＊Wang Lei, a famous Chinese tattoo artist; pioneer of Chinese tattoo culture; manager of Lei Shi Culture
The first time I came into contact with Wang Lei was at his third tattoo shop in Beijing at the store’s opening ceremony. He was wearing a black pullover sweatshirt and pigtails on his head. He was laughing and joking with a group of brothers dressed in black. He seemed like a cool and cute boss.
Through the conversation with him, I saw an aspiring young man rise to the top through his own hard work; I saw an individual in modern society leveraging an industry; I also saw the success of himself, Wang Lei. The foundation of building a human being.
This is the sentence that impressed me the most during my conversation with Wang Lei.
In my opinion, successful people have one characteristic: they stand on the big picture and embrace altruism. Their starting point is not only their own career, but also their hope to improve an industry or change a social problem.
Wang Lei is a good example. He spent hundreds of thousands to shoot a tattoo documentary in order to clear the public's misunderstandings about tattoos and hope that more people can understand tattoos objectively.
"When I first came into contact with this industry, my family strongly opposed it and even called me a ruffian and a hooligan."
"Because the public has a common misunderstanding about tattoos, especially tattoos. For the older generation, there used to be a lot of gangsters with tattoos in movies, and people seemed to think that tattoos meant they were evil and not doing their jobs properly. "
"This idea is completely biased. Everyone, tattooing is an art, not just for gangsters, but for people with a sense of style.”
Indeed, tattooing is an attitude and does not mean being rebellious. It is an expression in itself and an art - tattoo patterns can be endowed with infinite meanings, love for a lover, the desire of the heart, ultimate aesthetics, or organization and strength.
While we were talking, a man with braids ran past us. He wore flat round glasses, put his left shoulder on the shoulder of the boy in black clothes in front of him, held a bunch of mutton skewers high in his right hand, and ran around the room with a smile on his face.
"He, he, he, that's him. He used to be in the underworld, but he got out after following me." Wang Lei took a sip of his wine.
"His parents also called me to express their gratitude for rescuing the child."
"I felt very relieved to receive a call from his parents."
During the chat, you will find that Wang Lei is a person who talks about everything. He said that he was very happy when the scale of the tattoo exhibition hosted by Leishi Culture was seven times that of the previous one; he was very happy when his own studio took root in Beijing and opened a chain; he developed his own company to open up the vertical industry. The bigger he gets, the happier he is; but these are not the happiest things -
"When you find that you create new vitality in other people's lives, you will be very happy."
Wang Lei lives a very real life. He frankly stated that he pursues a sense of identity. In my opinion, he, like most people, pursues the realization of self-worth. The sense of identity also comes from one's own value.
But he is different from most people. He embraced a big picture from the beginning and was committed to promoting the progress and development of the tattoo industry.
He came into contact with this industry at the age of eighteen. From the beginning with nothing to the flowering and fruition of Leishi Culture today, he has gone through it step by step. I'm a little confused about this. He went out alone and opened his first studio within one year of entering the industry without any corresponding art background.
"I'm curious, can you be ready in one year and have the ability to go out and work alone?" I asked him.
You only live once, there is no time for you to look forward and backward. Only by taking steps can we see the future path more clearly.
"Everything is an attempt. Waiting until everything is ready before taking action is always just a few cases."
"Take the first step and then act." There will be a future, the key is to work hard."
I have heard Wang Lei call his students, and it seems to me that he is sincere. What he talked about on the phone was nothing more than one sentence - "The point is never how much better others are than you, or how much a machine costs, but whether you have the spirit to study hard and whether you are willing to devote yourself to studying." Go in.
”
Parallel to this, he mentioned another point, the problem of Chinese tattoo artists:
As the public understands the tattoo industry, the public’s acceptance of tattoos is becoming more and more The higher the number, the more popular the tattoo industry becomes. But why are there so few truly skilled tattoo artists?
“Too many people do this for the sake of the industry? Working in business is for hot money, not for love. Lack of focus, lack of cohesion. ”
“As a team, the best situation is that you come to me, I help you become better, and then we work together to move forward.” But the reality is that the human heart is the hardest thing to grasp. ”
Unable to control other people’s hearts, Wang Lei has a good grasp of his own.
From the perspective of a bystander, I see Wang Lei as a teacher who teaches others. Yiyu’s teacher is a sincere friend.
The studio building is painted white and looks like it is in the clouds from a distance.
I can smell it before I even reach the door. The aroma of barbecue is mixed with the unique smell of cumin - outside the studio door, there are a few friends having fun making skewers. Stepping into the glass door of the house, a teenager with headphones is playing DJ and combing his hair. Foreign guys with oily hair were playing darts, some were eating crabs, people in black hoodies were playing poker, and young men in jackets were sitting on the swings chatting.
“I didn’t have the opening party this time. Find media reporters and invite students and friends around you. Everyone who came was acquaintances. Let's all eat, drink, have fun and have fun. ”
Because of this party, I came into contact with an industry that I didn’t know much about before, and came into contact with Teacher Wang Lei.
There are many people called “teachers” in this society. In most cases, it just means a kind of etiquette.
In Wang Lei, as a tattoo artist, I see a kind of concentration and concentration.
As a pioneer in the tattoo industry, I saw a pattern, found a fulcrum, and leveraged the entire industry.
As an entrepreneur, I saw in him an aggressive spirit that refused to admit defeat.
Regarding his story, I believe there are more details. Those steps forward in the mud, which may be bitter yet sweet, or filled with tears, have not been excavated.
< p> Wang Lei did not elaborate with me, but simply said that I have been there.But I think the above is worth recording.
Here, yes. To everyone who has goals, determination, tenacity and sincerity, and who has been working hard, I would like to offer my heartfelt respect:)
Tang An
December in Beijing