What should i know about the culinary industry?

What should I know about the tattoo industry?

• have spoken with a few tattoo artists not any girls.i am in 10th grade at CAPA highschool (creative and performing arts) i want to be a tattoo artist, i am serious about it and i know how long it will take to make it a true career. it is a real goal so i will follow it through but id like to know more, who did you do your first tattoo on? how old were you how was it? did people judge you when they heard it was your dream? how did you handle it? (..i get doubted all the time by family) i want to make it a career not a side job i want it as a life career, im worried i wont be able to live on the money. i say that because i know they get paid GREAT but isnt that only if your name is established and "out there" in the world?

• Answer:

  I just started tattooing, and generally your first tattoo is on yourself. It's kind of a right of passage type of thing. And I heard it a lot, I typically draw neo traditional and people are constantly like, "Oh, well that's all you can do?" But, honestly, it's worked in my favor! Since I've started I've done more pieces that are traditional than anything else, I LOVE IT! and no, tattoo artists don't usually make GREAT money unless you're like Jeff Gogue or Uncle Allan or something, you have to have a name. It's really, really hard starting out because you will NOT be good when you start, no matter how prepared you think you are, you just can't do it. No one can magically be good at tattooing, it takes sooo many years. Every tattoo you do you need to obsorb what you learned. You have to live and breath tattoos. My first tattoo is awful. I have to look at it everyday. Haha. and my parents told me that it was stupid, they still want me to go to college to be like a dental hygienist or something.. but it's all about proving them wrong. Showing them that you can do it. It's a struggle. You'll spend a good year sweeping floors scrubbing toilets and taking calls. Along with really really long nights watching your mentor tattoo, you'll want to give up! You'll feel degraded and silly. But trust me. It's worth it! I'm still moping and taking out trash but I'm doing what I love in between that. My shop is my family! We spend hours talking about art, thinking of ways to better ourselves and just good ol drawing. It's amazing!