Start tattooing or wait?

Hello if someone can help me out with a few questions i would realy appreciate it!!! ok so i live in a really small town with no tattoo artist for 200 miles lol ... i have been drawing my whole life and it truely makes me happy for the longest time i have wanted to be an artist i just didn't know what kind untill i stepped into a tattoo gallery for the first time, i was engulfed by a whole new beautyful style of art and i know that this is truely what i would love to do ther rest of my life ... well sorry for sounding gay but i wanted you veterans to know im not just a chump! ok so on with the questions i have been going to an artist in billings MT for a while now and i have put together a massive portfolio of my art ... he really likes it and so do the other artists at the shop my problem however is that i dont live there and im not able to apprentece under him because of the distance ... dont say if i really wanted it id go because i do i just dont have a way .... i have done plenty of research on tattooing as well as talk to alot of artist, i also have a big custome kit of supplies and know how to work and adjust my machines ... my work looks good on fake skin but because i am an artist i dont want to dare make a mistake on someones body because there is no eraser on the end of my machines ... any advise on wether or not to tatto would be really appreciated im confused on what to do right now!