“To define yourself is to limit yourself. Without labels you remain the infinite being.”
hI GUYS! My name is Victor espiritu Moris, also called alienvi welcomed to my official page!
Here is my story!
Let's go back to my childhood, I was born in the Dominican Republic, Higüey city to be more specific, my family moved to the capital city Santo Domingo looking for better opportunities when I was just 1 year old, there is where I spent almost all my life, I studied at a very small private school, I was doing what everybody tells you you are supposed to do in a Third World country, "if you don't study you are going to be homeless" so I kind of was a good student, I was always more inclined into art classes, but I managed to be good at everything else just because I was scared of an uncertain future if I don't study science of math.
My passion for tattoos started when I was around 11-13 years old, when I got access to the internet, internet opened my eyes since I got access to see very nice and well done tattoos from all around the world, that impacted me to see how in other countries tattoos are more accepted in society and advanced than in my country since in my country "only people from the streets get tattoos". I started saving images of tattoos on my laptop and I remember I had more than 5 k images of tattoos, I just liked collecting images of good tattoos, I kind of wanted to become a tattoo artist, but I never imagine it like a possibility since I was told that that's not a good enough career.
I kept just admiring and collecting images of tattoos on my laptop, and went to college to study architecture, since it was related to designing and was a "good enough career" I was doing pretty good studying architecture, but after the second year in the career doubt started to cloud my mind, doubt of if I really like this career for the rest of my life, doubt of if when I graduate I'm going to be good enough to be called an actual architect, I went from being ok studying architecture to actually realizing I don't want to be an architect, I wanted to be a tattoo artist, but I was stuck in my career choice.
When I was 20 years old, 3 years and a half into my architecture studies, my parents told me I had to move to EEUU for a while so I can get my permanent resident card (green card) that's when I kind of took control of my life and stopped following other people's expectations over my own life. I had two options: go back to DR and keep studying architecture to become an architector in my country or to try to pursue my dreams of becoming a tattoo artist, I took the opportunity and I moved to the Bronx, New York to start a new life, I was jumping from job to job, place to place, saving almost all the money I got thinking about my main goal which was to be a tattoo artist. In less than 4 years I had more than 5 jobs, from working to Dunkin' Donuts that paid me $8.64 an hour to working in construction that paid me more than $25 per hour, I tried to live a very frugal life, saving and investing almost everything thinking that when I get the chance to be a tattoo apprentice I would quit everything and put all my energy and attention to this amazing craft that I love.
Finally, after 4 years in this country of working hard and moving to different cities, I got an apprenticeship at Moonlight Gallery, the owner, Michael Baret took me as an apprentice and that's how I was able to become your black work tattoo artist.
I look forward to bringing your ideas to life!