One-handed traditional tattoo artist who uses unique technique almost missed his calling
By Derek Bryant
Click here for updates on this story
ASHEVILLE, North Carolina (WLOS) — William Addy creates traditional tattoos from Columbia, South Carolina, to Asheville — and the artist almost missed his calling.
He took a risk after being told he wouldn’t be able to become a tattoo artist — due to only having one hand.
William was born with a congenital birthday defect called Amelia that is characterized by the complete absence of one or more limbs. But, he says, the way his mother raised him to think, not having two hands wasn’t going to hold him back.
“My mom was very proactive in teaching me that I’m not different than anybody else even though I get treated differently,” he said.
One-handed traditional tattoo artist who uses unique technique almost missed his calling
When it came to art, it was clear he had a gift from a young age — and he was pushed by family to continue pursuing it. But when he tried to pursue that gift through tattooing, others didn’t think it was something he would be able to do.
“Growing up, I tried to get (tattoo) apprenticeships, and they were like, ‘Listen, you draw really well but the technical application of the tattoo is going to be impossible for you because you have one hand. It doesn’t work; you’re not going to be able to do it,'” William said.
Now, the Columbia, South Carolina-based tattoo artist loves what he does — and his clients love his work as well.
It just took the right mentor. He found that mentor in Darcy Del Priore, a tattoo artist also based in Columbia.
“He just took a risk, and it actually turned out great. He knew that I could figure it out,” William said of Del Priore. “He may not know how to teach me exactly how to tattoo the way that would be the right way, but he knew that he could show me how to do it his way and I could figure it out.”
“I do a lot of stretching, but it’s different than how normal people do it. The technique that I use is like using the back of my nub to stretch one way and then using the broadside of my palm to stretch the other way and then I pull lines that way.”
“It’s a really interesting romance working in a tattoo shop because it’s like the best and worst job ever,” William said with a laugh.
Doing mostly traditional tattoos, the Columbia, South Carolina-based tattoo artist recently made a stop in Asheville to tattoo at Serpent and the Rainbow Tattoo Shop in the South Slope.
“There’s something magical about walking into a shop and leaving with something immediately, and that’s why I prefer to do walk-ins,” Addy said.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
