Over 40 percent of millennials have tattoos, according to the Pew Research Center, and we’re telling the stories of the UNC students and Chapel Hill/Carrboro residents who fall into that 40 percent. This is one of multiple stories in the Swerve Tattoo Impression series. Read the rest here.
Hayden Fitzgerald’s Monday morning plan: Wake up, get tatted.
When he’s not tap dancing in the lumber section of Home Depot or bartending on Franklin Street, you may find Fitzgerald at Glenn’s Tattoo Service in Carrboro.
The Alaskan native has known tattoo artist Mike Wheeler since he started getting tattoos. Wheeler has extensive experience as a tattoo artist. He began his apprenticeship in Connecticut, and has since spent 13 years working in Florida and North Carolina.
“Tattooing takes a lot of mechanical ability — technical know-how,” Wheeler said. He enjoys similar technical hobbies like building custom motorcycles and farming — something he believes makes him a good tattoo artist.
Wheeler has only worked at Glenn's for a year, but he has tattooed Fitzgerald a few times.
Fitzgerald’s latest tattoo is an Alaskan illustration of animals and tribal masks. The tattoo is mostly black ink, but a few colors will be added in future sessions, Wheeler said.
The legend behind his tattoo comes from Alaskan folklore and Fitzgerald’s roots.
“I have this book that is a bunch of childhood stories about how to treat people, basically lessons you learn in life as a child,” Fitzgerald said.
