For this episode, I’m joined by Doug Hardy — a tattooer who quite literally grew up inside tattoo shops, surrounded by tattoo history, but who took the long road to finding his own voice in the craft.

We talk about what it really means to grow up around tattooing, learning through apprenticeship, making mistakes, and understanding the responsibility that comes with putting permanent work on people’s bodies.

From there, the conversation opens up into:

• ​Apprenticeship, patience, and learning the craft the hard way
• ​Being Ed Hardy’s son — and becoming your own person
• ​Tattooing before and after social media
• ​Trends, speed, and tattoo longevity
• ​ADHD, autism, focus, and creativity behind the needle
• ​Tattooing in Japan and cultural misunderstandings
• ​Pop culture, tradition, and why tattooing has always lived between the two
• ​Digital tools, AI, and where the line between tool and crutch really is
• ​Client relationships and why connection still matters most

This isn’t a hype episode.It’s not nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake, and it’s not about chasing trends.

It’s an honest conversation about tattooing as a craft, responsibility, and why staying curious — without standing still — is the only way to last in this work.

🎥 This episode is available in video format on Spotify and Youtube.

Doug Hardy on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/tattoosbydoughardy

Under the Skin – The Tattoo Podcast:https://www.instagram.com/under_the_skin_podcasthttps://www.youtube.com/@under_the_skin_podcast