[ep 89] Scott Borkowski on skateboarding, art, entrepreneurship & betting on yourself

Scott Borkowski has an energy that’s calm yet dynamic. Humble but no doubt powerful. Creativity pours out of him as an artist, tattoo artist, skateboarder, entrepreneur and owner of Grateful Tattoo in Squamish, Canada.

Born and raised in Toronto, though his parents both worked in the corporate world, they unconditionally supported his artistry and right-brain inclinations. As a teen, he often took the train downtown, eventually moving there when he was 18-years-old. Skateboarding brought much into his life, a medium for getting more deeply into art, culture and music. Scott was fascinated by tattoos from a young age, getting his first one at 15. After a chance apprenticeship and doing temporary tattoos at music festivals, this fascination ended up becoming a booming career, with him inking some of the biggest names in music, including Rüfüs Du Sol, LANY, Lil Yachty, and 6lack.

When the pandemic hit, he and his wife took a leap and moved west. There, he’s been steadily building community through his tattoo shop, giving back to the skateboarding community and mother nature, percolating on additional ventures, and working with brands like Levi’s, Panasonic, Environmental Defense, and more.

In this episode, we explore Scott’s childhood, how he feels about art, what skateboarding has brought to his life, his philosophy when it comes to tattooing, what’s on the horizon, and much more.

[TIMESTAMPS]

3:31 - Growing Up

7:41 - How art and creativity came to hime at a young age

9:35 - What drew him to skateboarding 

10:29 - How has he seen the scene change

11:34 - What he hopes to carve in the industry for himself 

12:40 - What led him to be a tattoo artist

17:06 - Philosophies of work and business 

19:00 - What brought him to Squamish and how it has been

23:39 - Leaps of faith

26:17 - Would he move back to Toronto

27:42 - The next 5 years of his life

28:41 - Giving back

30:35 - What would he say to his younger self

31:07 - Upcoming projects

32:14 - How he pushes through imposter syndrome 

34:12 - Final question 

34:42 - Where to find him

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