Saved by the bell (the tattoo years) [from www.ArizonaTattooMagazine.com]
Hello my fellow Arizonians, no Screech is not going to pop out of Kelly’s ass with a Seth Ciferri shader…sorry.
There are a lot of tattoo “schools” sprouting up all over the US of A lately. Seems like every time I run my handy dandy search engine on the internets, I get a new batch to browse. Now, in the professional tattoo industry (I use the term professional loosely) there are what would appear to be two distinct camps that have formed. The first tribe would have you believe that the only way to become a tattoo artist is to do a proper good old fashioned apprenticeship, while the other one is pounding forward on a new trail to develop some tattoo learning centers.
I am all for the apprenticeship and I am also all for the school concept. There are some dangerous limitations and complexities that arise in both scenarios. So if you are a professional artist and you are offering up that coveted apprenticeship, or you have decided to be the dark sheep in your neighborhood and you are going to take the leap of faith and attempt the unthinkable…listen close.
I have a few rants for both of you!
If a tree falls in a forest and no one is there to hear it, does it still make a sound? If an apprentice makes a perfect 7 mag in a studio but his mentor is nowhere to be found, will it ever make it to the autoclave? Who cares! That’s right, haven’t you heard? Tattoo shops are all about anarchy! Seriously though, for those of us who have all but worshiped the idea of some day working in a professional tattoo studio – just getting up the nerve to walk in there and ask for some advice is nerve racking enough? Most kids on the street just know one thing: I am good at art and I want to tattoo (I guess that was 2 things actually).
So of course the desperate kid is going to do whatever it takes to just get his foot in the door. It is when the mentor starts to abuse this power that he holds over his apprentice that the dark side really appears. I mean, I get the fact that you have to pay your dues and prove your loyalty to the studio and its plethora of rotating staff… I really do. Artists have to really think about a few things though.
If you are a professional artist and you think you have some stuff that you might want to share with a budding young talent, ask yourself these questions:
1. Do I show up to work every day (on time)?
2. Am I a good role model with some type of ethics in my work standard?
3. Do I even have time to explain stuff to an apprentice, or am I going to keep the guy doing busy work for a few months until he bugs out?
4. Is my skill level even at that where I think I am worthy to call myself a teacher?
If you can nail all of these with a yes then you have my official blessing to carry on (for what that is worth). If you answered no to just one of these, then do everyone involved a favor and don’t waste some budding young artist’s time. Actually I take it back, that type of situation will just build character… hmm maybe I have to rethink my entire position on this issue and have a little internal debate…. Be back in a bit.
[30 minutes later]
Okay, so… where was I? Oh yeah – tough love. Like I as saying before, you have to beat the metaphoric piss out of your apprentice, and treat him like trash. You have to make him do every daunting and unappealing task that there is in the shop. You have to make him draw 100s if not 1000s of pieces of flash over and over and over, because he obviously doesn’t have any artistic ability. You have to promise yourself to teach him about nickel gap shader tricks, only after his 10th month as your slave. You might even have to make him sign a contract that says he will not even try to tattoo at any other studio within 100 miles of the one you are at this week (because you care about him). You should also give him all your old broken gear that you obviously treasure with all your heart, and you could fix any time you want – you just don’t “feel” like it.
So you guys wonder why these kids are so anxious to go to some tattoo studio (with an extra room in the back) that calls itself a learning establishment. The sad thing is that these schools are run by the types of tattoo artists that just got into the business to make a buck anyway. Did I mention that it is my opinion that there are three types of people in the tattoo industry?
Type A person: was mesmerized the first time he stepped into a tattoo studio – and had that dream to one day be humbled as an employee of one (well maybe not that innocent, but I am sure Type A person still gets a hard on every time he takes his tattoo machines out of their holding area). Type B person: heard that his friend Jose got a “kit” from that magazine ad, and has already made ten-times as much money as he spent on that kit (he saves money on needles if you know what I mean). Type C person: might be the worst type of person in the tattoo industry, a former piercer turned tattooer!
I’m only kidding about that last one.
Do you see what I am trying to tell you here? There are only a handful of really PROFESSIONAL professionals out there. You guys really want to complain about the tattoo school scenario, but you are letting Person B open them up out of your own ignorance and self-absorbtion (and possible insecurity).
What do we have to do to legitimize the profession? Seriously.. it starts with the apprentice. Apprenticeship is the way to go, we all know that – but why can’t school be the way to go? I know I have a lot of questions and not too many answers. I am not pretending to know it all. I do know that these half ass schools are going to make a whole bunch of really interested kids really annoyed.
This is all happening while the pros sit back in their studios and just watch the train-wreck… but I guarantee the animosity is there in the real studios, and if you put your ear to the door you might just hear something like, “I wonder how much they are charging people to rip them off for that talentless school?”
We all know how cut throat this industry is. It’s like high school, especially in the concentrated areas. So, whether you are in “tattoo school” or “tattoo high school” – pick your poison. I am not bashing the tattoo schools – I just have yet to see a really good one. And by good, I am not even talking about the caliber of the artists. You will see some pretty crappy artists teaching at graphic design universities… it’s not about being the best artist in the world at a tattoo school. The best artists really have no place teaching school, they should be creating awesome works of art for clients.
The tattoo techniques are what needs to be taught in a clear and concise manner to the tribal covered grasshoppers of Arizona. It is really hard to run a professional school when you are lacking in professionalism. You can have all the talent in the world when it comes to tattoo, but if your customer service blows – you will more than likely loose clients.
It is about time that the entire tattoo industry takes note and grows the F up.
PS – You can grow up and still have that MoHawk!
. It is really hard to get any input from pro’s as most answers end up back at ‘Go and get a apprenticeship, scratcher’. With this site I can finally access and receive advice, from people who have the same interest. I look forward to getting further into this art form, reading my books and practice, practice, practice 
