Warm Welcome

I've just recently gotten into the Tattoo industry and have scowered the internet for communities to hopefully find a knowlege base to access outside my local community, and I've been shocked with what I've found. Even when it comes to the members in my local scene, I've learned that 8 out of 10 tattoo artists and wannabe tag-alongs are all douche bags when it comes to other people. Heaven forbid you be an artist looking to start, or a diy ammature around most of you. I'm sure that all of us can understand why an apprenticeship is an important thing, and that serious damage and mistakes can be made from someone that has not recieved proper instruction from a professional ( not always a reliable source ). But what possible reason can you all have for treating everyone with a complete lack of respect, hell half of the a_holes arn't even apprentices or professionals. So why is it that there is no tollerance for anybody in the tattoo industry? Is being a douche bag a requirement to be a professional tattoo artist?

yes. now shut your mouth.

Hey, I dunno what artyists you hang out with, but the ones I know tend to be pretty open minded. That said, folks trying to learn on the internet and by trial and error should get a cold shoulder, unless your art is so kick ass we want to see it on the publics skin. so, lets see less your art.

lol Well the main problem I think is that alot of people don't understand the amount of permanent damage they can do by tattooing improperly. But like Gabe said, it's not all cold shoulders and assholes. If you're good, people wanna see it, if you're not, then they want you to get better or get lost. Kinda like a Daewoo. If you're willing to do whatever it takes , short of sucking dick or rubbin off some old biker, you'll see that not all those kick ass tattoo artists are assholes. I also feel that alot of the old timers are not in a place they're used to being in. Tattooing used to be hidden and dark and taboo, now it's all wide open and all these people are jumping on the scene and taking a piece of something these older men and women have held dear to them for ages. They were the ones that had to withstand the redicule and the glares and the sideways glances in order for it to get this far. But at the same time alot of these younger men and women to come into the fold so to speak are bringing so much to the table as far as quality and capabilites are concerned. These old school artists aren't going to kick you to the curb for being a good artist, they kick you to the curb for being headstrong and foolish lol. In my opinion.

In general, I've noticed 2 kinds of tattooists. The first kind being the insanely talented artists who really push the art and, oddly enough, are extremely friendly and humble. This kind of artist sees himself being surpassed and is proud to have left his mark and see the art continue to grow. Then there are the old coots still doing their 80's style tattoos who don't want to see the art grow simply because they can't keep up with it. No doubt, a good majority of tattooists are grouchy, stubborn, know-it-all assholes. I think some of this is passed on from how they were taught. Like it's some sort of right of passage to act this way. I think my biggest beef that seems to be REALLY prevelent is tattooists who insist that their way is the only way. I love learning different artist's approach and techniques and how they bring their styles alive. It's so arrogant and stiffling to close yourself off to what other artists have to bring to the table. In tattooing, I think there will always be the friction of tattooing as a trade VS. tattooing as a form of art. The tradesmen will always limit the art and the true artist will always look for ways to break the old standards and keep the possibilities limitless. The positive thing is that the true artists are succeeding and proving that there are more than one ways to skin a cat.