Raised in the coastal town of Clairemont, San Diego, Tommy Lefko started doing art long before he even knew tattooing existed. Feeling as though the holy craft of tattooing was out of reach, he pursued various creative endeavors while working what he could only describe as “arguably terrible” jobs until 2019. 

In 2019 Tommy bumped into a long time friend who was recently discharged from the military and looking for work outside of being a carnie. Together they decided that they would walk business to business and apply for anything they could get their hands on. Before they embarked on their job searches, they would stop at “The Friendly” off of 30th and Madison in North Park and grab a bite to eat to clear their heads. After finishing his burger and a conversation regarding the prospect of working at the tattoo shop across the street, Tommy knew now was as good of a time as any. We will never know what gave him the courage, maybe it was the perfection of the ‘dirty flat top’, but having no art in hand he walked across the street to Eden Tattoo Gallery and introduced himself to the owner, Mike Sirot. The journey began almost immediately. The following day, he started his apprenticeship. Completing his apprenticeship in 2022, he remained at Eden until 2024, continuing to learn many aspects of tattooing ranging from the building of machines to applying the tattoo on all skin tones and bodily locations. 

In order to gain more experience and travel without restriction, Tommy left Eden in 2024 and began his career as a traveling artist sitting in at various shops around the United States. As of 2025 Tommy feels like his art journey has only just begun as he starts to take on larger projects, use different mediums, and push the limit on his creativity.