CEBU CITY, Philippines— To fulfill their dream of providing for their family while living out their passion in the art, France Bentazal and Jean Japitan had to hit rock bottom.

Their collective story is a narrative of perseverance and determination that is now combined with the daily grind that consists of needles, drawings and a machine— a tattoo machine.

The couple are tattoo artists in Cebu, who are making waves here with their skills in this art.

They are also gaining attention because of the different dynamics they have being a couple and tattoo artists at the same time.

Struggles

The art world is not new to France as he was exposed in a home where his older brother, Warren, and friends often spent time in their house for drawing sessions.

This exposure led him to try drawing as internet access was not readily available in his younger days.

But France stopped drawing in high school because to him it was only a temporary past time.

In 2005, he enrolled in college to obtain a degree in hospitality management. But to do this, France had to work as a security guard on his first two years in college to send himself to school. 

On his third and fourth years, he worked as a fast food crew and as an employee of a business process outsourcing (BPO) company.

France was a working student between 2005 to 2009.

In 2007, he met Jean when they were both working as BPO employees. 

But financial difficulties in the family led France to quit school in 2009 and instead focus on full-time work.

As self-confessed Mama’s boy, France felt that he needed to step up to help out his mother with the expenses at home.

Then, in 2011, Jean got pregnant.

Young and broke, the couple felt they were nowhere near in fulfilling their dreams.

Fulfillment

They were going about their usual routine of working for a BPO company while juggling their time as parents to their son when art “called” France back in the form of a tattoo shop.

“We lived near a tattoo shop before and luckily the artist of the shop was a close friend of mine. I got introduced to the tattoo world and fell in love with it,” says France.

France thought he could have a career as a tattoo artist.

But Jean was hesitant.

“I was against tattoos before because I was raised in a very conservative environment. I was an only child and my parents were already old,” she recalls.

But then she got her first ink and that changed her perspective about tattoos.

Entrepreneurs

France worked as an artist of a tattoo shop when a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity knocked on their door.  

The American owner of the tattoo shop, where France was working, decided to let go of the business.

France and Jean saw this bittersweet ending as a fresh beginning for them.

In 2018, they officially became tattoo shop owners.

Jean started out as as France’s assistant and then later learned tattoo art as they now run “Infamous Ink,” a tattoo shop located on the fourth floor of Maria Cristina Building near Fuente Osmeña Circle in Cebu City.

The number of clients grew and France could not serve them alone.

Today, the couple’s business enjoys a steady stream of clients, who are loyal patrons and walk-in customers.

Getting to where they are now was certainly not a walk in the park.

They both learned that achieving their dreams and living out their passion involve hardwork and patience.

France and Jean learned to take things slow because, to them, everything will fall into place in the perfect time.

“This is really passion for me because I don’t think of it as work anymore. I just remain calm because I know I have my partner who will always support me no matter what,” says France.

Making tattoo art is their means of livelihood; the opportunity that they waited that opened the door for them to fulfill their dreams.

But for France and Jean, it is also their collective way of shearing their God-given talents. / celr

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