A Name That Already Exists

In certain fields, a name arrives before the person does. It already tells a story. It carries years of work, a reputation built over time. You don’t really start from zero when that name is known.

In tattooing, the name Chaudesaigues has been there for a long time. It is also the name of a village in the Cantal region, but within this profession it is mostly associated with the craft. My paternal grandfather was a tattoo artist. My father, Stéphane Chaudesaigues, opened Graphicaderme in Avignon in 1987. My uncle Patrick Chaudesaigues tattoos, paints, and builds machines, his children tattoo as well. My brothers, Steven and Welsey, are tattoo artists too. My mother, Chantal Chaudesaigues, was tattooing when my parents met and now works as a piercer.

I grew up in the middle of all of it. For me, it was normal. It was home, work, and family at the same time. I did not discover tattooing later in life. I did not have a revelation. I simply grew up inside it.

The Gaze

When I introduce myself today, all of that context is already there. People know where I come from. Some know my father’s work, others my uncle’s. The name establishes something before I even speak about my own work.

The gaze is attentive. It can be admiring, but it can also be demanding. Sometimes people wait to see whether I will truly live up to it. It isn’t dramatic. It’s simply reality. When a name has been established for decades, people observe more. They compare more.

It forces you to stand straight.
To never do things halfway.

Finding My Place

It would be easy to lean on that name. It would be just as easy to distance myself from it to prove that I exist on my own. Neither option feels right to me.

The name is part of my history, but it does not do the work for me. It does not draw for me. It does not tattoo for me. My choices, my style, and the way I move forward are what matter.

Carrying a known name guarantees nothing.
After the name, there is still the work.

The rest does not belong to me.