Brigi Fuzes

So nice to meet you! First off, what’s your name? Tell our readers a bit about yourself—where you’re from originally and where you live now.

My name is Brigi Fuzes. I’m originally from Hungary, and I moved to the United Kingdom in 2009 to build a future around my passion for art.

I’m an award-winning tattoo artist, painter and the founder of Diamond Heart Tattoo, a private tattoo studio based in South Croydon, London.

I’ve been working in the tattoo industry for over 20 years, specialising in black and grey realism, portraits and cover-ups. Throughout my career, I’ve had the opportunity to compete internationally, receive industry awards and share my work through television and media features.

Art has always been much more than a profession to me. It’s something that has shaped my entire life, and I’m incredibly grateful that I’ve been able to turn that passion into a career.

Tell us one thing you love about where you live now.

One thing I love about the UK is the opportunities it offers people from different backgrounds. Moving here from Hungary in 2009 gave me the chance to grow both personally and professionally, meet people from all walks of life and build a business around something I’m genuinely passionate about.

London has such a vibrant creative scene, and I love how people with different experiences, cultures and ideas can find their place here. I’m grateful that I’ve been able to build my career and make the UK an important part of my life.

Tell us a little more about what your company does and how it started. How does it help your customers?

Diamond Heart Tattoo was founded in 2016 in Bexleyheath, London, after years of developing my skills and experience in the tattoo industry.

My vision was to create a professional, welcoming environment where clients could receive highly detailed, individually designed tattoos, with a strong focus on artistic quality and personal attention.

In 2026, I relocated the studio to South Croydon, where I now work in a private, appointment-only setting.

My speciality is black and grey realism, particularly portraits and cover-up tattoos. I love creating artwork that carries personal meaning, whether that’s a portrait of someone special, a memory or the transformation of an existing tattoo that a client is no longer happy with.

For me, tattooing isn’t simply about putting an image on someone’s skin. It’s about understanding their story and creating something they can feel proud to wear for the rest of their lives.

If someone wants to start a business, what advice would you give them?

My biggest advice would be to have patience, put your head down and work hard. Success doesn’t happen overnight, and when things don’t go according to plan, you have to find the strength to get back up, learn from your mistakes and keep moving forward.

When I started, people told me that you couldn’t build something from nothing. Well, guess what? I did. Not because I was lucky, but because I never lost focus on what I loved and what I wanted to achieve. I kept going, even when things were difficult, until I built the future I had imagined for myself.

People often tell me, “You’re so lucky you’re talented!” But I believe we all have a gift. The challenge is discovering what yours is and learning how to use it. Talent alone doesn’t build a career. It’s what you do with that talent, how much you’re willing to invest in yourself and how determined you are to keep improving.

Before opening Diamond Heart Tattoo, I worked in several completely different jobs. Every experience taught me something valuable about people, responsibility, communication and business. Nothing was wasted. I believe that with the right mindset and dedication, you can build an incredible business around almost anything, even something as simple as baking bread.

Building a business from the ground up requires an enormous investment of time, energy and money. You need a strong mind because there will always be challenges. Just when you think you’ve overcome one obstacle, another appears. There is always something to solve, something to learn or something unexpected to deal with.

And one of the hardest things I’ve learned is that reaching a certain level of success is one challenge, but maintaining that standard while continuing to grow is even harder. You have to keep investing in your work, your knowledge and yourself, sometimes more than ever before. It can be mentally and physically exhausting, but you have to remain focused and keep pushing forward.

As a tattoo artist, I believe in giving 100% to every client, every single day. Before creating a tattoo, I always ask myself, “If I were receiving this tattoo, what level of quality would I expect?”

I take the time to sit down with each client, listen to their ideas, understand their expectations and make sure we’re creating something they genuinely want. They are trusting me with something permanent on their skin, and that trust means an enormous amount to me.

I also believe you need to know which doors to open and which ones to close. Not every opportunity is right for you, and not everyone will understand your vision. You have to learn to trust your judgement, protect your focus and keep working towards what matters to you.

But perhaps the most important advice I can give is to enjoy the journey, even when it’s difficult. There will always be setbacks, uncertainty and moments when you question yourself. I’ve experienced plenty of them, but I’ve learned that some of the most amazing things in my life have come after some of the most difficult periods.

When you finally achieve something you’ve worked towards, don’t stop there. Set yourself another goal.

One of my next ambitions is to establish art galleries in London and Budapest. Painting and fine art have always been part of my life, and I’m excited about exploring that next chapter. I usually prefer to work quietly on my ideas and share them publicly when they’ve become a reality, although I enjoy discussing possibilities and hearing people’s perspectives along the way.

For me, success isn’t just about what you’ve achieved. It’s about who you’ve become through everything it took to get there.

People told me I couldn’t build something from zero. I did. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that you should never let someone else’s limitations become your own.

Stay focused, keep fighting for what you believe in, and never forget to enjoy the journey. Sometimes the most difficult chapters come just before something extraordinary.

What is one piece of feedback from a happy customer or client that you won't forget?

Throughout my career, I’ve experienced so many emotional moments with clients that it’s difficult to choose just one.

I remember a gentleman who came to me during an incredibly difficult time in his family’s life. He wanted a portrait of his father, who was seriously ill. His story touched me so deeply that I arranged a private appointment on my day off to complete the tattoo as soon as possible.

Later, he shared how emotional his father and family had been when they saw the portrait. Their reaction and the gratitude they expressed genuinely brought tears to my eyes. It’s something I will never forget.

I’ve also created memorial tattoos for families who have lost loved ones, including parents who have experienced unimaginable loss. On some occasions, I’ve significantly reduced my prices or offered my work free of charge because I simply wanted to do something meaningful for them.

I’ve also experienced the heartbreak of losing a regular client unexpectedly. Being able to share memories and artwork with his family afterwards was an incredibly emotional experience.

These moments have taught me that tattooing is about so much more than artistic skill. Sometimes you’re not just creating a portrait; you’re preserving a memory, honouring someone’s life or giving another person something deeply meaningful to carry with them.

Of course, receiving compliments about my work is wonderful, but nothing compares to knowing how much something I’ve created has meant to someone.

The artwork comes from my hands, but the meaning belongs to the person wearing it. And that trust means everything to me.

Where do you see your company in the future?

I see Diamond Heart Tattoo continuing to grow, but not necessarily in the traditional sense of becoming a bigger business with more locations or more artists. For me, growth has always been about improving the quality of my work, developing my skills and creating new opportunities.

I’ve spent over 20 years building my experience and reputation, and maintaining those standards is incredibly important to me. I never want to compromise the personal attention and artistic quality that my clients have come to expect.

Education is another area I’m passionate about. I’ve been teaching tattooing for many years, and I’d love to develop more specialised seminars where I can share my knowledge, techniques and experiences with other artists.

Looking further ahead, one of my biggest ambitions is to establish art galleries in both London and Budapest. Painting has always been a huge part of my life, and I’d love to create spaces where I can bring together my passion for fine art, tattooing and creativity.

I have several ideas and projects I’m quietly working towards, although I tend to keep my plans private until they’re ready to become reality.

Ultimately, I don’t measure success by how big my business becomes. I measure it by the quality of what I create, the trust I’ve built with my clients and whether I’m continuing to grow as an artist.

I want Diamond Heart Tattoo to keep evolving alongside me, without ever losing the passion and personal values it was built on.

What is the biggest misconception about your industry?

I think one of the biggest misconceptions about the tattoo industry is that tattooing isn’t always recognised as a serious artistic profession.

There are still people who associate tattoo studios with outdated stereotypes, without realising how much the industry has evolved over the years.

Today, tattooing involves an incredible range of artistic styles, techniques and specialities. Many tattoo artists are highly skilled professionals who have dedicated decades to developing their craft.

It’s not simply about picking up a tattoo machine and putting an image on someone’s skin. There is an enormous amount of knowledge, responsibility and preparation involved, from artistic design and understanding different skin types to hygiene, safety and how tattoos age over time.

I also think people sometimes underestimate the artistic value of tattooing. A beautiful tattoo is a piece of original artwork, with the additional challenge that we’re creating it on a living, changing surface.

Of course, like any creative industry, there are different levels of experience and quality, and I believe education and professional standards are incredibly important.

Having worked in this industry for over 20 years, I’ve witnessed how much tattooing has developed and how people’s attitudes towards it have changed.

Tattooing isn’t just a service or a trend. It’s a highly skilled art form, a profession and, for many of us, a lifelong dedication.

What has been one of your biggest struggles building your business, and how did you deal with it?

I think my biggest struggle was building something from absolutely nothing, especially financially, while holding on to the belief that I could actually make it work.

Saving enough money to open my own studio was an entirely different level of challenge. I had to be incredibly disciplined with my finances, saving every penny I possibly could. There were sacrifices along the way, but I knew exactly what I was working towards.

And then, once I’d finally saved enough, came the next challenge: actually setting everything up. The premises, equipment, furniture, licences, bills and countless other expenses. It’s unbelievable how much money goes into starting a business before you’ve even opened the doors.

I remember feeling incredibly excited, but also terrified. I’d invested so much into something I believed in, and there was always that question in the back of my mind: What if it doesn’t work?

But I wanted to believe it would.

Before opening, several experienced business owners told me that it could take two or three years before a new business started generating a reasonably steady income. Looking back, they were absolutely right about the importance of patience and financial preparation.

During those early years, almost everything went straight back into the business. There were times when I was actually earning less than the tattoo artists I employed because I had so many expenses and responsibilities to cover.

I think that’s something people don’t always realise about owning a business. Just because you’re the owner doesn’t mean you’re earning the most. Sometimes you’re the person taking the biggest financial risks while making sure everyone else and everything else is taken care of.

I had to learn to be patient, manage my finances carefully and trust that all the time, money and energy I was investing would eventually pay off.

And gradually, it did.

Of course, that doesn’t mean everything suddenly became easy. Every business goes through ups and downs, and you constantly have to adapt, make decisions and deal with unexpected situations.

I’ve also learned how important it is to surround yourself with the right people. As you grow, your priorities and circumstances naturally change, and I’ve come to appreciate having a smaller circle of people I genuinely trust, who understand and support what I’m working towards.

For me, overcoming these struggles wasn’t about finding one magical solution. It was about staying disciplined, making sacrifices, learning from experience and refusing to give up when things became difficult.

There were moments when I questioned whether everything would work out, but I never stopped believing in what I wanted to achieve.

Building a business from zero is difficult, but believing in your vision when there’s no guarantee of success is perhaps the greatest challenge of all.

I didn’t build Diamond Heart Tattoo overnight. I built it through years of hard work, patience, financial sacrifices and determination. And I’m proud of that journey, including the difficult parts, because they’re what made everything I’ve achieved possible.

Any shoutouts you want to make?

Absolutely! I’d love to give a special thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout my journey, especially my family, friends, clients and the people who believed in me when I was still building my career.

I’m incredibly grateful to my clients, particularly those who have trusted me with their tattoos for many years. Some have been coming to me for so long that they’ve become more than just clients, and that loyalty means the world to me.

I’d also like to thank the artists and people I’ve crossed paths with throughout my career. Every experience has taught me something valuable.

And of course, a huge thank you to everyone who continues to support Diamond Heart Tattoo, recommend my work and follow my artistic journey.

I wouldn’t be where I am today without the trust and support I’ve received along the way, and I never take that for granted.

Where can our readers learn more about you and your company?

Readers can learn more about me and Diamond Heart Tattoo through my official website, where they can explore my portfolio, discover more about my work and get in touch regarding appointments.

Website: www.diamondhearttattoo.com

Instagram: @brigi_fuzes_tattoo

Studio Instagram: @diamondhearttattoo

I believe building a business in the creative industry comes with its own unique challenges. Unlike a traditional retail business, where you’re selling an existing product, my artwork is the product itself. Every piece is individually created, and its quality depends on my skills, experience, creativity and the dedication I put into it.

That’s why my portfolio is so important to me. It represents not only what I create, but the years of learning, practice and commitment behind every tattoo.

Through Instagram, I regularly share my latest work, particularly black and grey realism, portraits and cover-ups, along with occasional behind-the-scenes moments from my artistic journey.

I’m always happy to connect with people who appreciate art, creativity and the passion behind what I do.

Thank you for taking an interest in my story!