Biography
Although, he’s currently the reigning Groomer of the Year and is enjoying his hard-earned success, Artist Knox, a native of south central Los Angeles, hasn’t had it easy. Throughout his young life, Artist was surrounded by violence, drugs and the economic distress that plagued his community and family. In spite of the atmosphere around him and thanks to the constant support from his mother, Artist was never drawn into the world of gang violence and drugs. Remarkably, he has always kept a hopeful spirit.
“My mother would tell me that despite your situation, you have to chart what you want out of life and go for it. You’ll get there—others may not.”
Artist has always had a love for dogs but entered the world of pet grooming by pure happenstance. “I was at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena while my mother was having surgery for a cancerous tumor. The procedure was going to take four to six hours, so I took a walk to clear my mind and passed a grooming shop. I talked to the manager who was in the middle of grooming, and we just hit it off. She offered me a job 15 minutes later.”
Artist continued to work part-time in that first shop for the next eight months, picking up skills and clients rapidly. To learn the tricks of the trade, Artist bathed his manager’s dogs in exchange for her teaching him proper grooming techniques. With his new-found skills, Artist started to bring in more money than his more experienced and seasoned colleagues and eventually went to groom at other shops in the L.A. area including Doggy Time in Pasadena, Biju Pet Spa in Sherman Oaks and Olympic & Labrea Grooming in Los Angeles. Artist was about to be laid-off when the Groomer Has It opportunity came calling—literally. The rest, as they say, is history; Artist has been a professional pet groomer for the past four and half years and credits grooming with saving his life.
When Artist entered the Groomer Has It competition, he was surrounded by many grooming veterans, making him the underdog. Overflowing with energy, passion and purpose, Artist never gave up and soaked in all of the constructive criticism from the judges. Through his perseverance and skill, Artist made it into the top two—eventually becoming Groomer of the Year.
With his cash winnings and the mobile-grooming truck prize, Artist decided to go into business for himself and with the help of his family hopes to create a thriving grooming business with a grooming salon and school. Artist’s community has always been very important to him, and his desire to give back is interwoven into his work philosophy “one for me and one for free” is how he hopes to operate his business offering free services to animals in need while also mentoring the youth in his neighborhood.
For Artist, grooming is more than just a job; it also serves as a creative outlet. Artist shares, “The most rewarding thing about grooming is the ability to create whatever I envision. When a dirty pet comes under my care, I get the opportunity to wash away his past … I create a new identity for him, allowing the pet to start fresh. In actuality, I see a piece of myself in each pet I groom—not as a dog or cat physically, but I see myself in the experience. Every pet I groom is my masterpiece and my individual revelation.”
At the age of 27, Artist is a single father to a beautiful son named Ariel. When he’s not busy growing his business, Artist enjoys spending time with his family, his dog—a Shih Tzu named Bumpy Johnson—traveling, swimming and being outdoors.
