Thoughts on my Apprenticeship.
When I officially decided that tattooing was going to be my future, I was 25 years old and had almost no technical knowledge of it. I had been getting tattooed for nearly five years by then, until one day my artist asked me if I did any art. I showed him some charcoal sketches from college and shared that I’d been drawing since I was younger—mostly for fun, since I never really thought I had a shot at making money from it.
My apprenticeship wasn’t a typical one. I was invited to help build a new studio, which meant moving from Texas to Florida and investing in the buildout. We opened the studio in Dunedin, Florida, and lived in his 5th-wheel RV at a friend’s house during the process. We started around December 2019, and it took us about three to four months to get everything ready to open. Unfortunately, about a week after opening, we were shut down due to the 2020 pandemic.
During that time, I stayed focused on artwork and studying tattooing, trying to retain everything I’d learned. Since the studio felt more like a home than a business, I also took my time and tried to enjoy life outside of tattooing—whether it was skateboarding or collecting books. I didn’t have that urgency, like it was my job. In hindsight, I realize I should have taken my studies more seriously and committed to producing actual artwork instead of just sketches and note-taking. I had so much free time in the beginning—before the struggles of failing relationships, mental strains of sleeping on couches.
Five since starting my career, I can see my hard work in my current tattooing, but knowing what I know now, I feel like my work should reflect even more skill and understanding. When I really asked myself why, I realized that, up until now, I hadn’t been giving 100% to my career. To me, that means using my time wisely and taking advantage of every opportunity. Chasing short-term rewards often leads to fleeting satisfaction, but building something meaningful takes time and full commitment. That’s what I really wanted.
When I was 25, I looked back at my 20-year-old self and wondered why I wasn’t doing more. Now at 30, I look back at my 25-year-old self and ask the same thing. Instead of repeating that cycle again, I’ve decided to just do the work—how I truly envision it—and take steps every day, every moment I can. I don’t want to be 35 and regretting the last five years all over again.
For people like me who crave a blueprint for life, it can be hard to accept that there isn’t one. The only real blueprint is to do the work—and to do it honestly. If you feel like you're not where you should be, it’s probably because you're focused on the outcome instead of putting in the level of effort required to reach that outcome in the time you want.
My best advice for any apprentice is this: do whatever you can to learn about your craft in every free moment—and do it without expectation or attachment to the outcome. Create works of art. Try to meet new people eveyday. Watch a tax video. If you learn to enjoy the process, then no matter the end result, you’ll feel like you’re accomplishing something every day. Consistency is key—and it’s more important than I ever realized.
