Campbell grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana, with a conservative upbringing in a Southern Baptist family, that sparked his search for something different. He graduated in 1995 from Kingwood High School. Early on, Campbell debated the idea of a middle-class life. At the University of Texas he studied biochemistry and planned a career as a medical illustrator. Soon he dropped out.
Career
In his 20s Campbell moved to San Francisco and began working as a copy editor for Lawrence Ferlinghetti, at City Lights Bookstore. It was then that he began tattooing. He traveled Asia and Europe, where he tattooed for cash, then moved to Williamsburg in 2001. When he moved to New York in 2005 he opened his own tattoo shop, called Saved Tattoo. It was here that Scott's career led to fame. His first celebrity client was Heath Ledger, who commissioned a small bird in flight on his left forearm. As a visual artist Campbell is best known for a series of reliefs he creates using sheets of uncirculated US currency. He exhibits regularly internationally; his first show sold out at OHWOW, a gallery in Miami, Florida. The gallery opened a location in New York at which Campbell had a solo show in April 2010. His solo exhibition "Bless This Mess" took place at their Zurich location in January 2012. Louis VuittonCreative Director Marc Jacobs collaborated with Scott Campbell, whereby Scott customized a number of fancy leather bags for a men's line for the 2011 S/S collection. In November 2015 Campbell debuted 'Whole Glory' at Milk Studios in New York City. The project saw 23 participants getting tattooed by Campbell through a hole in a wall. The participants did not communicate at all with the artist prior to being tattooed and he tattooed a piece of his choice. Whole Glory was also presented in Los Angeles, in Downtown LA, Moscow at the Garage Museum of Contemporary art and most recently at Covent Garden in London, presented by Lazarides Gallery. "Whole Glory' London also debuted a series of tattooed pig skins sewn together with Campbell's designs encased in stainless steel frames in liquid preservative.
Personal life
Campbell met actress Lake Bell on the set of her HBO show How to Make It in America in 2011. They were married on June 1, 2013, in New Orleans. In late October 2014, her representative confirmed that Bell had given birth to their daughter, Nova. In May 2017, Bell gave birth to their second child, a son named Ozzi, which is short for Ozgood.
