personal tattoo memoir i guess

feel free to comment or criticize ect.
however, this is my apprenticeship (former apprenticeship would be more proper) story.
i grew up in a suburb close to the city, since i was a freshman in highschool all i wanted was to tattoo, its one of those last true art forms that you can make a living doing. i spent days after days going into the same shop all the way through highschool and eventually gave up hope they'd take me on. i kept going and one day i got offered the dream. i niave of course, jumped on it. started cleaning the shop ect ect. it was fine and dandy for the first couple of months, drunk jager, was friendly to customers, did paperwork, thats all. then the brutal hazing began, which as a sidenote is probaly my fault for telling them i understood this and was ready to take whatever they threw. a few of the favorite stories ill share in a minute, im sure it will disgust you guys the horrible shit that went on, it makes me sick. but basically i went on with it and got into an apprenticeship got mostly done and one day they just dropped me out of the blue, told me they had kept no paperwork, no evidence i worked there and pretty much fucked me. i tried to get into other shops but, once youve tattooed around here, if you dont have your license, your a scratcher and dead to the tattoo community. which is a very shitty way to treat my situation. reguardless, i ended up living the dream being fucked over and lost it. some shop antics.... while drinking and smoking pot while tattooing is bad enough heres some days that made me want to quit. (p.s. i never indulged in such stupidity while working with anything steril-needed, even cleaning tubes, if i was drinking all i was doing was paperwork and answering the phone) the first crap incident was the guys joking around poking fun, deciding to try to "fit in" i made jokes back, punishment? picking up every ciggarette butt in the parking lot, its in a strip mall... yeah. EVERY ONE OF THEM, in black latex gloves in 100 degree weather, and i was expected to keep answering the phone and handling customers, i filled an entire trash sack with cigarette butts. keep in mind i expected such to happen, it builds character. haha later on the hazing got worse, if something wasnt ready for the artists i.e. gloves waiting on them before their gloves ran out theyed chuck whatever it was at me, no matter what i was doing. this had to not only look like shit for the customers, it was usually something hard and painfull, if im scrubbing tubes and get sliced open and fall foreward into the ultrasonic and splash that dirty water into it, im fucked, theres aids and hep c. luckily i managed to become almost ninja like and not get seriously injured, however heres the story i wanted to share, it takes the cake by far... after earning my spot i was still desk bitch, where we all start, this afternoon everyone was especially drunk [a gallon of jager was consumed, none by me, i decided to play shop mom] im enjoying my time there are 2 people getting tattooed and one artist had left thats 2 artist working, on two people. one of them had brought her kids a girl 17 and drop dead gorgeous and a cute little boy who was 7 i believe. i spent the time applying fake tattoos to the small boy and flirting with his sister til the drunkest artists client left when CRASH i turn to to see he had broken a friggen piece of framed flash over his head for no reason, was bleeding everywhere, i had to clean him up and started working on cleaning up the glass and blood while he started tattooing the kids mom [putting his fucking name on her none the less] i go into the back room to get the glass outside to the garbage as quick as possible and while cleaning and enjoying my shit job i hear "you slut!" crying and the door crashing shut, i stop what im doing to go see whats going on, he was preforming sexual acts with their mother mostly his hand in her, and her under garments clear down by her ankles. were still open for buisness, this sucks, we just went from crazy to fullblown getting on the news if people see this. i decide fuck that guy, he fucked up if he gets on the news his fault, i go find the kids and calm them down tell them to wait for me out back. i go inside turn the sign off a few minutes early and put a blind up in front of them too and pull the window blinds down. i talk to the other artist explain the situation he sees and i ask him for my cut of earnings to take the kids out to a movie and get them away, he agrees, so i do so, take the kids to go see a kids movie. calm the girl down have a deep talk [ended up getting a kiss too] take them home. next day i walk in to do the daily shop cleaning of mopping vacumming tube cleaning ect. the place is destroyed, it looked like an all night fiesta with tequila rage going on. tattoo machines and supplies still out, ink all over the floor, blood ect. i clean furiously for an hour and a half before everyone shows up hung over. and whatd this dick do? he gave me 20 bucks and said it was hush money, and i quote "if you tell my wife they wont find your body".

dont take this as me being discouraging, im still working twoards getting a new apprenticeship, i just want to warn others, if you find a shop who does things a little too relaxed, dont put up with it, after all that shit, i didnt get my license, had to stomach my values and am pretty much screwed from tattooing in my home town. CHOOSE A MENTOR WISELY. this is my horrible story and i hope others can learn from it.

p.s. if anyones freaking out about me making out with the hot underage girl [who was 17], i was 18 no biggie. im 19 now and on the prowel for a new apprenticeship in a shop about the art, not being a rockstar.

i keep lurking this site, to pick up new tricks and decipher out the crap i got lied about by them dudes, this site is great, and to all who are on here be greatful, most sites like this get overrunned with the rockstar mentality tattoo artist and you never get these tips.

WOW! Thanks for sharing.

That is really messed up....stay away from shady places man. You should be able to walk into any shop and judge immdeiately whether or not you would be tattooed in that shop, the same is said on whether or not you would work for that shop. If the guys running that place are shady then your probably going to end up in jail just like they will eventually. There are plenty of really good shops, maybe in a different state than you but if you REALLY want to do tattoo's then maybe you need to expand your horizons further than your home town. I lived in many states due to my work, but its what i had to do, if i wanted to work in New Orleans then i got a job there..you have to want it.
I would highly also recommend that you keep practicing and getting your skill level up, your young enough that you can do this. Get your portifolio together, start trying to network with other artists and people in the business. You really have to do some ground pounding, but if this is what you truly want to do then you devote your time to it 100%.
good luck!

While I wont have a go about you hitting on the hot 17 yr old, I would like to point out that while you're complaining about the guy fondling the customer you're hitting on the daughter...a piece of advice: don't hit on customers or any other females at work its unprofessional, women need to feel comfortable in the shop if they're getting tattooed on their breast for example they don't want to feel like you're oogling them.

On the whole a real shitty experience for you hop you have better luck elsewhere, just remember to keep those hormones in check

thanks guys, i been doing alot of networking but im thinking i want to go to australia to tattoo. its just an awkward stage, theres alot of great people ive networked with and they help me out, they give me tips if they cant apprentice me so on and so forth. ill get there eventually or die trying.

secondly id like to point out i was 17, i grew up from 14 to 17 with those guys all i wanted was to work them dudes, it was just all the shady shit was hidden til i started working there.

thirdly, tran, if you would have read the story i took her to a movie, and her little brother too, i was just being nice and a friend, she actually kissed me bud. im not that asshole guy in a shop hittin on all the trim to walk through the door, id flirt back if a girl flirted with me but never initiated it. so yeah..... your point is moved.


but again, thanks for the feedback guys, i just wanted to give apprentices something to think about, i had to learn the mistake the hard way, better to tell them so they dont have to and get out early.

Dude, that's just bad. I'm not saying you getting a kiss was bad, sounds like you had your head on straight about that whole thing. The "apprenticeship" was BAD!!!!

I truly don't understand the "hazing" attitude that goes on in tattoo apprenticeships, I'm 40 and I can tell you if someone threw a steel tube at me they would regret it immediately. I'm a former Marine switched over to the Army and been to combat three times and trained I don't even know how many infantrymen to go to war, I understand being hard on new people and the need to get them to learn something the right way. I do not understand hazing and in general treating people like shit, it's not the right way to teach anyone anything. People wanting to learn should be treated with the same respect and attitude you would expect to be treated, they will learn more and faster if you treat them well and teach them respectfully. Respect is a two way street, they wouldn't come to you seeking an apprenticeship if they didn't have respect for you already. It's very easy to lose that respect by being an unprofessional jerk.

All the "shop bitch" work that an apprentice will do like cleaning, prepping equipment, inventories, paper work and gopher runs will teach them what work it takes to be an artist in a shop. I saw an artist make an apprentice wash and wax a car with a toothbrush and cotton balls and when I asked why the guy laughed and said "because he's an apprentice he has to do what ever I say". Well what I have to say about that is, congrats you just taught your apprentice how to be an asshole for no reason and took time he could have been learning something useful away from both you and him. There's going to be some razzing when your an apprentice, but it should be in good taste and humor. It should even have something to do with learning something about the work you want to be learning, it should never be disrespectful.

There are many good artists out there that will apprentice an aspiring artist in a manner in which it really is just about learning to be a good tattoo artist. Take your time and search for a good artist with a professional attitude to teach you. In the mean time research, read and watch everything you can on tattooing and just stick too it and eventually you'll find the right place for you.

Good Luck

thanks bud, i appreciate it. this town is just filled with bullshit artists trying to be rockstars.
hopefully if things go well ill get a job and move somewhere else to learn.

There are many good artists out there that will apprentice an aspiring artist in a manner in which it really is just about learning to be a good tattoo artist. Take your time and search for a good artist with a professional attitude to teach you. In the mean time research, read and watch everything you can on tattooing and just stick too it and eventually you'll find the right place for you.