Meet Erick Camacho | Artist/Tattoo artist

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

Hi Erick, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I was born in Colombia, Bogotá. I can sum up my upbringing by telling you about my general education. I did pre k and kindergarten in Colombia, I did elementary school in Miami/North Lauderdale, I did middle school in Colombia and I started and finished high school here in south beach at Beach High. As you can see I was literally all over the place. The impact it had during my formative years was huuuuge. When I was a kid I was really shy and tended to be a bit of a loner. During elementary when I moved up north I was picked on a lot, topical bullying and such. When I moved back to Colombia for middle school it was like night and day. People in Colombia where a lot friendlier and it helped that I was already bi lingual, I made a lot of friends and it helped me a lot to come out of my shell. I was very heartbroken when I had to move back, since I had a negative experience before. But that’s life, I made the best of it. During high school I bounced a lot between different groups. Beach High was a melting pot of all kinds of different people and cultures from all over the place. In the end I settled in with the ‘headbangers’ which influenced a lot of my style/art. I fell in love with rock music and the metal scene and it has a place in my heart to this day. It shows in the music I listen to, to the art style I like to invoke in my art and my tattooing.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My art was my saving grace when I was in a dark part of my life. It gave me the means to express myself when I couldn’t otherwise and it pulled me out of some dark places. It opened the doors to tattooing for me as well. The first years into tattooing were the hardest, I was brand new into the industry and I had a lot of doors slammed in my face because I had no experience. I managed to get a few spots in some not so great shops, kept pushing myself to always do the best I could with my tattoos and eventually it impressed the right people and I got hired into more and more reputable shops. Always giving all I can to every piece I create. My passion shows when I tattoo as I put a bit of my soul into everything I create. Speaking of passions and creating, I now have my little girl who motivates me to be the best I can as a parent and a tattoo artist. Without her I don’t think I could have gotten this far. She is my heart and my love personified and for her I continue to push myself every day.

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?
I tend to enjoy the outdoors and nature more than anything. Florida has a lot of that to offer, from beaches, nature trails to springs, natural parks and reserves. It’s easy to forget there’s a whole other world apart from the clubs and neon of the party city. I also enjoy live concerts and events, music has been a big influence in my life and nothing beats seeing a live band in concert or festival. I love taking my daughter to them, she enjoys live music as much as I do seeing it all through her eyes fills me with joy.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Well yes of course. First and fore most I’d like to give eternal thanks and credit to the man who introduced me to tattooing and taught me the basics so that I could take my first steps into the tattoo industry, my late mentor Mike “Sharky” Arbolay, who sadly passed away last year. If he hadn’t believed in me I don’t know where I would be today. He and his family have been an extended family and I hold them all dear to my heart. Huge thank you to my family as well for being supportive throughout the years. It took them a little bit (like a few years) to warm up to the thought of their son becoming a tattoo artist, but they’ve come to not only be accepting of it but extremely supportive. Can’t do it without them.

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