In 1988, at the age of fifteen, Carmelo received his first tattoo. This would be the spark that would fuel the fire. Hailing from Lima Ohio, there was nothing really to do there but skateboard, party, and draw. Art was not something he had to do, it was something he LOVED to do. He took every available art class throughout his entire school history, including majoring in Fine Arts - Drawing and Painting at the Ohio State University. After his first tattoo, he had found his passion. Working as an apprentice, he learned how to make tattoo needles, design stencils, and any shit work that needed to be done around the shop. After a year, he began to work on skin. Working on friends and family, constantly striving to make his tattoos improve for him and his clients. In 1994, he moved to Columbus, Ohio to finish his Fine Arts degree at OSU. Working at odd shops around town and campus, he was still wasn't finding a shop to call his home. Frustrated and hopeless, he decided to maybe move to Detroit to further his knowledge of the craft. That's when Kevin Lee of "Tattoos by Kevin" popped into the picture. He had an amazing reputation in the city as one of the three original shops. Not wanting to leave the city, he gave it a shot. Everyone worked together great gaining knowledge from one another. This is where he finally called home. A year later Kevin and Carmelo became business partners. Carmelo eventually took over the business in February 2002. A long road that started from early childhood drawings, to that first tattoo, to becoming an owner/artist at BodystaiN Tattoo. After 19 years, it finally made sense. Something that he loved, evolved into his calling in life.