Tidus
Shop Owner and Head Piercer
Tidus began his body piercing training when he was 18 in Bellingham, WA where he was able to get his foot in the industry's door at a local street shop near his college campus called "Hooligans." After a year of training, Tidus took an entry-level piercing position at a more reputable shop in the area, Chameleon Ink Tattoo and Body Piercing. Thomas soon became head piercer @ Chameleon Ink at 21, and continued working full time until he graduated magna cum laude and top of his class in 2013. He was grateful and proud that his piercing salary paid for his tuition, housing, and graduate school applications.
In 2014, Tidus accepted a professorship scholarship at USC for a PhD in the Philosophy of Sciences and moved to Los Angeles in pursuit. He also accepted a full-time piercing position at Ink Monkey Tattoo and Piercing in Venice CA at this time. After 3 years of graduate study, teaching duties, and a successful piercing career, Tidus began to realize that he needed to focus his ambitions and choose between two very different career paths; one primarily intellectual and methodical, the other creative and entrepreneurial. He saw more promise and enjoyment in the latter, and began furthering his education with the Association of Professional Piercers whilst investing heavily in premium American-made jewelry from the world's leading manufacturers. He's never looked back.
Tidus opened his own shop, Aesthetic Ambition, in early 2018. He now enjoys the freedom to further professionalize the body piercing industry and individualize client care.
