Purposeful and passionate. Sharp, yet soft-spoken. Undeniably in his own world.
These were just a few qualities that came to mind while chatting with Jagonte, the highly sought after artist possessing prodigious creativity, a cult-like following, and contagious tattoo commissions. So contagious, in fact, Jagonte estimates that every day at least two people get his work tattooed. “And they are from all over the world. Not just here, it’s always different DMs like ‘Love from Japan’ or ‘Love from Argentina.’ I just got one before this call.”
These appreciative interactions aren’t just limited to the internet though. While visiting New York this past week, Jagonte unsuspectingly ran into someone with his rare dragon design tattoo, and a couple with matching rib cage heart tattoos.
But Jagonte is not a tattoo artist. He draws directly on paper, rather than skin, and never intended for so many people to be obsessed with getting his art permanently etched on their bodies. Yet somehow it happened, and since then social media has become a hotbed for hopefuls begging to commission Jagonte’s otherwise irreplicable style for themselves.
One Twitter user confesses, “until I get a Jagonte tat my life will be incomplete.” Another claims, “Jagonte is god’s gift to humans.” Some even go as far as to say “once i get my telfar and my jagonte tattoo it’s over for you bitches”. Remarkably, the alluring drawings of this 22-year old have transformed into an artsy ‘if you know you know’ status symbol. The question is, how?
According to Jagonte, it was a chain reaction that began with a one-off instance: someone saw his designs online, thought they would look nice as body art, and got one tatted. After Jagonte posted a picture of the finished piece, others took note of how well his intricate style lent itself to skin. In 2018, the infamous butterfly design debuted in ink and the significant attention it accrued on social media prompted Jagonte to offer commissions. For a price, Jagonte’s skills and creative mind coalesce to design something specifically for you. Beyond the ever-popular butterfly, Jagonte has brought innumerable forms to life, such as koi fish, angels, and even a sofa. All are unique and distinct, but still easily recognizable as the work of one refined artist. Through years of practice and tons of crumpled up papers, the delicate, swirly, and effortless yet complex style of Jagonte was perfected.
Most artist’s main goal is to be in a museum, but I feel like what I’ve accomplished is much cooler. To have people walking around in multiple countries and states with your art on them, to me that’s cooler than any fucking wall in Manhattan.
But Jagonte doesn’t plan on commissions being available indefinitely. “Soon, my commissions will only be from a period of time. It will be like ‘yo, do y’all remember when he did commissions?’ It will not last forever because it has to have some type of exclusivity. I want a custom to be so rare that if you get one it’s like you must have knew him personally or you must have paid a crazy amount.”
Today, the going rate for a Jagonte commission is two-hundred dollars. While he confessed his prices are continually rising, Jagonte empathizes with those that may not be able to afford his work. He described his upbringing in Rochester, New York: “It’s a super bad area, and I was there for a long time. My mom moved us from there, just because you know, violence and stuff, but I always go back and visit every summer. It’s a small upstate town, nobody really knows about it, and if they do it’s because it’s bad.”
After dropping out of high school in tenth grade, and defying pressure from family to finish school and get a job, Jagonte embarked on a long-term adventure with his friend Wes. “I think for like a whole year, it was just me and my boy, not wandering, it was more like adventuring. You know, always finding enough money just to eat for the day. That’s why we have a house together now, we’ve been through a lot together.”
Jagonte’s circumstances have changed significantly since his teen years. He now resides in Atlanta with Wes, recently bought his first car, and fully financially supports himself with his art. “I had so many doubters from family members to teachers saying I wasn’t going to do much. So the fact that I make rent money, and then some, off of art is very different.” When asked what got him to where he is today, Jagonte candidly replied, “one of the reasons I am where I am is because I have way too much confidence in myself.”
As an ode to his budding self-confidence and borderline narcissism, Jagonte has the word ‘him’ tatted just below his neck. The word links Jagonte to third person references and solidifies himself as the topic of conversation. “People try to make that tattoo into some deep meaning, but it’s literally just narcissism. It’s me saying that ‘I am him.’”
Although Jagonte’s personalized tattoo designs are what he is most well known for, commissions are just one peripheral component of his creative universe. “Someone sat down and explained to me that art was everywhere. At the time, I hadn’t really knew what they meant until I realized everything– clothing, cars, houses– everything that we do and use usually starts out as a sketch.” Jagonte envisions his own art achieving a similar level of ubiquity. Beyond work on paper and canvas, he intends to create sculptures, jewelry, specialized clothing pieces, and more. With everything Jagonte has and will make, there is an unavoidable emphasis on quality and exclusivity. “I like quality too much to push out some bullshit. When I do release clothes, they are going to shake the net. I want to say it’s not going to be nothing crazy, but it is.”
Towards the end of our conversation Jagonte mentioned an upcoming post he had planned for his Instagram, which he knew his fervid followers were going to go crazy over. As he predicted, the photo shown above went wildly viral on Twitter. “This is me with one of my largest pieces, and I think this is what is finally gonna let them know– look, I’m an artist, I do real art. It doesn’t always have to be a single thing for someone to get tattooed.”
How does Jagonte define art and being an artist? Broadly: “It’s that part of your brain that moves your hand and lets out all of your emotions. It’s the way you express. Art isn’t even always pencil to paper, pen to paper, or paint on canvas, art is whatever you want it to be.”
Moving forward, we are sure to see Jagonte continually push boundaries and exceed expectations. Besides artistic recognition and financial stability, mental health is an important milestone he uses to measure his success. “Something people always forget about is mental stability. Being in a good place where you can relax and have a good day full of good thoughts, I think that’s success.”
Keep up with what’s next from Jagonte on Instagram and Twitter.
Special note to available “sugar mamas”: Jagonte is actively seeking your services and requests you hit him up on one of the aforementioned applications.
