WHERE TO BEGIN!

i have a question FOR ALL TATTOO ARTISTS,'where did you begin. I'm 17 years old and my dream has always been to be a tattoo artist . All tattoo artists also had a beginning but i just want their point of view. I've been to many tattoo shops in hopes to find one looking for an apprentice but so far...CRAP,NOTHING AT ALL SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHERE TO BEGIN, i already have a portfolio of all my drawings but still nothing all tattoo shops charge to much in which i can't afford beacuse im not working and not going to school becase for personal reasons i had to drop out so i cant go to college but i intend to get my g.e.d but plz where do i start

there is a reason no one wants you , because there isnt enough work anymore 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

Ok this is the forth time that you have posted this exact same thread. Honestly I don't think you are going to get many favorable answers. But I will put in my two cents worth. First I want to point out that at this time it does not matter how many shops you walk into, whether your artwork is outstanding or needs work. When you walk into a shop the big thing that we will look at is you are ONLY 17. You don't have a legal right to be inside without a parent. Now I have to agree with Shawn and another who answered your other thread the same, there is an over saturation of artists in this industry, I myself credit that to the shows like Miami ink, etc. Now you have everyone and their grandmothers thinking that they can tattoo, on one hand the shows are good because they show that every walk of life has been tattooed and its not just the "lowlife" like it was once thought, on the other hand the shows are bad they make it look easy which it is not. They don't show the painstaking hours of prep, all the years it took to learn and still be learning the skill. Now you also say that due to personal reasons that you had to drop out of school and can't go to college. I myself was kicked out of school my junior year and still went to college for law enforcement. My advice, step one get your GED, step two get a nine to five job, step three enroll at your local community college. This way, and I only say this from personal experience if you do find a mentor you can show him/her that you are dedicated to everything that you do. I can tell you now that if I do at anytime take on an apprentice I will be looking at their past employment as well. I have worked many regular jobs and even though I love this industry I am grateful that I have the other experience to fall back on when I need too, because like Shawn pointed out the economy today sucks.

Seriously???? 3 xs and your still not happy???? You got some great advice, some fantastic assistance and your still here whining. Grow up dude - seriously! All that whining is going to get you no where lightning fast!