention and will continue to do so in the future.

I post content daily and really speak from my heart to my followers and potential clients. I also run ads on Instagram and Facebook.

I already came into and already established tattoo shop so know nothing about opening up a physical business. Building a brand online and having a strong social media presence is crucial for any business now. I would start with that.

I seek the help and support of the people I trust most in life. I make sure to never take advice from people who aren’t in the position I wanna be in and I trust in the fact that if I keep grinding all of my dreams will become a reality.

I think everything that happens is a test to see how hungry you are. I’m always pushing to be more and do more. I also think everything is exactly how it needs to be when it needs to be. If I get overwhelmed I just remember that this is what I wanted and I ain’t trippin. Nothing can stop me.

I would say not seeking the right mentors and not educating yourself enough on how things work. Tattooing is serious. So you need to take it seriously.

I make sure I’m scaling and brand building online as much as possible. I also look to make sure I am keeping up with any new changes in the industry or new innovations that can help me tattoo better and more effectively.

I look at all the factors like my skill level at the time. I have to be honest if my work is worth what I’m charging or not at the time. I also have to be realistic about the demand for the type of work I do and make sure if I was giving 100% to it or not.

Follow your heart and make sure you enjoy what you are doing and believe in the product or service. As I said before make sure you have the right coaches and mentors.

Dedication and discipline. I have been sober 16 years and I live a strict and disciplined life. It starts with a non negotiable 3:30 am wake up time followed by reading and reflecting and a workout. I also eat a structured diet and live a positive life style. This life style keeps me committed to everything I do.

As always speak from the heart. Say what you are gonna do and then keep your word. Being honest and authentic will draw in the right people for you to work with.

I quit my 9-5 and took out my entire 401k haha I have myself no plan B and has faith that things would work out. I’m an all or nothing person. I guess regular folks would take out a loan haha

The better I get and the more I tattoo the more work I get. Also pushing the specific style I want to do but still doing other styles to challenge myself. It’s getting to a point where I can choose what I wanna do. Apparently there is more of a demand tor Manga Tattooing than I thought.

I always just stop and make sure I am still enjoying what I do and getting paid what I feel I am worth.

I have some more panels coming up at anime conventions. I also create content on YouTube. My YouTube channel is called NERDXCORE and is based around the fandom of comics and manga. I’m also in the works of building a coaching business to help addicts stay sober and fathers be the best men they can be for their family.