requirements to be a professional tattoo artist

im 17 years old i want to be a professional tattoo artist my passion is art and i have lot of free time on my hands...unfortunately i can't go to college at the moment because my mom withdrew me from school in my senior year so i never got my diploma, im currently studying for my g.e.d but as an artist i honestly don't know where to begin,any info or advice don't hesitate to let me know

being a tattoo artist now isnt all its cracked up to be, it isnt how you see on LA ink. the market is WAY oversaturated, especially coupled with a trouble economy its a disaster, there are shops closing left and right and sending seasoned artists out of jobs and looking for new careers. yea there might be new shops opening up here and there but they clsoe within months, ive been watching it happen for a long time now. its not a career you think it is. if you are that into art become a fine artist on hte side of a established career in something else , like nursing. that way you can still try to make it in art but not get involved in the shithole which is now tattooing

you have a decade of practicing for free ahead of you....get to work and start drawing....all jobs are oversaturated right now.

Get better at your artwork, across a few different mediums. Go check out the best artists at work at tattoo conventions and meet people. Tried and True Tattoo Expo is there, and some of the worlds very best tattooers will be there. When your getting a job, really try to get one that is art for hire... Try to get a job as an airbrush artist at one of the multinational corporate family entertainment money sucking resorts... Do what you need to get into the ringling school of design in sarasota... Save your money and get tattooed by the very very best... but really, every single day you should produce a new piece of artwork that is better than the day before.