Wow.... where to start... I've been getting tattoos since I was 15 years old. I'm 25 now. A few years ago, a dermatologist f*#ked my hand up with a procedure and left red bumps all over my hand. I was extremely self-conscious and knew a tattoo would be the way to cover it. I shopped around... went to my tattoo artist at the time, paid him to draw something up... NOPE! Went to every "big name" tattoo shop I could find with good reviews on Google, paid them deposits to draw up my vision... NO ONE GOT IT. One artist drew on my hand freehand with markers... he got pretty close to what I wanted, but WOULD NOT CHANGE IT when I told him I didn't like it. I remember going to Darian's shop (when he was down in Hollywood working at Twisted Heart) and showing him my hand with the previous guy's marker lines and telling him I'm not happy. IMMEDIATELY Darian said he knew what I wanted, and in a couple minutes of meeting him I know he knew what I actually wanted. He made me pay a deposit, and he was booking for a couple months ahead... but I knew this was "THE ONE". Went back there for my appointment and his drawing was insane! It was my dream tattoo! I got a robotic biomechanical robot/terminator tattoo on my hand and when I left the shop everyone around me was so impressed with it! I remember how proud I was when I first got it.... still am! Fast forward a few years later and Darian is KILLING IT at his new location, High Spirits. Darian has transformed from being my tattoo guy to being one of my coolest friends. Every tattoo he does is better than his last... and that's saying a lot NOW THAT I'M COVERED IN DARIAN'S TATTOOS. Last year I entered my Bill Gates/Steve Jobs portraits in the annual Florida Tattoo Expo.... and won 2nd and 3rd place out of all the portraits! He won tattoo artist of the year that year! A year later, we expanded on those tattoos and turned it into an amazing sleeve. If I wear a tank top, I can't even go out in public because I get TOO MANY COMPLIMENTS. I cannot count how many times people have said "I don't even like tattoos but you have the best tattoos I've ever seen in my entire life" .... if that doesn't make you feel good after getting a tattoo then I don't know what will. I entered my full sleeve from Darian in this year's tattoo expo and WON FIRST PLACE BEST SLEEVE!!!! There were some seriously killer entries I was competing against, but the judges thought my sleeve was incredible! Darian's new shop is the cleanest, nicest tattoo shop I've ever been in. I've been there when he got inspected by the county's inspectors... even they say how sparkly clean it is. I've sent countless people to High Spirits and they come back and hug me because they are so happy with their new work. YES! DARIAN IS BOOKED FOR A WHILE! THERE IS A REASON! I was an "impulse tattooer"- only got tattoos when i was in the mood, and wanted them done right away. Luckily I only have to wait 1-3 months for his schedule.. but I would wait a full year if it meant I could get some tattoo time with Darian. Thank you so much for the AMAZING, BEAUTIFUL, PERMENANT additions to my body. I would not be the same person without these tattoos. Friends of' life! Thanks again brother for putting out consistent, ridiculously unique and creative work. read more