Ink Master season 11 interview: Jess Cavazos talks elimination, Christian Buckingham bond

Jess Cavazos was an artist that was so easy to root for on this season of Ink Master. He was fun, smart and he handled any challenge that came at him with a positive attitude. When we saw him eliminated this past week it was one of the harder ones to watch since he was someone that we wanted to see standing tall at the end. We love the drama of this show, but it’s not often we get an artist with such a positive outlook on this competition since it’s an incredibly stressful environment.

We had a chance to talk to Jess about his time on the show and he shared with us some perspective on how he kept such a good outlook through out the competition. He also shared with us his thoughts on his elimination and the bond that he’s forged with Christian and his fellow artists.

CarterMatt: How do you feel about your run on the show this season?

Jess Cavazos: I feel satisfied with my run on Ink Master this season. I went up against some of the best artists in the country and I made top 10–9th to be exact–and I’m happy with that since my initial goal was just to make it to the 3rd episode (laughs).

Were you surprised to see yourself going home for the freehand challenge?

I am my own worst critic, and I honestly couldn’t agree more with the judges’ decision to eliminate me. It was  the perfect storm scenario, as a realism artist that is used to taking their time for quality sake, this was my kryptonite, and having less time to not only tattoo, but to draw it directly onto the canvas in one of the most time consuming tattoo styles (realism) played a factor. I second guessed my abilities once again and went with what I thought was the easier route going for a simple traditional based tattoo, a style that is not in my wheelhouse. I unknowingly sabotaged myself and produced an underwhelming tattoo compared to my fellow competitors.

You seemed to have a pretty good perspective about your time on the show while leaving. Even though you didn’t win, how were you able to keep your spirits up?

Negativity yields nothing but more negativity, having a positive outlook in almost any situation will produce a better outcome. I’m not a quitter and my conviction is unyielding. I promised myself a long time ago that I will achieve all my goals in life and most of my success in this so far is due to me ridding the negativity from my life, I am just grateful for having the opportunity to compete on a national level, that and the fact that I have a great support system at home really keeps one’s spirits high.

What did you take away from working with Christian and the other artists?

I feel a bond was forged between Christian, my teammates and I. Through all the trials and tribulations we went through together, I learned that family is not always acquired through blood.

Is there anything that you wish that you had an opportunity to take on this season?

I really wish I had the opportunity to do a sculpting challenge which is one of my stronger suits as well as getting to tattoo a color realistic piece or portrait, I just didn’t get a chance to show the world my best work.

What’s next for you now? Do you have any interest in doing this show again?

After taking on this experience I feel like the world is mine for the taking. I have so many projects I’m working on I want to be the best artist I can be, not only with tattoos but other mediums as well. I will be focusing on my side project making tattoo-able products and FX related art, like masks and props. I am definitely interested in doing the show again.

Related – If you missed it be sure to Check out our exclusive interviews with Christian Buckingham and Cleen Rock One!

Thanks to Jess for talking with us about his time on the show and hopefully we will see him back on the show again in the future. Leave us a comment in the box below and share your thoughts on Jess’ elimination with us (Photo: Paramount Network)