What I’m doing NOW!
Updated August 24 , 2026 from My Home in Tucson AZ
Work
Summer seems to be trickling into the past. But we’re not out of the woods yet.
July was our slowest month since the move to Moto Sonora but still beat last year with over 5x as many bookings
And that was our slowest month.
I designed some new merch last week and want to get some stuff made real soon. I always want to make more shirts and stuff and never do it. I gotta get better about that.
We have 2 Oktooberfests coming up in October as well as a Coraline market we wanted to try. Hoping for some fun as hell weekends.
There could be another in the works in September but its not official.
Beyond that. I made some adjustments to the shop website (www.artandsoltattoo.com) with new bios and portfolios for the tattoo artists and it really made a difference. Almost instantly bookings came literally mentioning things I had just done. Fucking cool.
I love that shit.
Also random , last week Mark Kelly and Gabby Giffords popped into the brewery to meet with Tucsonans. Pretty cool to see an astronaut in person and of course the pure inspiration that is Gabby.
This week I’m working on finishing up a horror leg sleeve on Chris, some realistic eyes on Melanie, and few consultations and more website work.
If you want to book some black and grey realistic tattoos with me in Tucson hit the link below.
You keep trusting me, and I’ll keep giving you everything I’ve got.
Health
I’m down about 50lbs since last year but stalled out. I feel like another 25 would be ideal but I’ve been stuck.
I walk daily for about an hour and now I use the Polar chest strap heart monitor to keep in zone 2, which is supposed to be good for cutting fat.
I just got a new guidebook for the Arizona Trail which i’m hoping to start in November.
Still plunging and sauna pretty regular.
Trying to add some mileage and get my AZT gear list together this week. I’m actually getting really excited.
Reading
I’ve been reading The Daily Stoic every day this year. I think I only missed 3-4 days actually.
Right now I’m on Titan by Ron Chernow. Its the definitive biography on John D Rockefeller. I’ve learned so much. I see why its 700 pages. This will be the longest book I’ve ever read once I finish.
I’m in the 450s, but I’m gonna start mixing in some others to keep my interest up. I started Poor Charlies Almanack the other day. And just like that I crushed 50 pages. Pretty good from and about one of the most inspiring people to me.
Family
Tomorrow is kiddos birthday. We did Trail Dust Town last week with her friends and the shop.
I think we were the loudest table in the restaurant, and our server played off the energy perfectly.
The highlight for literally everyone was when Justin and Julia from Art and Sol Tattoo gave her a life sized stand up cutout of her super hero crush Bucky Barnes.
Everyone was getting selfies with him. It was hilarious.
Quotes I’ve been pondering
Find a simple idea and take it very seriously.
Greatness is in the agency of others.
The more I surround myself with people that have integrity, energy and intelligence, it seems like the easier it becomes to do great things together.
*Not a quote per se, but a good thought exercise on having opinions.
When playing poker, when you see someone play a bad hand, its not your job to tell them. Its your job to let everyone at the table play bad hands while you focus on playing a good hand.
I don’t need to spend any time offering suggestions or better ways or how this should be or anything. I need to focus on how I can be better. Thats it. Play my hand the best I can.