A troubled youth and accomplished boxer turned self-described struggling artist, Jarred Santos is a Reno local who exemplifies the opportunities here in Northern Nevada, as he keeps grinding, evolving in his passions and turning them into his livelihood.
Santos now 31, who previously did commissioned for Our Town Reno, has been working as a boxing coach at Elite Boxing & Crossfit for the past five years, and is now two years into his apprenticeship as a tattoo artist at Empire Tattoo Company.
Santos has been in the ring since he was a kid, using it to learn responsibility and work ethic. Seeing how much boxing has helped in his own life, Santos hopes to give others the same positive reinforcement and purpose. He himself benefits from another passion.
“My whole life has been spent in a boxing gym but when I'm not boxing, I’m drawing,” he explains.
A tattoo of boxing gloves that Santos did on himself at the beginning of his apprenticeship, merging his two passions.
When first tapping into his creative side Santos would call himself a “struggling artist” on social media as he didn’t see himself creating much income through his art. After constant encouragement from others, he can now proudly say he has achieved his dreams of staying creative while also getting paid.
Santos met Samuel Linville in the boxing gym a few years ago, where they first traded boxing lessons for free tattoos. Once Santos found out he was having his first child, their collaborations evolved into tattoo lessons to start off Santos's apprenticeship, allowing him to develop another source of income.
A portrait of Santos focused on his craft on a wall at Empire Tattoo.
Santos’s work corner at Empire Tattoo where he displays some his artwork.
“Art isn't seen as a sustainable career but I want to be able to provide for my boys so they are inspired to follow their dreams,” Santos explains as to his motivation to keep going in an artistic vein despite the challenges. “When my boys are older and trying to figure out their life plans I want to be able to tell them not to listen to anyone else and do whatever you want to do, just put in the work.”
When scrolling through his social media portfolio, viewers can see how Santos was able to transfer his art style from canvas to skin. “People would describe my style as lowbrow but I like art because I can do whatever I want and no one can tell me otherwise. I don't have a style, I just do what I want to do.”
A tattoo of a coffee cup on the leg of one of Jarred’s boxing students, done earlier this year.
His finished pieces are no longer just on the walls of businesses and residences, but permanently displayed on the bodies of his clients as well.
Santos hopes to continue to have this creative outlet as a source of income and a way to find peace. “In ten years I see myself hopefully as a good father, a good role model, and still married to my wife. Nothing else matters,” he concluded.