Before the pandemic put the world on pause, Angel Gonzalez was working toward opening Xolo Tattoo in the Riverwest neighborhood.
"Before the pandemic, the permits and occupancy rules, all that took up a big part of my time," says Angel.
Not letting the pandemic get the best of him, Angel lent his talents to others in any way he could. This included painting cranial bands for his friend's children.
"I ended up doing about six or seven cranial bands. Hearing the people's stories and just creating something for the kids and babies was fulfilling for me," says Angel.
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For Angel, the joy of creating doesn't necessarily have to be in the form of tattoos. It's more about knowing his art has a traveling canvas.
"I've had people that I've tattooed from Spain, and Canada, you know people drive up from Chicago. When those people go back to their homes, it's pretty cool to think that my art is going to be seen by people all over the world," says Angel.
In return, clients share their stories with Angel, often becoming more of a friend than a customer.
"It's cool because not only am I tattooing but a lot of times I make connections and friends and I hear people's stories. You got to think about the time of tattooing can take up to four to five hours," says Angel.
With a true passion for what he does, whether it's your first or your tenth tattoo, you'll be in good hands at Xolo Tattoo.