Name? 

Namaste. I am Jesse. 

Shop? 

In this exciting chapter of my experience I am working for a friend of mine (Mike Wilchenski) at Anchors Aweigh Tattoo Co situated in Garner, NC. 

Location? 

Anchors Aweigh Tattoo Co is located about 10 min southeast of Raleigh, North Carolina in the bustling little city of Garner. 

Years tattooing? 

Professionally I’ve been tattooing for 3 years now. I’ve been tattooing as a hobby for almost 13 years, but the most growth in skill I’ve experienced has been in the professional environment of course!

Preferred style? 

I love the art and process of tattooing and enjoy learning new styles and techniques. I prefer and receive the most gratification from my black/grey realism work. I also have a superior talent for script.


Biggest influences? 

My mom has always been very supportive in my journey tattooing, it’s just an independent lifestyle I have always been a part of and very connected to (whether I realized it or not) from the start. The people, the interactions, the freedom, and the creative drive to manifest great things has attracted my focus since I was a young punk. I guess my biggest influence currently is the satisfaction that I get when I think about the people in the past that said “You won’t make it“ … it’s very satisfying to me, so I just sit and smile while I consistently improve my work and client experiences. 


How did you become a tattoo artist? 

After a 12 year stint in the US Navy, I had to decide what I wanted to do now that the military was out of the centerfold of my life. On the one hand, I was a computer networking technician for so long in the Navy, so do I continue in the computer science field or, on the other hand, follow my dreams. One choice was safe, the other was risky. I realized after 6 months of being a civilian contractor for the DoD, that I hated my $85K/year desk job, I was lost/depressed and absolutely despised my existence at that point. I wasn’t doing anything currently that felt meaningful. After some soul searching, I decided to follow my intuition and invest 100% into my visualization of being a proper tattoo artist. Since then The Universe has abundantly supported decision and my journey has been practically effortless. My days now have been some of the best days I’ve ever lived!