Profile: Dr. Woo

Dr Woo is one of the most sought-after tattoo artists in the world. With a global following tipping into the millions, his intricate designs can be seen on some of the world's biggest names. Woo's talent for design extends into fashion, highlighted most recently in his collection with Japanese fashion house, Sacai. Dr Woo's career is one that shows cross-genre collaborations pave the way in creating fresh perspectives and opportunities.

What was the creative skill that got you started in the beginning?

In the beginning, it was drawing, painting and doodling. I was always artistic, I used to cover all of my school binders in art that I liked: pop culture, a lot of 90's stuff. It eventually led me into a more creative way of thinking and expressing myself, but I wouldn't have thought it would have guided me down the path of tattooing. It wasn't until my early 20's that it led to this.

What is it about your personality that's made you so successful?

I think what's made me able to turn this passion into a successful business is understanding that there are blindspots in what I do that require more work and relentlessness, even at the most dire times. You can’t just take your talent for granted, you have to have a strong work ethic too. There is a lot of hard work outside of the creative side: there’s managing your time wisely, managing relationships wisely, networking. There’s a lot of moments when you just want to quit and be done with it all, but once you cross those humps, that's the reward.

What do you want to learn for the future that will help your success grow?

In the lane that I'm in I think I've achieved a lot, but I'm still constantly learning. I don't feel like I'm on the pedestal that I'm perceived to be on. In order to be more successful in the future, I need to learn to be a little bit more organised, patient, and to take time to find happiness outside of work. Everything’s so fast now; social media is so instant and I think we push ourselves in this race that doesn't really exist. So I'd like to take more time for myself and learn to be patient.

Having a creative mind means there's a lot of interest in things outside of what I do and I'm currently pursuing a lot of those things. I've been adding a bit more of an entrepreneurship to my creative side and have been doing a lot of the design and branding for myself. I also have a love for fashion. So I'd like to explore all of those options, whilst maintaining my sanity and my tattooing.