Timo
Basic
Hello everyone. I'm not sure if I'm in the right forum for this, I do apologise if I am, but I'm new
I myself have written many of these in my pursuit to this career. I have wanted to be tattoo artist ever since i see my grandads forearm tattoos. He had 2 old school trad design of a heart and an eagle, and i always used to draw on my arms so I could have the same. It is truly the career as a tattoo artist i wanted to pursue. When I was at school I asked for my work experience if i could sit in a tattoo studio and they told me that i needed to find a real job.
So i went through school, then went to art college, to do fine art and illustration, thinking it will help me with tattooing. At 18 I got a small portfolio together and write letters to every tattoo studio that i could find. I visited as many as I could and during this time I was thrown out of studios, verbally abused, threatened, told i would never get an apprenticeship unless i was a girl for some strange reason.
I tried for years to break into the industry only to always get let down, eventually i got into graphic design until i could find a way into the tattoo world, as at the time i didn't have much money and i couldn't afford the tattoo equipment to practice with, i built a makeshift tattoo machine out of an old motor from an old school project, taped it to a fountain pen and wrapped bandages around it, just so i could feel how it might have vibrated in my hand.
Now I am dedicating every moment i can to get to where i want to be. Being a tattoo artist is more to me than having a super cool career, it is more about creating artwork on skin and how happy it makes me and still working with my hands, as opposed to every other artistic related media going to digital. The only way in for me was to do a tattoo course which i know is not really ideal, I don't think being a tattoo artist should be streamlined but I had no choice, I'm very passionate about this. But I didn't go to it because i had an opportunity to trial at a tattoo studio which i went to for one day and soon discovered that i couldn't continue due to financial issues as the apprenticeship is 5 days a week and unpaid and 2 years?
I have a wife and stepson to provide for. But me and my wife worked it out in order for me to do this, she took on extra hours at work and i have taken on 2 morning jobs cleaning pubs and any additional work i can find. I currently work as a Graphic Designer and I will need to leave here to pursue my tattoo career as the apprenticeship is 5 days a week and they wouldn't let me split the week to do half with them and half at work, until I was ready to go full time at the studio. So now I am trialing again, I was there last Saturday and I am there tomorrow, to see if its successful.
I got offered the apprenticeship, which is amazing, but I'm always over thinking, things like I'm to old, as I'm 39, and I'm leaving my job to pursue my career now, im selling my car to save costs, and I'm really nervous and slightly intimidated, I fully understand all the duties I have to do before I can taught the actual craft. Is this normal to feel like this?
I am a great illustrator and artist, I have been drawing ever since I could hold a pencil, and I have been training my self in tattooing for some time, I have attached a link to my Instagram tattoo journey which shows what I'm doing.
Instagram profile: @timostattoos
Any advice you can provide, I would very much appreciate. Thank you.
Thank you very much.
I myself have written many of these in my pursuit to this career. I have wanted to be tattoo artist ever since i see my grandads forearm tattoos. He had 2 old school trad design of a heart and an eagle, and i always used to draw on my arms so I could have the same. It is truly the career as a tattoo artist i wanted to pursue. When I was at school I asked for my work experience if i could sit in a tattoo studio and they told me that i needed to find a real job.
So i went through school, then went to art college, to do fine art and illustration, thinking it will help me with tattooing. At 18 I got a small portfolio together and write letters to every tattoo studio that i could find. I visited as many as I could and during this time I was thrown out of studios, verbally abused, threatened, told i would never get an apprenticeship unless i was a girl for some strange reason.
I tried for years to break into the industry only to always get let down, eventually i got into graphic design until i could find a way into the tattoo world, as at the time i didn't have much money and i couldn't afford the tattoo equipment to practice with, i built a makeshift tattoo machine out of an old motor from an old school project, taped it to a fountain pen and wrapped bandages around it, just so i could feel how it might have vibrated in my hand.
Now I am dedicating every moment i can to get to where i want to be. Being a tattoo artist is more to me than having a super cool career, it is more about creating artwork on skin and how happy it makes me and still working with my hands, as opposed to every other artistic related media going to digital. The only way in for me was to do a tattoo course which i know is not really ideal, I don't think being a tattoo artist should be streamlined but I had no choice, I'm very passionate about this. But I didn't go to it because i had an opportunity to trial at a tattoo studio which i went to for one day and soon discovered that i couldn't continue due to financial issues as the apprenticeship is 5 days a week and unpaid and 2 years?
I have a wife and stepson to provide for. But me and my wife worked it out in order for me to do this, she took on extra hours at work and i have taken on 2 morning jobs cleaning pubs and any additional work i can find. I currently work as a Graphic Designer and I will need to leave here to pursue my tattoo career as the apprenticeship is 5 days a week and they wouldn't let me split the week to do half with them and half at work, until I was ready to go full time at the studio. So now I am trialing again, I was there last Saturday and I am there tomorrow, to see if its successful.
I got offered the apprenticeship, which is amazing, but I'm always over thinking, things like I'm to old, as I'm 39, and I'm leaving my job to pursue my career now, im selling my car to save costs, and I'm really nervous and slightly intimidated, I fully understand all the duties I have to do before I can taught the actual craft. Is this normal to feel like this?
I am a great illustrator and artist, I have been drawing ever since I could hold a pencil, and I have been training my self in tattooing for some time, I have attached a link to my Instagram tattoo journey which shows what I'm doing.
Instagram profile: @timostattoos
Any advice you can provide, I would very much appreciate. Thank you.
Thank you very much.
