John Heckman became known to online audiences as The Tattooed Historian in 2015. Since then he has built a digital history network that has a large reach and crosses many subjects within the historical narrative. John earned his graduate degree in 2013 and has worked hard to create a positive legacy in the field of history. When he's not doing history online, you can usually find him drinking a cup of coffee and reading a good book. You can find out more at all of his sites through this link: https://linktr.ee/TheTattooedHistorian
1) How did you get hooked on history?
I became hooked on history around the age of 8 years old. I had a series of emotionally traumatic events in my life from the age of 5 to 8 and I really needed an escape. I found that thing I needed within the pages of history. On top of this, I grew up less than 25 miles from the Gettysburg Battlefield so I would beg my grandparents to take me over there as often as possible to see the sites and try to understand how we envision the past. I found out about historical re-enacting around the age of 12 and I participated in over 500 events throughout the next 25 years or so.
2) What role does history play or has it played in your personal life?
My personal life has been impacted by history in so many ways. I have gained many friends due to my love of history and in that sense, I have learned how others perceive the historical narrative. It's been a great learning experience to understand things from a psychological/sociological standpoint. History also allowed me to find people in the past who had been through similar situations as myself. Through reading about their personal hurdles, I learned how to navigate some particularly difficult times in my life.
3) How does history play a part of your professional life/career?
Professionally, the past has allowed me to build my own digital brand of history for online audiences (The Tattooed Historian). This started out six years ago as a way to find my next job, almost an edgier way of creating a LinkedIn profile. But then it turned into a full-time gig in 2018 and has well over 10,000 followers from many parts of the world. Through this, I have had the chance to meet some amazing historians, students, and others who enjoy talking about history; plugging their books and articles, giving tours, or showcasing exhibits at museums. It has been the greatest networking opportunity for me and is my legacy project. I want to leave something behind that showcases who I am authentically as a historian and citizen.
4) Why is studying/knowing history important?
Studying the past is so important because, frankly, we all have one. We are all biographies waiting to be written. If we do not realize who we are, the good and the bad, then we are not growing as a people. Think of it this way: we all have our flaws. Perhaps we want to lose weight or gain muscle. To do that, we have to work out, eat better, etc. It's okay to have the desire to want to be better than we were. We must embrace the primary sources, focus on their message in a lateral sense (not linear), and realize that we can create positive changes from understanding the lessons of the past. To run from the past is one way to negatively impact our future.
5) What is your favorite period or aspect of history to learn about and why?
I love to learn about a variety of things. You can find me reading about the history of death and burials, food, body modification, disasters, and conflict. I enjoy learning about all things history as long as it is backed up by primary resources and peer-reviewed analysis. I'm not into reading the "What Ifs" of history though. What actually happened is interesting in itself!
6) How did you become the Tattooed Historian?
I became "The Tattooed Historian" by embracing who I am, instead of wishing to fit into what was traditionally being tossed around as "what a historian looks like." I was tattooed before I earned any of my degrees in history so this wasn't a way for me to bring some sort of fake shock value to my brand. I had actually been denied a job in the field due to having tattoos below my elbows. I set out to prove that you can be tattooed and good at what you do; my tattoos are not my resume. I've also created a very welcoming place for all of those who love history no matter their race, religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity. I've been judged based on my tattoos and I will not allow others to be judged based on who they are; ignorance and hate have no home on my pages and is banned immediately. What you see is what you get with me. I'm the same in person as I am on a livestream and I think that authenticity has helped my brand grow exponentially.
7) What can followers of the Tattooed Historian expect from your social media?
The content on The Tattooed Historian pages is a wide variety of things. I do a lot of livestream events including many with authors and others who wish to plug their work. I play historically-based games on Twitch and YouTube from time to time. We have times where I just chat with followers to get their input and feedback about things in the history field. The Tattooed Historian Show is my podcast which just started up again for another season and can include audio from previous livestreams as well as newer content. And the historical subjects are all over the place from World War I to Charlie Brown to George Washington's cabinet when he was president. There's something for everyone!
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