Exclusive Art & Tattoos by Darin Shiu

My journey in Art.

I grew up naturally inclined at art than most people I grew up around, since as far back as my memory serves me. I grew up in a family of artists and athletes. Most of my years, I grew up addicted to extreme sports even though I was "not bad". I treated art, drawing, and painting, as something I was pretty good at on the side, but never took it seriously. Whenever I was injured from training, bodyboarding, riding my dirt bike, or stunting my supermoto, I always fell back on my art. It was all I could do when I was disabled. 

I grew up around art and artists my whole life. Dad was an illustrator / graphic designer / painter. My aunty was a painter / designer.  I was always drawing in class more than I focused on school work. I did keep a 3.3 gpa just to keep my mom happy though haha. I had a few interesting jobs in my early days as a City and County lifeguard / swim instructor 2003-2007, then a salesman for 24 hour fitness 2006-2008. Anyway fast forward, In 2008-2010 I worked in the mountains for the state, building forest reserve ungulate control fences. Kick ass job by the way. Straight mountain man.

By then, I had gotten a few decent size tattoos and I thought, maybe I should learn how to tattoo since I know how to draw. So one night after work, I looked online and ordered a generic kit from ebay for $400. Machines looked cool but found out it ran horrible, even though I didn't know at the time. Ink was generic, everything was generic. It came with "fake" skin but really it was linoleum! So...looked like I was going to be my first canvas.

I first initiated my legs in my room late at night. Loud buzzing coming from my room lol. A month later a couple of my brothers were down to be my guinea pigs! Mahalo my braddahs! I continued to tattoo them in the living room on my free time. Then a couple years later I had hurt my back in the gym so bad, I couldn't work my job in the mountains. I was let go because I became a liability.

I frantically found myself tattooing to survive. 

I tattooed a lot of my brothers friends and a bunch of my classmates in their own homes for the next six months when, I finally landed a job at Benihana as a busser. The only place that hired me after being let go from my previous state job. I tattooed a couple more years while being a busser at Benihana until I hit a plateau in tattooing. Tattoos slowed down. My interest dried up. I wasn't progressing. I was trying to figure everything out by trial and error. I read a few tattooing books at Borders. There wasn't much info on tattooing like there is today. 

In this ebb and flow of tattooing, I was promoted to be a teppanyaki chef in training. So for the next three years, one into chef training, and two as a teppanyaki chef, I did not touch my tattooing equipment at all. I had lost interest in tattooing and continued to work as a Teppanyaki chef for Benihana, Waikiki. And then, well...I eventually hit rock bottom.

I had gotten into a supermoto accident with internal abdominal trauma. I ended up getting emergency surgery, had my appendix removed in cahoots with pharmaceutical poisoning. The antibiotic prescribed to me, Ciprofloxicin began having serious side effects that would partially disable me for the following two years. Ruptured tendons, vertigo, fibromyalgia, and anxiety attacks became my lifestyle. It took away my ability to run, jump, hunt, physically train, and basically live life! My back was always sore. My whole body always ached and I thought it was permanent.

I saw specialist after specialist in our medical system as no one believed these side effects. No one had cures. No one had answers. They sucked my bank account dry and I went on temporary disability insurance. I was lost. I was depressed. I had lost hope. This was my dark night of the soul. I was broken down in every aspect; physically, emotionally, financially, socially, mentally, and spiritually. 

There I was, totally crippled, hated my job, but I could still do my art. 

So I began opening my good ol' graffiti black book up again. But this time I decided to bring my new black book ideas to the streets. I budgeted a portion of my weekly temporary disability checks for spray paint. What? It was an investment, see? lol. It was time to get up! I was partially crippled, but I could paint.

Painting wasn't so brutal on my body aside from the short hikes into never never land. Yet I was outside exploring and expressing myself in a way no one could tell me anything. I cared less about graffiti drama and crew popularity. It was about progressing as an artist. Battling to be the least "wak." I didn't care how popular your crew was, if you was "wak", you was "wak!"

It was an adventurous twist with my art that unlocked more of my artistic ability and imagination. Graffiti was my new love and my insurance running out was my new problem. I had to go back to work and I wasn't healed. In fact it made everything worse. Going back to work with all this worsening pain, made me realize I needed to quit the restaurant. After countless nights of contemplating suicide, I mustered up every ounce of energy to get re-certified as a City and County swim instructor. I needed to change.

By sheer will and some synchronicity, I completely changed my environment.

I got certified. I got my swim coaching job back. There, I mainly focused on rehabilitating my mind, body, and soul at the pool. Did all my own research how to overcome this pharmaceutical poisoning through naturopaths, martial arts coaches, holistic healers, physical therapists, you name it. And what do you know, I eventually climbed out of that hell in two years! What doctors told me was permanent damage was bullshit! The medical system is seriously flawed. Luckily, I took initiative to healing myself, made enough money to still paint, and barely pay my bills as a swim coach. Along this journey of adversity, I stumbled upon a few mentors that would change my life forever.

Tai Lopez, who is one of my financial mentors, lead me to analyze my strengths. Figure out my Eulerian destiny. After really being honest with myself, I made a decision to double down on my artistic ability; tattooing to be specific. I had decades of obsessive years I'd been drawing and painting. On top of that, the way my style progressed in graffiti, I had a fresh angle to re-enter the Hawaii tattoo scene. But this time I sought out tattoo mentors. I was ready for an official apprenticeship.

It was one of the best decisions I made in my life.

I eventually found the right people willing to mentor me. I did my apprenticeship at South Side Ink, in Ewa Beach. I was not in a mode to dilly dally. I had outgrown the party phase years prior. I was there, on a mission to learn, rebuild my life, and finances by investing in myself. I adjusted my circle of association and stayed focused. I surprisingly was promoted pass my apprenticeship within a year, which was not common from my observation.

I quit my coaching job and been diligently paying my own taxes, focusing my energy as a professional Hawaii tattoo artist since 2016. It's been a long rough, wild, and emotional journey as an artist. Yet, this journey is far from over. Without all my adversity, mentors, and support, I'd never be the person I am today. I'm forever grateful.  I'll always consider myself a student and I'll continue to make the best of this wild journey. 

Thanks for stopping by to listen to my story. Stay strong. If you're vibe is in alignment, maybe i'll be inking you soon!