Gone are the days when the only available options for ensuring a good career were based in Science and Commerce, and Arts was only meant to include social science and other “extra” subjects.
In today’s day and age, even as makeup artists, fashion designers, chefs and restaurateurs, musicians, etc. are now popularly known to have good careers in the art based fields, yet more lucrative career paths are emerging in response to the diverse art forms people are interested in. One such promising field is becoming a best Tattoo Artist, as world over, tattoos are being flaunted, talked about, appreciated and even celebrated in the modern 21st century.
Unlike, emerging careers of social media models, tattoo art has not emerged recently. The reports of Journal of Archaeological Science reveal that tattooing was traditionally practiced as a form of ritual to pass down symbols of heritage, authority, achievements and important concepts to their younger generations, throughout the world, with the earliest evidence dating back to 1500 BC.
However, tattoos eventually earned a bad reputation as they were adopted as marks of imprisonment, refuge, discrimination, slavery and conquests in the relatively recent past. Eventually, tattooing became a form of rebellion until the so called “hippie” culture took over the fashion industry world over in the late 20th century. While, our parents and grandparents may still not support tattoo as an art to adorn our bodies with, the perception of this art form has certainly changed over time.
As we grow up and go to school, art and craft is taught to us as an important part of the curriculum, and naturally a significant number of children, their parents and teachers find out about those who are good in art and craft, and even appreciate them for it. However, owing to the stigmas, lack of knowledge or formal degree and fear of treading on an unconventional path, those skills and interests are either undermined or directed into safer, socially acceptable career paths, like architecture.
There may be a lot of youngsters who are interested in tattoos, however maybe confused or not have enough knowledge or resources to pursue it as a career. Therefore, when speaking of Modern Tattooing as a career path, it becomes necessary to address certain basic questions that may cloud our mind.
What is Modern Tattoo Art?
Tattoo Art isan age-old form of body modification that involves creating permanent or temporary words, or symbols with ink embossed on our skin using specialized equipment. A Tattoo Artist is therefore a professional who possesses certain set of skills, years of training and experience in practicing and perfecting this art form.
What do you need to become a Tattoo Artist?
1 Building a Portfolio:
Though there is no formal degree to get qualified as a tattoo artist, aspiring tattoo artists must pursue at least an introductory drawing course, or a formal fine or commercial arts training, so that one can learn and begin to build a Portfolio exhibiting his/her best drawings.
2. Apprenticeship or Training Period:
The Portfolio one builds will therefore help them earn an Apprenticeship, that is, a chance to train under an experienced Tattoo Artist to learn this art with a hands-on approach. Rather than investing in formal graduation process from a university, one would be required to pay in terms of doing tattoos without pay, learn to hone his/her skills in making tattoos, continue building the Portfolio, and only make heavy investments for buying the required specialized tools.
The Apprenticeship period involves learning to clean or sterilize the equipment before and after use, gaining knowledge about preventing possible infections and diseases due to skin piercing, educating the clients about precautions to take during the aftercare phase of the tattoo, learning to design tattoos, operating a tattoo machine and practicing on oneself.
While most of the practical knowledge can be gained by working as an Apprentice to a, preferably, renowned Tattoo Artist, one may also need to take initiative themselves to gain knowledge about dangerous pathogens, infections, and skin diseases as well as practice of Safety Measures and sterilization procedures, through reading the textbook Basic Fundamentals of Modern Tattoo by C.R. Jordan, or attending Workshops and Seminars being held in their city. Visit here for apprenticeship.
3 Specific and Specialized set of Skills:
While having the basic knowledge of art and design maybe important prerequisites for Modern Tattooing, there are other specific set of attributes and skills one may need to self-assess to consider it as a career option. These are:
- Creative and Imaginative Potential to turn Clients’ ideas into realistic designs.
- Two-Dimensional Drawing
- Steady Hand
- Willingness to Learn and Evolve
- Persistence and Dedication to one’s Art
- Good Attention Span and Focus in the Present.
- Good Interpersonal Skills
- Extremely Good Attention to Details
One should also be willing go the extra mile to understand their clients’ needs, ideas, circumstances and able to build positive rapport with them. Also , given the competitive nature of the market already, one may need to have tact in dealing with customers as well as marketing his/her work.
4. License
Since there are no formal laws or any specific legal licensing body, one can start working under their mentors or in tattoo studios after years of tattoo training without the need to apply for any formal procedures . However, if a tattoo artist is ready to work individually and plans to open up his/her own studio, they may need to apply for a studio license, and get examined whether the health regulations and hygiene standards are being followed.
How is the Pay-Off?
In any field, one’s success and income comes to depend on one’s skills, experience, expertise and talent which can be honed with practice. A Tattoo Artist can charge money as per the locality they live in, their own popularity, type of clientele, expertise and experience. One can even use the modern social media tools to increase their outreach, and build their Portfolio online to showcase their work and attract more clients.
Tattoo Art is mainly concerned with the field of Customer Service, and so, the pay-off is often qualitative in nature. Since tattoos hold certain significance in the lives of people who get it done, and therefore the process of discussing, planning, and brainstorming may help creating great interpersonal learning experiences and positive relationships with the clients.
Choosing a popular, yet an unconventional career path, specially in the creative field of work, may not be preferred or even discouraged by most people, and thus persisting in the field may take a lot of courage, resilience and dedication towards one’s passion.
On one hand, becoming a tattoo artist may save one from the monotony of a regular 9-to-5 time schedule, on the other hand, it may still be challenging in terms of long, uncertain working hours, dealing with mental creative blocks, constantly keeping up-to-date with the worldwide trends on as well as off duty, tirelessly perfecting their finger dexterity and creative skills, and establishing one’s name in the ever-growing market. But to be fair, such is the case in every other field of work as well, given the fast changing and competitive world we intend to thrive in.
Tuhi Dutta, was the first Indian female Tattoo Artist from Kolkatta, had pursued Masters in Journalism and Mass Communication, and worked with film promotion and PR company before realizing her passion for Tattoo Art and ended up creating a career in it.
She claimed: “Being a tattoo artist is one such career, where YOU decide your future and your success rate. You should always be on the go, as the only thing holding you back is YOU, nobody else.”
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Through the above-mentioned testimonial, Tuhi positively summed up her experience of choosing Modern Tattooing as her career path, reiterating that it’s a conscious decision and the ones willing to follow their passion for tattooing and take the plunge, will be in control to determine their success.
