Hey so concerning your trouble, maybe breaking the ice by outright addressing that you may come across as this and that, and that you’re actually genuinely invested into the process for the the customer. It might ease your interactions with a greater yield of good receptions. I hate the idea that your personal brilliance doesn’t get to shine because of certain anxieties! Let yourself shine!

@@carlossuarez4702 Ah! Thank you so much! That actually sounds like a good idea! :)

Hi I’m autistic & have been tattooing 12 years now, it took a second but I found a shop that had a really calm and safe environment. That especially exists these days, even in my shop! It’s meant to be a safe space for neurodivergent, queer, poc, and others who are typically ostracized by antiquated shops. Building a clientele for me meant masking a ton but having established myself and working as hard as I could it all paid off. A true passion for it makes it worth it. It is a really tough career and industry, which is why getting an apprenticeship can be hard, they just want to see that you want it and have the motivation and drive.

Plus apprenticeships aren’t as insane and ab*size as they used to be, especially in shops that cater to everyone. An apprenticeship is so much more than practice tattoos, most places don’t give out machines for a long while. That’s just because of how life threatening it can be without proper training, and access to equipment, products, etc. there are people out there who will be a good fit, and I think it’s worth it to find them!

@@bleufitz9702These were great comments! It helped me as an aspiring tattoo artist.

Honestly I agree with her. If I was the owner of my own tattoo shop and someone came in with only digital drawings it would be a turn off to me. I want to see what people can do on paper. Almost all tattoo artist do use a drawing tablet because it makes clean art, with more clean lines. Where its at is if you can draw, and not just digital.

I agree with you. I've literally seen some of the greatest artists talk about how they started in prison... and I feel like this kind of ties into the whole 'gate keeping tattooing' because a lot of artists won't even give apprenticeships and some people get turned down so much they have to or choose to learn themselves. I think everyone has to start somewhere and might not be blessed with a nice shop around or school to learn from. Not trying to justify ones that don't take the safety precautions into consideration or the teens that stick and poke just for giggles but I just feel like it's kind of rude to automatically assume or judge a person for starting out that way especially if they're just trying to start a career in the best way they think fit for them.

Ah incredible, good luck finding an apprenticeship Tom!

How did it go? Did you find an apprenticeship?

good for you girl, keep going! :)

I had a very similar experience! The owner/mentor at the shop would also say gross things to me and the other female members of the shop. There was an artist there that was a known sexual predator, like everyone at the shop knew about what he did to women and they didn't care or try to stop him. I only found out about it later. The other artists verbally abused me in front of clients to the point that the clients would actually tell them to stop. I've been hit and had things thrown at me. I washed their cars, picked up their meds from the pharmacy, drove them around as if I was an uber, even installed light bulbs in the shop. This on top of all the drinking I was peer pressured into. I left after about 2 months cuz I couldn't take it anymore. These people were obviously more interested in playing rockstar than providing a deeply personal service to their clients, which is what I think tattooing should be about, not the "clout". If I can't find a shop with a good mentor that has actual respect for their craft then I'm happy with not going into the tattoo industry. Life's too short to have to deal with shitty abusive people.

@@miauomiauo I’m sorry you went through all that. Yeah I can relate to much of that. Apprentices should have a union. These kinds of things shouldn’t be happening and being a mentor needs more regulations and rules. Crazy how difficult it is to find a place that you are respected and a place you feel safe at. Right now with covid it’s even more difficult to find an apprenticeship with regulations on how many people can be at the shops at a time. What I’m doing is looking at shops that have more of the young generation at and shops that already have women working there and then maybe there is less of a chance of this happening again. I was at a shop with the older generation where the people were heavy drug users and have been in and out of prison. The owner would actually sell drugs in the shop. I took it that apprenticeship because I didn’t know any better and it was the first shop to say yes to me.

I think experiences like this, coupled with the fact that there simply aren't unlimited vacancies are why a lot of people start to teach themselves/watch online courses/have friends show them and tattoo from home. With all due respect to Holly, I don't think it is always that someone hasn't "been bothered" to go and get an apprenticeship.

🙏🙏🙏🙏

@@tinybats9948 I know you need a licence to become a full tattooer at the end of your apprenticeship but what's a Apprenticeship Licence? Unless I read that wrong. I'm currently building a portfolio and am working with straws on how to get into this

Thank you that’s so nice x

Ah that makes me really happy! Go you!

Absolutely true I can't believe this woman is telling the people is nobody give you the opportunity you never gona learn?? And how everyone star? That's ridiculous.

It's like hiring a doctor that practices at home.

I literally can’t get an apprenticeship due to having another job, o don’t have time or savings. I practice at home on fake skin when I can so that when I do get an apprenticeship o have at least some experience.

@@caityb5008 yeah is ridiculous how they push the new artist trying made everyone surrender with to manny complicated things

⁠​⁠@@torisargent9808. Sooo many things to learn before picking up a machine. That’s why tattooing is so heavily regulated, & you don’t pick up a machine for a long while into an apprenticeship. It can so easily k*ll someone if not properly trained in safety. Which can’t be done in a home due to access to equipment and products.

I'm wondering too! I think digital art is just as worthy as any other medium, but I feel like there is a bit of a condescending judgment in saying that ink, watercolor, graphite are good and the only thing that's not is digital... Like the ipad would do the art all alone. I hope you enjoy drawing on yours, I've found myself progressing tons on mine.

@@match0um digital art is HARD so props to you on mastering it. But I think it’s not as accepted as actual art on paper because technically the iPad can correct mistakes for you ( hold down and if creates a perfect circle from a bad circle , create a straight line even if yours wasn’t straight, FLAWLESSY erase or “undo” instead of avoiding mistakes from the jump or having to strategically fix it.) I think it’s just the fact that when working with a machine you won’t get all of the benefits you get with digital. Now that being said, you can still be a great digital artist and for sure use it for stencil work (when you’re actually able to start tattooing) but mastering the good old fashion art on paper is going to trump digital. Use only like 2-3 digitals in your portfolio just to show you can do it well. Do the rest traditionally

It varies in each shop, my first apprenticeship I had a bit of both, my when I was offered my second apprenticeship I only did digital work. I’d say it’s important to master paper first, if you can show that in your portfolio and then a bit of how you work digitally then that’s good! It’s good practice to keep working on paper though!

@@jadewildman1878 what if you incorporate digital and traditional art in your Portfolio?

Digital art is super hard and many of us use iPads for stencils and such these days, but when learning how to draw for tattoos and apprenticing, it’s quite a different medium & different than not drawing to tattoo the design. And it’s a lot less forgiving like tattooing. I think being able to show consistency, the willingness to do 5-7+ copies a piece, a clean final product, etc. is important. they’re all more time consuming on paper, also like tattooing. If I had to guess hahah. I hope that made any sense, sorry it’s so late!

Please don’t be discouraged to learn on your own :( I hate that so many tattoo artists discourage it, but truth is not all of us of the luck and the opportunity to learn from others in a shop. I got my own machine, and I do not take “customers” but I tattoo fake skin and by doing that I’ve already learned a lot. Just feeling how it is to hold the gun, different needles sizes, speeds, and practicing tracing has just helped me keep going. It does not make you any less worthy. It’s just like if someone couldn’t afford art classes but until they could they would buy pencils and pens and start learning what they could. ♥️ don’t give up!

I was wondering about the age thing as well! I'm 27 now, and I see all these super talented 18-20 year olds getting apprenticeships or already tattooing full time and sometimes it just makes me want to pack my bags and give up! Imo age shouldn't matter as long as you're motivated and good at what you do, but I don't know what actual tattoo artists think about it all.

I didn’t start my apprenticeship until I was 31, it’s enthusiasm and dedication to the craft that’s important not age imo :)

I am currently an apprentice at 26 years old and I'm a high school teacher. I know I'm not exactly "old" but I'm definitely not my 18-year-old self, being able to just work and work and work and having all the free time in the world, so apprenticing at this stage in my life is incredibly difficult and comes with many more responsibilities than it would have back then. By the time I graduate, I'll be 27-28. My mentors have repeatedly told me that they were more inclined to take me on because, at my age and having my profession, they knew that 1) I am likely more emotionally mature, 2) more professional than the average teenager, and 3) committed to working hard and seeing things through. So in the end, my age is the biggest factor in how I got my apprenticeship, so I wouldn't shy away from chasing your dreams.

How do you afford to do an apprenticeship when you’re older though? There’s no way I could afford to not have a proper full paying job as a single mum of two.

@@HollyAstralTattoo you are such an inspiration for me. I turn 28 and feel like I'm so late :D also i got 2 kids so it's going to be a challenge but I will make it work

If you’re looking for an apprenticeship I would only show drawings, most shops will turn you away if you’ve been practicing on fake skin or other people in your house as it means you probably haven’t been doing it correctly and you’ll will then have to unlearn your bad habits. An apprenticeship is a long process and doesn’t mean you will be hired and immediately be allowed to work on fake skin, this process is important in most shops.

Don’t be discouraged! I also specialize in digital drawing just like you. I hate it but so many old school tattoo artists have a bad look on digital art but there is nothing wrong with it. I’ve actually also gotten most people looking at my digital art as tattoos they would like. If you got talent in digital drawing then totally show it off! All tattoo come out in ink so no need to discourage how the idea was drawn up. ;)

A lot 😉

@@HollyAstralTattoo Thanks for the response! How many of those with portfolios "Be honest" were actually talented/gifted? Im assuming most were subpar.

When you work at a shop you have "booth rent" for the space you use to tattoo. But as long as you pay that the rest of the money you make is yours. (Not including possible taxes you'll have to calculate in.))

@@ashton2046 ohh ok tysm

But you don't k know how to tattoo on skin...how would it be an exception .

never

Yes

Ok lad, You don’t sound bitter at all

@HollyAstralTattoo I do, and I am. That was the point. Trying to shame me out of my genuine feelings from real experience shows who you are. You're kind of the problem with the tattoo industry. Once people are in, they want to be Gatekeepers. Even if they were let in because.....

@@HollyAstralTattooyou have life on easy mode. You're not in your position because of your artistic abilities. (Living up to the label you put on me while being brutally honest)