Inspiration strikes whenever and wherever it wants, and for Rikki Brown, owner of Naked World Tattoo & Piercing, it struck while growing up near a military base and watching soldiers come home from the Vietnam War. The sight of those men, dressed in military regalia and sporting unique tattoos, made a deep impression on Rikki. “It was seeing them with all these pictures on them and mean tattoos at a young age,” he recalls. “That’s what really struck me.”
He was only 14; too young to pursue a career, but old enough to take steps towards it. It was also a time when tattoos weren’t nearly as popular as they are today, with the technology still in a fairly primitive state. That didn’t deter Rikki though. He started by taking a needle and thread to his own skin and poking in tattooed designs. In the years since, he’s adopted all the latest techniques and methods of tattooing, as well as expanded his drawing capabilities to become a sophisticated artist.
