Hello everyone. My name is Whitney. I live in Cedar City, Utah and Chase is my favorite person. He keeps me positive every single day and is happy for every minute that we are alive and together. He’s an extremely talented and hardworking artist with a huge heart and a love for life. He has the most integrity of anyone I’ve ever met, and we go together like hand in glove. He listens intently and tells wonderful stories with intensity. He is an old soul in a young man’s body. He sees good in everyone and is kind and beautiful both inside and out. I can’t wait for you to meet Chase.

Who is/are your hero(es)?
Hmmmm… If I absolutely had to pick one hero, it might just be Bob, Whitney’s grandpa. He’s a retired Utah Highway Patrolman, retired for almost 30 years now, just living it up. He’s in his late 70’s and he is always doing something fun and active with a smile on his face. I can’t put it any other way, he just gets it done. He goes hunting and gets bucked off of horses, on a whim just goes to Alaska, Africa… wherever. He’s always just looking for the next adventure, and that’s how I want to live my life.

But also, I’d consider my heroes to be the people that have influenced my life thus far and have made me a better person. I surround myself with positive people, which makes me more positive, and in turn, makes them more positive… Which makes me more positive.

You are currently apprenticing at a Tattoo Parlor, what are some things you’ve learned about the art, and people, that you didn’t know already?

Yeah, I have been fascinated with tattoos since I was a kid. I think most people have been intrigued by tattoos. It seems like whenever I talk to people that don’t have them, they always ask me what it felt like. I always just want to tell them something like “don’t die wondering”, because it’s really pretty indescribable. People will say “I’ve always kinda wanted a small tattoo, but I don’t think I’ll ever get one.” I spent 30 years wondering what it was like, and I wasn’t disappointed. I learn new things every day about tattooing. The craftsmanship side of tattooing is really more complicated than people realize. The needle has to be set at a certain depth. Too shallow and it won’t stay, too deep and it will scar and the lines will get blown out. Everyone has different skin, and everyone’s skin is different on different parts of the body, so all that has to be taken in to account. Tattooing has a long and crazy history, tattoos have been found on mummies 5,300 years old and I’m sure tattoos are much older than that. It’s funny to think about how tattoos have been viewed as a high art and very exclusive, they’ve been a marker for criminals, a rite of passage, a lowbrow art and everything between. Now, I think it’s just a conglomeration of all those things.

If you could have one artist (living or dead) paint a mural for you, who would it be, and what would it be of?
I’ll say Michelangelo Merisi (Caravaggio), and I’d want him to paint a mural of his own life story. He had a temper, which led him to lead an interesting life as a painter. He’d run from the law, get in sword fights and even killed a guy over a tennis match.

Do you believe it’s important to “see the bigger picture” ?
Yes. I also think it’s important to know when to focus on the little things.

You’re hilarious, have any tricks for being so funny, or is it just instilled in your being?
Thanks! I love to laugh and have fun. Luckily, I choose to surround myself with people who also like to laugh and have fun. My friend TJ introduced me to improv comedy which has had a huge impact on my life. I think if you follow the rules of improv in life, you’ll live happy.

What brings you the most joy in life?
There’s a lot. Whitney and I tell each other every single day how grateful we are for our lives. I really like relaxing with good company in our back yard and playing with our dogs, and ultimately yelling at them for sneaking vegetables out of our garden. Traveling is important to us too, Whitney and I wanted to go to Thailand, so we went and it was awesome! I took a road trip around Europe with my friend from Germany, that was really awesome also! I also just like exploring Utah, Moab is one of my favorite places. I’ve been there a lot and there’s always something there that I haven’t seen or done.

What is the greatest life lesson you’ve learned?
To keep the P.M.A.! A positive mental attitude has helped me get through some tough situations throughout my life. Staying away from drugs and alcohol is really important to me. I’d rather stay positive and get myself through a negative situation on my own than try to make myself feel better with drugs or alcohol. I Think it’s important (and normal) to feel pain in life. I feel like it really makes the good times better.

When was the last time you felt brave?
I’ve had a few near death experiences, and I’d say I felt brave during and after them. I don’t know, “brave” is a really broad word now that I think about it. I had to have emergency brain surgery a few years ago, and it was pretty scary, but I had a ton of support from my friends and family. Whitney obviously helped a ton, she sacrificed a lot to make sure I was ok. My friends at Off The Cuff raised a lot of money to help me out with my medical bills, that was really nice of them. Just everyone who supported me really made what could have been a devastating three months into a mild inconvenience.

Also, when I was about 8 years old, I was on a speeding, out of control runaway horse. It was along a river and there were big willow trees along the trail. This horse was uncontrollable, and I didn’t know how to calm him down. So, I looked ahead and a big willow tree, got ready and jumped off of the back of the horse. My plan was to grab the willow branches and swing to safety. It worked almost as well as I thought it was going to, it was like something out of a movie. I ended up on the gravel with two hands full of willow leaves and an bloody elbow.