Keith: I will say a common misconception that people have
toward me is that I am a drug dealer or came from prison.
Keith: Mostly all this work is all my design you know
it don’t necessarily have a meaning to it you know. Something that you like just get it.
You know you don’t have to explain it.
Just do you and be happy with it.
My name is Keith Edwards, I’m from Atlanta Georgia.
If I had to guess how many tattoos I have,
I would probably say at least 600 or 700.
And I’m probably at a about 98%.
I have spent a little over $10,000.
My favourite one is this is my grandfather’s name here, that’s the favourite one out of everything.
The most painful part of my body had to be my skull;
it was ridiculous like to a point where I had to tap out.
Which I don’t tap out, so well but that I had to do. And yeah very excruciating.
The eyeball tattoo was it wasn’t, I wouldn’t say painful at all.
The most uncomfortable thing was holding the lids open. And it could have affected my vision
but on the bright side it didn’t.
My first tattoo was the one right here; this is when I was 17.
I grew up in a religious household so,
my first tattoo was a tattoo of Jesus.
Went home my mom lost her mind over it. She said no more tattoos.
I will say a common misconception people have toward me is
that they automatically assume I am a drug dealer,
or came from prison or you know rapper.
I’m a baker and a father to three kids and a beautiful wife.
I just pretty much took a chance in baking got into it learned it,
just made it into one of my many passions.
Being normal is a disease.
I feel like people are conditioned and rubbed and polished
to believe a certain way. And to live a normal life which is get up, go to work, corporate life.
Get up, go to work, stuck in traffic every day,
that’s just, that’s not the way to be.
Caitlin: You got it? Keith: Yeah I got it.
Caitlin: Keith is always like super upbeat
so you can always be yourself around him and makes you feel comfortable.
There’s nothing scary about him, he’s just got a unique style.
Keith: So that put it on about 15 and put them on rotation.
I have a two year old her name is Wednesday,
I have a three year old his name is Gray
and my oldest is Dakota who’s 13,
they are all good kids.
Keith: My partner is fully supportive of the tattoos;
at first it kind of rubbed her off the wrong way a little bit.
I’m going to do a flower what are you guys doing?
And I think as time went by she became adjusted to the fact that this is who I am as a person.
Leslie: The way I feel about Keith’s modifications, I don’t have anything I dislike of you know,
when he first kicked it off trying to get to the facials I was like hey no don’t do that.
My main concerns was just making sure he got stuff that actually fit his look.
Keith: I will say the hardest part of looking different with tattoos is
that you are definitely judged.
It happens pretty much everywhere surprisingly
my tattoos are the topic of discussion every conversation I come across.
And I can feel the prejudice, I can feel like just the tension as in you know,
for example walking into a restaurant everybody staring.
And they have questions but they don’t want you know come forward with them.
I deal with the judgment online almost every day as if I do in public every day.
Dakota: I don’t think I’ll ever follow in his footsteps in getting tattoos;
it makes me feel uncomfortable that people stare at us.
Leslie: I feel people think that being heavily tattooed affects your ability to be able to provide for your family
and being a father or you know a parent.
And I highly disagree, he’s a phenomenal dad.
I’m proud of Keith in many ways I think he started off our relationship trying to find his self.
He’s like developed and he’s comfortable in his skin. He is just really all round great person.
Keith: The message I have for people who judge me is get to know me, before you judge.
I’m a nice guy so just come to me,
I’ll be more than happy to educate you on accept yourself.
I live with no regrets, not at the present moment no regrets and if I could do it again I would.
Showing off over here.