Every time I came across one of the pictures with him, I stopped and studied it. He was captivating in so many ways. Objectively, he was undeniably hot. His tattoos gave him a bad boy vibe, but his smile was too charming to take it seriously. His dark hair fell as if it were perfectly styled, but the stubble on his cheek said that he hadn’t bothered to groom himself. He was a picture of contradictions that drew the eye.
I gathered a couple of my favorites for a “meet the artist” post. It wasn’t what was trending in the digital spaces, but trying to follow the trends and advice in an effort to create a viral post was mind-numbingly frustrating. Not to mention, it wasn’t getting SD Ink the coverage it needed to elevate his business.
The pictures were great, but I needed more to go with them. It needed the context of who Sebastian Devereux was.
Me: I need you to write a bio.
I shot him off a text with my request and refilled my coffee cup. My phone buzzed with a text notification just as I was settling in at my computer again.
Seb: WFT am I supposed to write?
Me: Your bio. A paragraph or two about who you are, how long you’ve been doing tattoo work. That kind of thing.
Seb: TWO PARAGRAPHS! I didn’t get into this to write essays.
I rolled my eyes. What could possibly be so difficult writing about himself?
Me: It’s your life. Just things about yourself.
The three little dots appeared, then disappeared, then reappeared again.
Seb: I’m not writing a stupid bio. I don’t have anything to say.
I needed him to get on board with this. I couldn’t do a “meet the artist” post without any information about the artist.
Me: What if I came up with questions and interviewed you? Would you let me do that?
My phone was quiet for a minute. Sighing, I put it down and started crafting another version of the same content I had been posting.
Seb: I would let you do just about anything, little wild.
Why was my pulse racing just looking at his words, reading them in his voice?
I shook off the annoying fluttering in my belly and opened a new blank document. This was my chance to ask him anything I wanted, I didn’t want to waste it.
With my questions in hand, I packed up my bag and drove to the tattoo shop. Seb had a client in his chair, but he looked up at the sound of the door. He stared at me like he didn’t know what to make of me before turning his attention back to his client. They finished up a series of spiderweb tattoos across his knuckles, and Seb chatted with the guy for a while. I took the opportunity to pull out my camera so I could take a couple of pictures.
“Sorry to interrupt. Do you mind if I grab a couple of pictures?” I said when I caught the client’s eye.
“I don’t mind at all. Do you want to take some close-up shots?” He swiped his tongue over his bottom lip and rubbed his hand along his jaw.
“Sure. Thanks.” I smiled. I didn’t really have any use for them. They weren’t super original or on a large enough scale to really grab the public’s attention, but I didn’t want to be rude. He positioned his hands for me to get a couple of good shots. What I really wanted was to capture moments of Seb connecting with a client. His smile and good-natured demeanor.
The client left, and Seb got to work cleaning the station and equipment as I kept snapping pictures.
“What are you doing? There isn’t even anyone here,” he asked with an amused grin.
“I know. I want pictures of you,” I said. “Working,” I added quickly. “Pictures of you working.”
His eyes twinkled, and I could tell that he wasn’t going to let that go with any decency.
“Just a regular guy, doing regular cleaning stuff,” he said as he flexed his biceps and puffed out his chest. He grabbed the hem of his henley and lifted it up. “Don’t want to get dirty. Maybe I should take this off.”
“You’re an ass. Keep your clothes on.” I tried to sound aggravated, but it didn’t come out that way through my restrained laughter.
He dropped his shirt and washed his hands. “Seriously though, what is this about a bio?”
I hopped onto the newly sanitized tattoo chair and crossed my legs. “I want to feature you on your socials. There is plenty of content on your art but virtually none of you.”
