Mr Jathishweran Naidu straddles two vastly different worlds.
By day, he works in the compliance department of an insurance company. By night, he runs his own business as a tattoo artist.
“I aspired to become a lawyer but working as a paralegal made me realise that something was missing,” said the 30-year-old graduate in business and psychology from the Singapore University of Social Sciences. “I have always had an artistic side and loved art since young.”
Ten years ago, when Mr Jathishweran wanted to get a tattoo, he sketched a Hindu mythological character called Yali and gave it to his tattoo artist.
“When my artist Bing from Skingraphix saw my sketch, he was shocked and asked me to consider becoming a tattoo artist,” he said.
Eventually Mr Jathishweran decided to apprentice under Bing, even though his parents were unhappy with his decision.
“There is a stereotype in our society that if you have a tattoo or if you are a tattoo artist you are affiliated with the wrong things. I wanted to break this thinking and prove that tattoos are just an art form,” said Mr Jathishweran.
He began by drawing tattoos for his close friends and family members.
“When I first started I bought all the tools and converted my room into a mini tattoo studio. There were times when I had no space to sleep in my room,” he recalled. “I remember my first tattoo experience when a family member asked me to tattoo his zodiac sign. I was so nervous.”
His confidence grew and he decided to start a tattoo business.
Five years ago, he found a location at the void deck of Block 249 Jurong East and named it 101.Ink. But paying a hefty sum of money on monthly rentals did not make sense if he were to run his tattoo business only in the evenings, after his day job.
“I decided to combine two businesses into the same space. At the front is a hair salon and at the back is my cosy tattoo studio,” said Mr Jathishweran.
His hair salon has four employees and the front space can accommodate up to two customers at the same time. “I decided to manage both my day job and tattoo artistry simultaneously rather than abandoning one of them. It is a double life for me,” he said.
After his day job in Changi, Mr Jathishweran drives to his tattoo studio at the other end of the island to attend to his clients on an appointment basis.
There are times when he has tattoo appointments well into the night, beyond the hair salon operating hours. He sees about 20 clients a month.
Mr Jathishweran practices the Indian style of tattooing.
“The tattoo industry is always evolving and I keep up with the trends via social media. In the old days, people practiced the artwork on poultry meat and animal skin. But now we have dummy hands and technology has vastly improved,” he said.
“At the end of the day, I am just following what makes me happy. I never see tattoos as work.”
He hopes to eventually run his tattoo and hair salon business full time.
Supporting him throughout his journey is his wife L. Umamageyswari, 31, who works in the healthcare industry.
