Apprenticeship Woes

What a damned prick! I'm so sorry...but it sounds like you learned all you could from this jealous piece of shit anyway. You'll run circles around his ass and take all of his clients, I bet. And yes, he sounds like he's jealous because he couldn't find a woman stupid enough to marry him and give him a family. God, I have run into pricks just like that one, Jack. You're going to do great and BE great. Hang in there. We're supporting you.

Lysa

with mine he never shows up or he blows off the people getting the work shows up the next day but don't call me he has help me get my cpr and my bloodborne pathogens certificates. but has stoped their.

woah man that sucks! is tere a back entrance to the shop? break in and take your stuff incinerate evidence???? just a thought hope you do get all his customers and he crashes and burns

thanks for the support guys! really awesome.

Soooooo, i wish i could post some of the dialogue that has gone on to further prove this fucker is nutso, but anyways the short and sweet of it is, after stonewalling me and refusing to clarify the status of our agreement, i was forced to seek council and make a list of demands which i thought was fair to both parties. so i did, stating the pro-rated return of the apprenticeship fees and the money for the machines for which i was buying from him. he obviously got heated and refused, threw some slander in there for good measure and proceeded to harass me over the phone and through text with threats and finally court. unknown to him i have a great group of lawyers friends and have been in legal wars before. So trying to stay as robotic as possible and keep emotion out of it, i got some juicy bits in txt and voicemails that will prove my case. Something happened where he obviously sought council and tried to settle. i had a few things at the shop, iphone chargers, stuff, etc and i had some ink and various shop bullshit in my car. he offered to settle and reimburse me for the 600 on the machines and that was it. so i agreed to meet last night. the coward doesn't even show up, sends his grandfather to meet behind the shop. i went with a witness and made sure to see the check and what was written in the for field. and low and behold he tried to snake some jargon in there to the affect of "this sum absolves all previous contractual obligations etc". upon reading i was unable to take the check out of principle. so thats that. time to turn on the heat and get whats fair and just. im not a mean guy and im sure everyone can see there are two sides to this story as there always is. but instead of getting vindictive and putting tons of energy into this, its got to be factual, precise and something the judge wants to see. its clear, and fucking concise. pro-rated return, machine costs, and nothing more. im aware a judge doesn't give a shit about right and wrong, emotions and feelings. he wants nothing more than to expedite his day and move the cases right through. so i will do just that, and let the other bastard flail around and make an ass of himself.

in other news, went to the bay area convention last weekend, and got some good council from some artists i have been tattooed by and other old timers. bright future ahead, and this is the oldest story in the book. time to get busy and get strong.

if anyone out there is going for an apprenticeship and has good intentions to serve and learn in a healthy environment, please set these things as "go" and "no go" criteria. No matter what, always i mean always start with a contract, its formal and yada yada, but man even when you think you trust someone, back the fuck up and check yourself, the only person looking out for you is you. so contract up. no exceptions. secondly, do not i mean do not sacrifice your morals, family, and personal duties for anyone. thats a biggy for me in this lesson. this trade isn't about getting inked up or coming to terms with "this is the only trade i can get into because of my tattoo's". its about freedom, living your life by your design, and being empowered to walk down the road of expression and service. this artform is half artisan and half artist, its also not a masturbatory artform, or at-least it shouldn't be in my eyes.

well shit thanks for reading and sorry for the preachy shit. good luck to everyone! best, Jack

This is an example of why i think that it is difficult to get apprenticeships..
I have worked in tattoo shops as general "get shit done person", not as a tattoo artist.. but this is more the kind of thing i have seen.

I have yet to actually see with my own eyes, someone cough up money, go in and get taught..
I get that you have to be the shop bitch as far as cleaning goes and doing up flash and stencils and whatnot.. that teaches you how to do it, and time needs to be spent on these things.
But just because it took 7 years for joe whoever tattoo guy to either get some other asshole to show him the ropes or figure it out on his own. doesn't mean that is how it "has" to be done.

I've seen it too many times and it's infuriating.. trying to follow this path myself after seeing these things makes me hesitant.. cause i'm likely the type to tell them to go fuck themselves too

There are other and better ways to learn a skill than being berated and belittled on a daily basis.
It's not good by any stretch, but it is more acceptable in your late teens/ early 20's , when you don't have a career and a family and whatever other obligations you have..
Artists are artists, a tattoo machine is simply another tool to learn and skin is a different medium..

Can you imagine every time you tried to take a drawing class, you'd have to wear a dunce cap and be called a shit brick before being allowed to even pick up a pencil..