Community: Christos Tziortzis

Christos Tziortzis

https://www.chriscosmostattoocyprus.com

Hi Christos, could you introduce yourself, what do you do, what are your

interests and hobbies?

I’m a tattoo artist, owner of Chris Cosmos Tattoo Studio in Limassol, Cyprus. My

hobbies involve fitness, exploring nature, and any DIY project that I can get my hands on!

What got you interested in tattooing?

Early in my life I showed great talent and interest for the arts. From a young age I would draw, paint, sculpt and create art with anything that I could put my hands on.

As most families, my parents didn’t really want me to follow art as a career, as I would most probably end up being a struggling and starving artist.

So I ended up studying as a nurse (mostly by chance) and earned my Diploma in Nursing in 2010. After working in the profession for a while, I decided to make a career change, as I realized that I wasn’t feeling fulfilled in my life, and I really wanted to be able to incorporate my artistic talent in my work.

My first professional interest in the art of tattooing came at the age of 22, after a guidance counselor suggested it by luck, and after doing a lot of research and self-study about the tattoo industry, the different tattoo techniques, history and ethics of tattooing.

Seeing how much the tattoo scene had evolved in the last decades, and that now it was possible to tattoo realism, portraits, and pretty much do anything you could do as an artist on canvas, and transform it into a piece of art on the human body, I got so fascinated with everything I was learning and reading, that I decided I wanted to follow it and become a professional tattoo artist.

What do you think are the two most important things for anyone looking to

advance into a career as a tattoo artist?

Number 1, be hard working and dedicated. To this day it amazes me how many people just see the end result, and will tell you, oh you got talent, you are so talented, it’s so easy for you. Yes, maybe a small part of what I do is based on talent, but what they fail to realize are the countless hours, endless nights, weeks and years I devoted into my craft. Most people eyes roll when I tell them that for the first 3 years of my tattoo career, I was working 14-18 hours every day, 7 days a week, 360 days per year.!! No weekends, no holidays, nothing. I was tattooing, I was constantly drawing, Iwas researching the web for information, attending tattoo seminars, art seminars, specialty courses by other successful tattoo artists, and anything I could possibly do topush my skill level and career forward.

Number 2, never be satisfied. As I read in a book many years ago when I was starting my tattoo career, it said something like this “The day you wake up and feel you know it all, is the day you should put your tattoo machine down and stop tattooing.” This means we should always strive to better our best, and develop our skills. Personally I do this by constantly re-evaluating my own work. And each year that passes, I want to look back to the work I did a year ago, and be able to see great difference and progression in my art.

I would add a 3rd most important thing, for advancing into anything that you want to do in your life -not just tattooing- and that would be to LOVE what you do, and have FUN doing it!

What's your take on nutrition?

Nutrition is very important. It is one of the 3 pillars of our health - the other two being exercise and sleep. I am a big believer in simpler- cleaner -healthier foods. I believe in eating healthy, non-processed foods and foods with lots of micronutrients. Unfortunately there is a lot of misinformation about nutrition going around.

When I was young, I struggled to put on weight, and I used to eat everything. Chocolates, sweets, ton of carbs, fast food, potato chips, you name it, I ate it. Growingup, I went through a lot of phases and tried many different diets, searching to find something that would work for me and for my fitness goals.

I did a bodybuilding diet, and I got carried away to thinking it was ok to just eat chicken breast, broccoli and rice for months in a row. I also tried a hard core carnivore diet for 2 years while bodybuilding, as everyone wassaying you need meat to build muscle, you need animal protein, you need milk, etc etc. And I also tried a vegan diet for almost a year. The interesting thing is, what worked best for me in the end, was the vegan diet.

During that time I was also using Ambronite and I managed to put on 3-4 kilos of muscle weight that for all my life I struggled with. But after almost a year of being vegan I felt that it wasn’t optimal for me, and I had a lot of cravings, so I changed that too.

Nowadays, having figured out what works best for me, I try to eat a varied and semi-vegetarian diet. I am not perfect, and I do have cheat meals too, but for the most part, I try to keep it healthy and balanced.

How did you find Ambronite?

Around the age of 20 while I did my studies in nursing, I learned a lot about nutrition and supplements. Being always highly active, and looking for a way to be fit and healthy, I was always looking for other options of meal alternatives and researching more and more on diet and nutrition. I used many different brands of supplements (mass gainers- whey protein etc) and meal replacements. The problem I always had with them was that I would feel bloated most of the time, and my appetite would be lost for the remaining of the day, after I had a supplement drink. After a lot of researchI realized this was mainly due to the high amounts of low grade ingredients - mainly sugar, and ingredients that my body couldn’t digest well like milk and wheat.

Then, finally one day while I was searching on the internet, I found out about Ambronite! And that was it! Being a meal replacement based completely on natural ingredients like berries, spinach, nuts and seeds, and having ample amounts of protein per serving, it was a game changer for me! It will keep me full for couple hours, but I can digest it very easily!

It is super easy to prepare, and I can take it with me everywhere, and as long as I

have a water bottle or a cup and some water, I can have a meal ready then and there in seconds!

When, how and where do you usually use Ambronite?

Most of the time I take it in place of my breakfast, as I feel it gives me a great start formy day!

I also take it as a post workout meal or snack, during my breaks at work, and on hikes and travels when having accessible food in remote areas is essential. The great thing about Ambronite being a powder is that it doesn’t spoil and you can pretty much take it with you everywhere!

Being also a full time tattoo artist, my schedule can be quite busy, and having to tattoolong hours, many times having a big meal isn’t an option. Ambronite has been a great help for this, as I can get all the necessary nutrients in a small drink, digest it easily, and keep tattooing!