After stirring us with his inspiring and heartwarming life story in the “Ink of Smile” episode of Maalaala Mo Kaya aired last Saturday, tattoo artist Edwin Pranada, who was portrayed by versatile actor Enchong Dee, had an awesome opportunity to chat with Charo Santos-Concio in the latest episode of “MMK Kumustahan.”
REVIEW: Enchong Dee shows dramatic maturity, depth in playing tattooist Edwin Prañada in MMK “Tattoo”
Their heartfelt conversation commenced with the host asking how his life has been during this pandemic, to which he replied that he and his family have been doing fine since he still has customers and their tattoo supplies store has remained open, too.
But despite the influx of tattoo artists in the country, he admitted that the government hasn’t regulated their industry yet nor considered it a formal profession. He sadly divulged that a lot of tattoo practitioners have the potential to provide help to others and pay taxes to the government, but tattooing isn’t regulated yet in the Philippines.
When asked what kind of fulfillment tattooing gives him, Edwin said that it’s seeing the satisfaction of his customers because of being able to help them tick off one item from their bucket list by imprinting their dream tattoo on their skins.
However, he’s not only doing ordinary tattooing for he is an aesthetic tattoo artist, who puts permanent inks onto others’ faces in order to enhance their appearances, such as permanent eyebrow, eyeliner, lip, and scalp micro pigmentation. As he believes that it should be done by medical practitioners since they are more knowledgeable when it comes to the anatomy of the human body and the structure of the face, he disclosed that he trains cosmetic surgeons and dermatologists.
Aside from his inspiring and relatable anecdote, viewers were surely amazed by how he’s able to pay it forward to the society through his advocacy that aims to help alopecia patients. And the pandemic wasn’t able to stop him from offering his free services to them that he scheduled every Friday because a lot of clients still visit his shop and get their heads inked.
As to why he’s doing it, he said, “Kasi po ‘yon lang po ang kaya kong maibigay sa kanila. Wala po akong kayamanan na maibibigay sa kanila para makabili ng gamot sa kondisyon nila, so mas pinili ko pong ibigay kung ano ‘yong skill na meron ako.” He further shared that some of his clients simply give him food or any goods as a way of showing their gratitude and appreciation.
With his impressive talent and admirable attitude towards work and his customers, Edwin said that he’s able to establish a strong connection with them, which is really a must for tattoo artists like him. According to him, acquiring their trust leads to more customers as some of them recommend him to or bring their family and friends to him who wants to get inked as well.
When asked how his past experiences have helped him to become a better father, he told Charo, “Lahat po kasi lesson sa atin e. Lahat ng nangyayari sa atin sa bawat araw, ito ay magsisilbing lesson. Kapag hindi naging lesson, useless po ‘yong nakaraan n’yo. Kung mali man ‘yon, kaya mong itama. Kung tama man ‘yon, kaya mong i-improve. ‘Yon po ang ina-apply mo sa anak mo. Kung mali ‘yong nagawa sa’yo ng magulang mo before, you need to correct it through your kids. Tapos kung tama po ang ginagawa, ine-enhance ko, ini-improve ko po [para] ‘yong anak ko gano’n din ang gawin sa magiging anak niya.”
Since he was not given proper education when he was young, the only thing that Edwin could pass on to his kids, according to him, are the morals that were inculcated to him that paved the way for him to savor the blessings they have at present and allowed him to send his children to good schools.
Get your weekly dose of inspiration by not missing an episode of MMK, every Saturday on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, and A2Z Channel 11!