My name is Patrick Folkes Jr. and I currently reside in Long Island New York. I have been a tattoo artist since 2014 and have loved the lifestyle ever since! I was born in the Island of Jamaica but came to the US at an early age. Ive always had the talent for art as it also runs in my family. However, with my parents old school mentality they didnt believe in Art as a career but merely as a hobby so for most of my life I took it for granted. I went to college to become a Movie Director but decided that wasnt the life for me and coming out of school during the recession in 2007-2008 I learned that I had to get a realistic start in the real world so I gravitated towards the sales life. I was very good at it but hated it with a passion and knew that couldnt be my life so I started drawing in my free-time to maintain my sanity. During that time I had a health scare and ended up losing a kidney and that really put my life into perspective. My sister asked me “If your life ended now would you be happy with how it turned out so far?" The answer was no and at that point I started thinking about how I could make a change. During that time a coworker of mine saw my drawings and said “I had no idea you could draw like that! I can see you being one of the best tattoo artists around!” Once he said that a lightbulb went off in my head and at that point it became an obsession. My only thoughts were “How can I get into that lifestyle?”. I looked into how I could break into that industry at the age I was and saw that it was realistic so I went for it! once I got my license I decided to open my own shop in 2015 called Royalty Ink Tattoo Shop in Patchogue, NY. It was by far the best decision I ever made and I never looked back. Over the years I have met a ton of amazing people whom were very instrumental towards my success. I was surrounded by people who believed in me and my talent and for that I am forever grateful. I wouldnt be where I am today if it wasnt for them.