Wired For This Sh#t

For the past month or so, my dream profession is basically all I think about and all I, well, dream about which caused me to do some research on it to see what it really takes to be a tattoo artist. I came across this web article that I've grown to love because it doesn't tell me what I want to hear, what I need to hear like...

1st: Money & Fame
If you think tattooing is a get-rich-quick dream, you need to snap back to reality because you are only seeing one tiny part of the big picture. There is a lot of money that has to be invested into running a successful, safe, clean, sterile and professional tattooing business. There's a lot of shit you have to pay for like..

An autoclave sterilizer, which can cost thousands of dollars by itself
High quality tattoo machines
Power supplies
Medical equipment
And Sanitation supplies

All of this adds up significantly, not to mention the insurance, licenses and other legal red tape that can break the bank before you even get started. So, if you’re in this for the money, you’re gonna be S.O.L. If you do not love, and I do mean LOVE, the art of tattooing and would not be willing to do it for free, then don’t waste your time even trying to get in.

The desire for fame is just as ridiculous a motivation for becoming a tattoo artist as money is. Yea there are a few people in the tattoo world that are considered famous. Well they didn’t get into this business for the purpose of fame, either, and the reason it happened upon them is because they EARNED it. They worked their asses off, dedicating every drop of sweat to the art and they eventually got recognized for it because of that dedication.

2nd: Skillz
SO you like to draw and your mom says you do wonderful work. Your friends all tell you that you should be an artist. Even your teachers tell you that you have real potential. Does that make you a candidate for becoming a tattoo artist? Maybe, but don’t get your hopes up too high. You think you got skillz?

Well... Let’s talk about skill.

Right now, there are so many people out there tattooing that in some cities there are literally tattoo shops on every corner and a lot of these artists are creating some bomb-ass tats. If you don’t have what it takes to either match or exceed the quality of your competition, then you have no business being in this business.

Tattooing isn’t about tracing stencils anymore – it’s about creating art.

And not just any art. there is a big difference between the ability to draw and the ability to crank out a work of art under pressure.

3rd: Worth Doing
Ever hear the saying, “Anything worth doing is worth doing right (or well)”? Well, the same thing goes for learning the art of tattoo. Being an artist on paper is one thing – being an artist on skin is another. But before you can be a tattoo artist, you need to learn the other aspects of working in a tattoo studio. You need to...

learn how to clean
how to prevent cross-contamination
how to sterilize your equipment
what can be sterilized and what has to be tossed
how to safely protect your equipment
and how to properly dispose of contaminated materials

Warning: If you don’t care about any of these things, then you damn well had better not want to be a tattoo artist because you will have someone’s blood on your hands... literally

4th: Dedication
desire alone would not be enough to make it in the tattoo world. Desire is wanting, but it’s not doing. What you need is a dedication that inspires you to action, and enough dedication to stick with it for the long term. This is not a get-rich-quick scheme; it’s an art form. Some painters become famous and get rich from it, but most don’t and all do it for the love. The same goes with tattoo artists. If you love it so much that you would be willing to do whatever it takes to become a competitive artist with a honed talent, then you are certainly on the right road. If you love the art so much that you would be willing to do it for free, then I wish you all the success in the world.

As for me, Money and Fame is cool and all good but that's very low on my list of reasons why i wanna do this. Have you ever wanted to do something because it just feels right (naw i aint talkin bout sex, get'cha mind outta the gutta) and it just feels like it's made for you or that you're made for it? Well that's how it is for me. Nothing else really matters. I just wanna learn this technique and prosper in this work of art, maybe even become the best at it because for some reason, I love competition when it comes to art. This is all I got for now, but there with be a part 2 to give you the rundown on the process of becoming an artist of this nature

~Til The Next Time~