By The Social Eyes Team
At 13, some dream of becoming astronauts or hockey players. Xavier Lalou, however, dreamed of painting walls. “I wanted to become a graffiti artist,” he recalls. This dream, which might have seemed premature or unconventional in the late 1990s, was taken seriously. Not without some maternal concern. “My mother was worried about the idea. So, she called the City of Montreal, which advised her to take me to the Café Graffiti.”
The Café Graffiti, an iconic Montreal hub of urban expression, served as the springboard for this young man who would later become a professional tattoo artist, painter, and conference speaker. This community space offered, and continues to offer, young people a platform to express themselves and learn in a safe environment to nurture their talent.
Explore, Then Produce
At age 13, Xavier wasn’t “working” in the strictest sense of the word. “I saw myself as someone exploring. I looked to the future, not to the present. I felt like I was a painter.”
For Xavier, working wasn’t a question of salary, but of self-definition. “It gave value to my work.”
Among his remarkable memories he discusses one occasion that profoundly moved him: the Salon Pepsi Jeunesse, a major event in Montreal, a youth fair for those 10 to 16 years of age. “The Café Graffiti booth allowed young artists like me to paint graffiti on ballcaps. That had a big impact on my life.”
From Graffiti to the Needle
Visual art opened a whole new door for him. “Visual art allowed me to explore computer graphics, fashion design. Then a friend suggested that I look into tattooing. I was curious and wanted to go into tattooing. That was 15 years ago.”
Today he runs his own studio, Done With Heart. Xavier etches his tattoos with as much passion as he has experience.
He acknowledges that his early precociousness was decisive. “Yes, it sharpened my sense of responsibility. It made me understand the importance of taking initiative. It allowed me to work alongside entrepreneurs, to put actions in place to seize opportunities,” and to illustrate with powerful images: “It’s the opposite of waiting for a tree to bear fruit. I planted a seed to reap a harvest.”
But growing up fast is not without its challenges. “The toughest thing is to be responsible for your money. It’s like finding a way to have fun spending money, while keeping yourself financially secure and developing other projects.”
And the Child Labor Laws?
Since 2023, it is illegal in Quebec to work and get paid for it before the age of 14, with only strictly regulated exceptions allowed. It’s a law that Xavier approaches with nuance.
“Everything depends on the circumstances. When you work for yourself under guidance, like an artist, it can help your maturity and concentration. But on a larger scale, it can turn into exploitation, and those aren’t the values I wish for Canada.”
In light of his career path, one might wonder if today, young people like him could be held back in their creative endeavors. For Xavier, the key is to find a balance between guidance and trust, while leveraging community resources.
“Initiatives like the Café Graffiti have allowed youths to discover themselves and channel their energies positively. Naturally, I’d encourage this.”
Passing On the Momentum
As an adult, Xavier hasn’t forgotten his roots. For future small business owners, he has a clear message: « The most important thing is discipline. You have to practice repeating actions that you don’t necessarily enjoy, but that will have a long-term impact. »
For him, passion is not enough if it is not rooted in regular effort, however thankless. « Sometimes, for an artist, before getting paid, you must first try to express yourself, to make yourself understood, without worrying about how it is received. »
Xavier offers a lesson in perseverance, going against the grain of the instant gratification with which many young people identify – especially in an era when everything has to to go fast, produce fast, succeed fast.
Xavier, for his part, argues for a grounded, patient, almost artisanal approach. “It’s not success that should validate the work, it’s your commitment. What you build in silence will constitute the core of your projects.”
He speaks from experience. His first works, etched in the shadows, traced the contours of a career he couldn’t imagine. Today he sees in each impassioned youth the potential to become something special if they are offered a place to express themselves. This is why Xavier firmly believes in the importance of days like La grande journée des petits entrepreneurs (The big day for little entrepreneurs) because they help plant the invisible seeds that, one day, will bear fruit.
Photo credit: Xavier Laloux
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