Overview of Growing a Career as a Tattoo Artist
A tattoo artist is a highly trained professional who creates permanent art on their client’s skin. This is done by injecting ink into the client’s dermis in an agreed-upon design. It is the role of the artist to ensure that they work closely with their client, using their professional judgment on the size, placement, color and the overall design desired. Often, a tattoo artist will specialize in a certain artistic style, such as traditional tattooing or Japanese art. Tattoo artists must also uphold the highest respect towards safety and hygiene, as the spread of infection is high within this line of work.
Requirements for a Tattoo Artist
Research is the most important step to undertake when you are beginning any new career. One of the essential things to consider is the legal requirements for becoming a tattoo artist. This includes conducting thorough research into important aspects such as licensing and certification to ensure you are covered and providing the best service to your clients as possible. This is going to change depending on your own personal circumstances, so make sure you are specific in your inquiries. This can be an overwhelming process for someone wishing to become a tattoo artist, as this field involves changing the appearance of a person, so there are strict rules and regulations in place. It is always best to ensure that you have an adequate support system in place to help you understand the requirements of the profession moving forward such as online communities and networked resources which are increasingly available 24 hours a day world-wide.
Growing Your Career as a Tattoo Artist
It is a requirement of all tattoo artists to receive industry-specific training before they can begin their careers. This will typically take the form of an apprenticeship. The legal requirements of upcoming tattoo artists may vary from state to state, so it is best to conduct research specific to your own personal needs. Networking communities and associations are a fantastic place to begin your journey for answers and are a great method in which to grow as an artist. Industry-specific communities such as these offer insight into trade secrets, as well as provide opportunities to grow one’s business opportunities. These types of groups exist to allow industry-specific professionals to build one another up in a competitive world, creating a sense of community that comes together to support one another in your day to day work and share in celebrating each other’s successes as industry professionals within the tattoo industry.