justcallmematt

I've taken on an apprentice. I'm 12 years in and do not feel like I could've or should've taught anybody before this. First, a little shop background I work in an small isolated area that is expensive and inconvenient. You can't drive in or out and while we have some of the modern conveniences, like costco, we do not have a lot of things, like art supply stores or fast food restaurants. I bought the shop almost two years ago from the original owner, who moved back south. I did not ever expect to take on an apprentice. I also did not think I'd work alone for a year and half straight. I thought I'd make the shop the best I can and some one would slip right in to that glass slipper and it'd be sweet. Well, nobody did. A few artists expressed interest, but costs, inconvenience and ever gloomy weather killed the deal every time. Sometimes the tattooer would be pumped, but their significant other couldn't hang with living a borderline "village" lifestyle. So I worked alone for a while. I wanted the best for the shop, so I didn't turn down anything and worked myself silly. I got a sweet eye twitch out of that that has finally went away unless I'm really tired.

So after talking to enough artists about why they couldn't make the move, I started to realize that I may have to grow my own. I took on one of our shop's regulars as counter help. How do you get to work at a tattoo shop? I wasn't looking to hire a friend as I've seen that go bad, so I hired someone that I had built a professional relationship with already, because they were always at the shop getting tattooed. Once I saw that he was doing a good job and began to notice that his other plans (school, etc) starting to fall to shit, I realized that I may be able cultivate a mutually beneficial apprenticeship. It wasn't that I didn't want to mop, or I wanted my ego stroked or I wanted to try and get an extra $15,000. We talked a lot about his future and future plans before we entered in to this and if fulfilled, he will contribute back into the shop for several years as his obligation for having a place to learn and a person to learn from. It was understood that he would not be tattooing for quite a while, it would be the slow road and that he's going to have to learn a lot of things that are other people don't, like needles, mixing pigment, painting flash, taking apart machines, making footswitches and all the other stuff folks with real deal apprenticeships learn. I'm trying to give him a combination of the apprenticeship I had and the apprenticeship I wanted.

So far, I'm pretty proud of the little fucker. He filled a sketchbook of traditional designs cover to cover ( most tattooers I know haven't done that), put a machine together, rewired a footswitch, made needles and we've done an oversized split sheet on coquille. He studies a lot. He looks at good stuff. And while we have a pretty good generational gap, I'd like to think we've become friends. Being busy, isolated and working by myself made me feel like I was a little stagnant. He's into it and younger, so he looks at both my influences and shows me the stuff he's into. So it's not out of the question for him to introduce stuff to me, even at this point. When you have to teach, it makes you step back and present things to somebody else. That step can often make you put thought towards something that had previously become automatic. So, in that respect, I get charged up on shit again. That's the new blood factor.

Overall, I hired a regular who was already familiar. Not a friend who will break my heart if things didn't work out right away. And I do feel as though there is a need for entry level tattooing at the shop here. That can free me up a little to do the best I can on the bigger projects for now. There is another factor that I don't know if it has been addressed directly (richard's quotes were closest) but yeah, it takes time and a lot of effort to teach somebody right. I'm invested in this shit now. I have a one year old baby and a wife, and I'm sneaking out in the middle of the night to teach him how to make liners at 3am on a friday night. Why would I ever do that for a stranger? I don't know if I could even hang in the same room with the person,let alone have to teach them all these pain in the ass aspects about tattooing in the middle of the night. Also, If I still tattooed down south, I would never take on an apprentice. There was just never a need.

ps- I also asked the people who taught me if it was ok for me to teach someone. They looked at me like they had nothing to do with the decision and granted me permission, but the fact it, if those important people to me said no, I wouldn't have an apprenntice right now

I'll stroke your ego sweet pea.

Great Post Dave!

Love,

The Pumped Tattooer that couldn't convince....

I just want you all to know that I love you very much.

I thought The Name of the Wind was great. Martin's books are awesome. I'm a huge Fantasy nerd, Glen Cook's Black Company novels are awesome, and if you like those, you would love Steven Erikson's Malazan Books of the Fallen. He's an anthropologist who has about 200,000 years of history in his stories, crazy stuff. S.M. Stirling's Dies the Fire series is great.

Non Fantasy I LOVE Andrew Vachss "Burke" novels. Vachss is a lawyer who only does pro-bono work for abused children and the Burke books are what he wishes he could do. I have multiple signed copies and named my kids after characters in them.

In most cases it is better to do absolutely nothing to your tattoo than to over care for it.

Your photos look like a normally healing tattoo.

The white, wrinkly, opaque skin- is just your new skin ( as far as white dots- it's impossible to say without seeing)

I usually advise a light wash daily, pat dry, apply mild lotion sparingly a few times a day- massage in to skin.

Everybody heals differently.

Don't worry

- - - Updated - - -

The above post is actually by Matt's mother- also a tattooist, he didn't sign off of the computer.

Annabelle moved to the Elephant Sanctuary in California, Bob Barker came and got her. We have two polar bears now in a beautiful enclosure.

Hey Ma, you got me!!!!

Kirk Sheppard at Rain City Tattoo does nice stuff.

Kirk Sheppard Tattoos, Vancouver BC Canada

Instagram @THELASTINGIMAGE

You've only been Tattooing 2 years? BRAVO SIR!!!!!

Eric Inksmith, my favorite tigers of all time. Hands down.

There ya go!!

I think the people are picked more for their "personality" and attitude than for their abilities. Most people interested in the color portrait or new school thing tend to not really care about tattooing. It is more of a springboard for them to be famous or at least act like they are. These are the people chosen for this show. Not the real deal tattooers who can take anyones idea and make something nice out of it.

Well I'm screwed, I'm way too pleasant to get picked.

One trick ponies with no respect for other styles. The dumbasses were arguing with Freddy fuckin' Negrete over black and gray. None of them would last 5 minutes in a GOOD street shop outside a big Army base on payday weekend. They would all cry and quit. "What do you mean there are 36 people on the waiting list! I need 3 weeks to conceptualize and draw your tattoo, and we have to do it this way, no I can't do a tribal tear out, that's beneath my artistic ability."

I'm going on this show, fuck it, you wanna see a tattooer work, I'll tattoo 3 "Human Canvasses" an episode and pick up a walkin'.

Most celebrities seem slightly dim to me, but my wife really likes Tia&Tamera!

Sooooo good. Makes me love tattooing even more.

Bitch got crazy face.

Finally getting my neck tattooed in jan. Maybe I'll take video of it so you can see how much of a baby I am.

Welcome!!! Nice Tattoos!!!

Sooooo good!!!!

I work twelve hour shifts brewing beer and I'm usually physically and mentally exhausted at the end of my day, I can't even imagine what tattooing that long is like.

I forgot to mention it was with 1/2 inch grips.

Thankfully I was young, but I was still in my apprenticeship, so I was first in last out everyday, and we didn't close until the last customer was seen. It didn't matter if they came in 30 seconds before closing. Everybody else would jet out, one of the owners and I would stay and he would hang out til I finished. It was brutal.

I love the fact that we work banker hours here.

This looks awesome!

I sat for 7 1/2 on my ribs, well technically I sat for 2 1/2 and then drank a pint of vodka and slept for the next 5. I'm the worlds biggest sissy, really I'm like a 3yr old girl with a skinned knee when I get tattooed it's horrible. The next longest was 4 1/2 by Eric Inksmith last year. It was right before he started touring, his first time using disposables, on my calf. I tried to crush my skull by squeezing my temples to distract myself. It was right before the state fair, I had to stop and buy a cane at walmart, my leg was so swollen I could barely walk.

The longest I ever tattooed was in my first year, payday weekend at Ft. Campbell, tattooed from 10am til 4am, with only breaks to setup and break down. My hands were numb from my fingertips to my elbows.

The Red Wedding is one of the most disturbing things I've ever read.

Dave Lang @High Tide Tattoo in Juneau

Super Awesome guy, and a really solid Tattooer

https://www.facebook.com/hightide907

That show is just chock full of suck.

I just really hate emails.