The Journey of Tattoo Apprenticeships
The art of tattooing has been built on mentorship for many decades, and with current shops receiving more and more applications from prospective tattoo artists, getting an apprenticeship at all has become a type of art form in itself. With competition for a spot in any shop getting higher and higher, the ability to receive an apprenticeship is like a lottery system of meeting the right people and being in the right place at the right time. You could have the greatest portfolio a shop has ever seen, but if they just took on a new apprentice a week ago, they won't take you. Tattoo apprenticeships are different than many other trades, they often involve paying for your spot, being able to blend with the community of artists who are already working at the shop you're being trialed at, and sometimes even a bit of hazing, to see how much you want the job.
Many tattoo artists don't consider tattooing something you can try out and leave when you're no longer interested. It's more like a way of life than a career path, and the shop owner will expect their employees to be devoted and good at their work. Some apprenticeships are less demanding than others, depending on the shop and how “traditional” they identify within the foundational tattoo shop culture. These traditions date back decades, when artists were not only expected to be tough but also able to take on any challenge without complaints for fear of losing their jobs or apprenticeships.
These days, a typical apprenticeship will involve an interview where you present your already filled portfolio of sketches, artwork, or any tattoo designs you have done before (although some shops prefer to take on apprentices who are as green as possible). If you get selected as an apprentice, you then start paying for your booth or station if you're in a shop with multiple other artists. There are also typically supply fees, or what could be considered “educational” fees, which are the price of being taught the trade secrets. Once you provide payment, tattooing starts with the most basic drawing lessons possible. Owners will present artists with sheets and sheets of homework, such as different-sized geometrical shapes that they are expected to freehand perfectly, or simple drawing techniques that they are expected to master before they attempt tattooing on skin.
Once an apprentice has proved their skills worthy enough to start taking on clients, they are often expected to attempt any projects that come through the door. I know one artist who was told during her apprenticeship never to turn a tattoo down, and even though she's finished it at this point, she has still rejected a tattoo idea to this day. During this time of taking clients as a newbie, apprentices often experience increased pressure to produce quality work, with little to no flaws, which is reasonable since its going on the body forever, but as a beginner artist this pressure can be very intimidating, and often apprentices will consider leaving if they cant take the heat. The same artist I mentioned before also told me about an experience of her boss telling her to go out on the street and offer a certain amount of free tattoos to people, and not to come back to the shop until she had found people who would agree with the offer. She walked up and down the street her shop was on for hours trying to find people who were spontaneous enough to get a free tattoo off a flash sheet on the spot, and scored a couple customers, only to later find out that her boss had never expected her to finish the task at all, and was surprised when she did. This type of “hazing” is expected when you are at a shop that wants you to prove how badly you want the career and a spot among their current selection of artists, but other stories can be even worse. Mostly, they just want to see how hard you can work.
Tattoo apprenticeships are meant to make the artist prove themself and what their art is worth. If a person can commit to all of that and still want to have a career in tattooing, then they will likely be even more committed to the trade, and see it similarly to those they work with, as a lifestyle, a devotion, not just a job.
