When I was a preteen, I was only good at two things: kickball, and pissing off my older brother. I don’t even feel the need to defend myself. In my opinion, 6th graders don’t need to excel in life; they just have to be able to diagram sentences and try not to fall over too many times.
Enter Ezrah “The Shark” Dormon, today’s reason for feeling bad about myself. Ezrah is a special kind of practicing tattoo artist, because although he clearly has skills, he’s too young to be inked himself. At just 11 years old, he’s undergoing an apprenticeship with an artist in Panama and has already inked a few adults, including his mother.
So far Ezrah has helped with more than 20 tattoos, including one on his math teacher. He’s building up an impressive resume with the Panama City studio, and appears to be in this for the long haul. When he’s not shadowing in the studio he practices his designs on paper, and even works with a tattoo machine using fruit.
What surprises me most about this kid is that he’s not even 12, and already knows what he wants to do with his life. It’s a special thing to have a clear idea of your career path at such a young age, especially when so many adults are still trying to figure it out. If he’s already studying and practicing this hard, you just know he’s going to kill it in the tattoo industry someday.
I imagine the most frustrating part of his endeavors is not being able to get any ink himself. It’s going to be a long seven years for the kid, but I think it’s safe to assume that when he does get his first tattoo, it’s going to be sick. Follow him on Instagram to see what he’s up to in the meantime.
