Ink Master season 10 interview: Steve Tefft sets up ‘Return of the Masters’
It’s been a while since Steve Tefft was a part of the Spike competition series. He won all the way back in season 2, but this black-and-gray expert is going to be the perfect mentor for so many contestants. So how did he approach the task, and what was his perception on returning to the show after so many years? That’s something we discussed in an exclusive interview leading up to Tuesday’s premiere.
CarterMatt – Tell us a little bit about what viewers can expect to see with the new twist.
Steve Tefft – You’re going to see a lot of passion, you’re going to see a lot of temper, and you’re going to see people fighting very hard. It’s probably one of the most challenging Ink Master ever, so you’re going to see a lot of fights.
Ink Master has changed its format a lot over the years. Did you find it difficult adapting to the new game-play as a coach?
Yes, I did since a lot of the twists are open to interpretation. They’re not so black-and-white, so you can think you’re doing something right but you’re actually doing it completely wrong. They’re pushing a lot of imagination and artistic ability, but they can also set you up. They don’t just say ‘we’re going to do new-school’; they say ‘we’re going to do perspectives.’ If you don’t show it in the way they expect then it’s wrong.
So what was your experience like being a coach to new artists?
There were things that I really loved about it and things that I absolutely hated about it. When you had a victory and you helped someone really win, it was great, but when your whole team fails you take it all on yourself. You wonder if you could have done more, or done something different, so that was the hardest thing. When I wasn’t a coach, when I messed up it was on me. Now, if you mess up and [the artists] are listening to you and they get in trouble and are sent to the bottom, you take it hard. You go ‘man, I hope I didn’t cost this person a legit shot at $100,000 and winning the title.’
So was that the biggest struggle about being a coach, or was there something else?
The hardest thing about being a coach was that most tattoo artists are already pretty successful before getting on the show, so they don’t want to listen. They’re not open! They’re all grown-ups and nobody wants to be told what to do. Their ideas clash with yours so it becomes a struggle. Then, if you coach them wrong, they doubt you. It’s tricky.
What do you bring as a team leader that DJ and Anthony don’t?
I bring a lot of no-nonsense tough love, like ‘let’s do this, fight hard, and don’t worry about the small stuff.’ I know how I won the show — I had a direction I had to go in, and I fought hard to get there. Don’t get caught up in all of the other bulls–t and the drama. Don’t accept failure.
I was a hard coach. I called it tough love without the love and I’m here to get you to the finale, even if it’s kicking and screaming. That’s how I have to do it and that’s what I’m here to do. This isn’t playtime.
Did you find that there were specific types of artists you were looking for going into this?
Not really. First, I wanted to get a really good tattoo artist and then hope that they are also an artist. The big divide that is going on in tattooing right now is that there is solid tattooing and then there’s artists who are getting into tattooing. There is some solid tattoos from artists who got into tattooing, but when you blow them up five times, they’re really not good tattoos. They’re good to look at but when you break them down, they’re not [quality]. What Ink Master is doing is teaching the basics of a solid tattoo — good line-work, solid black, smooth shading, and solid color. To the average person these may look great, but then we have to blow it up. There can be problems with shading, the line-work’s not great, and it really may not be a great tattoo.
You’ll see some of this divide on the show. You’re going to see amazing artists who are not great tattooers, and then you’re going to see great tattooers who are not amazing artists yet.
Since your season, Ink Master really seems to be upping the ante all the time with new, crazy challenges like people practically hanging off a building while tattooing someone’s eyeball. Without giving too much away, was there a challenge this season that really surprised you?
A lot of the challenges are really physically grueling and that’s what I found the hardest. They were really long, very physical, and you still had to create, so as you’re getting tired you’re trying not to mess up. It was really hard. There was a lot of artistry this season, but the challenges were very grueling. You’re dealing with elements and you’re dealing with backbreaking stuff.
What was the experience like of being in production again. Were there parts of it that you had forgotten?
It’s a love-hate relationship (laughs). It really is. It’s one of those things where while you’re in it, you’re literally enjoying almost nothing, but then you get out of it and you step back and go ‘you know what, there’s some good people I met, people on the crew, great artists that I got to hook up with.’ Then, you get to watch yourself on TV forever.
It was funny because every night I would sit down with the new artists and say ‘so how many guys tell you that you were going to walk in here and kill it?’ … You see all of us on TV and say ‘hey, I can tattoo better than that guy!’ Now you’re seeing yourself in this [competition] and you’re like ‘wow, this is a hundred times harder than I thought it would be.’ That’s why they get you guys coaches, because this is hard. It is the hardest thing that you will ever do in your professional career, and they made it even harder.
So how has Ink Master changed your career over the years?
The best thing about Ink Master is that when you tattoo in a small town or a small area, everybody knows you. Maybe you travel a little bit and they know you.
Now, with TV they’re seeing what you do and how you do it. Not everybody likes your stuff, but if 10% of them like your stuff, you’ll be booked up for the rest of your life. You get fans who literally just like you and adore you. Obviously, there are some negatives because not everybody is going to like you, but as a whole it’s been a positive experience.
Even with some past contestants who were eliminated early, you talk to some of them and they’re like ‘yeah man, it’s the greatest thing I’m ever done.’ I’m talking about people who spelled stuff wrong or really screwed stuff up. They’re even having great careers! The best thing about Ink Master is that it’s teaching America, who doesn’t know about tattooing. There’s a difference between a really good tattoo and a really bad tattoo. You get to see it over so many weeks. You’re actually educating America on the world of tattooing to some degree.
Related – Check out our interview with Anthony Michaels about season 10
Well, there is no show like this. It’s a small industry where a lot of people just don’t know how it’s done or how much work goes into it.
Yeah, there was that show American Chopper – Nobody knew about custom bikes and what that took. After everyone started watching people were like ‘wow, this really does take some major dedication.’ It’s hard!
Would you ever want to compete in an all-winners season or some sort of all-star version?
I always say that I’m done until they call me again. It’s like that ex-girlfriend who you break up with, and then you go ‘wow, I’d like to hang out with her again.’ Then, after a week you’re going ‘well, now I remember why we broke up’ (laughs).
I really do like challenges. The one thing about success is that it does kind of make you complacent, so I like challenging myself, but Masters vs. Masters is kind of what they did with this season without all of us. My ultimate [dream] would be to come back as a judge.
I have always wondered if there’d be a time when some of the winners would come back as guest judges.
I would love to. One thing that I can bring that they can’t is that they’ve never done the show. They don’t know how hard it is. They haven’t lived in a house with 22 people and only two showers. This is boot camp. I can look at a tattoo and go ‘I know how hard it is to do this.’ You tend to have a different perspective on certain things.
Related – Check out our interview with DJ Tambe about season 10
What do you want to see from Steve Tefft on Ink Master season 10?
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