Tattoo apprenticeships are like hens teeth. They are very few and far between. This means that many of your approaches to tattooists will end in rejection. You need to be mentally ready for this and to deal with it in the best way possible or it will start to destroy your confidence. Remember you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find the prince.
Here are a few ways to deal with rejection and move forward positively.
ASK FOR ADVICE ON YOUR PORTFOLIO
Even if someone can’t give you an apprenticeship it is always worth getting feedback on your portfolio. How would they suggest to improve it? Do they think there is anything missing? Anything they would include? Enough work? Not enough work? Too much work? All feedback is valuable and will help you keep improving.
TAKE THE TIME TO IMPROVE YOUR PORTFOLIO
When you have received feedback go away and actually use it. If it sounds like reasonable advice do what you need to do to make your portfolio better. Then when you next get chance to approach someone for an apprenticeship you are in a slightly better position. The tweaks you make may be what makes all the difference.
LOOK FURTHER AFIELD
If you have approached all the tattooists in your target location and had no luck it may be time to look further afield. If you want to tattoo badly enough you may have to relocate to another area. Again, do your research and create lists of possible tattooists in your target area and go from there.
KEEP ON KEEPING ON
Don’t be disheartened. This is a very tough industry to break into. Those on the inside make it tough for those on the outside. There are no quick points of entry. Just keep believing in yourself. Keep improving. Keep moving forward. With confidence, passion and love of tattoo you will arrive at the right situation in the end…
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