Empowering the Next Generation of Tattoo Artists

A tattoo apprenticeship is the absolute and essential first step on your journey to being an intentional tattoo artist.

We know you want to earn a wonderful income creating art on people around the world. BUT! First you must access supportive mentorship  that will enable you to learn the nuances of the trade, develop your art style, and master customer relationship skills.

During your apprenticeship, we will teach you the traditional elements of tattoo as an art form - equipment use, tattoo styles and application. 

In addition, our program has a heavy emphasis on business so we will also teach you how to grow your professionalism and skills beyond tattoo - focusing on operations, branding, messaging and marketing.

Nope. not really. But ... If you want to be in the industry for a long time, not just a good time and don't want to spend a great deal of time trying to unravel the industry's nuances to go from survival to thriving in tattoo ... the answer is YES.

Aside from working with seasoned artists, a tattoo apprenticeship can teach you many transferrable professional skills.

Beyond traditional tattooing these are top-tier transferrable skills that you will develop during your apprenticeship and through out your career:

• creativity
• lateral thinking
• problem solving 
• time management
• critical thinking
• organization
• speaking
• attention to detail
• decision making
• attention to detail
• initiative
• conflict resolution
• interpersonal skills
• goal setting
• collaboration
• low-tech computer skills
• adaptability
• emotional intelligence

Black Tattoo Anthology and 'The Vocation' exist as a resource just for YOU!

Finding a tattoo apprenticeship is not easy and having a love and admiration for the trade and some art talent is only a fraction of what you need to become a thriving intentional tattoo artist. 

Sometimes it can take years to find an artist willing to give up their time to show you the ropes. If you go knocking on doors, the other things you need to think about, which we know you won’t be happy to hear, yet it’s the truth are, “do I look like the people in this shop?” and “are these my kind of people?”

Highly successful tattoo artists are both extremely busy and concerned about creating more competition for themselves. Almost 100% of the time you will get a lot of, “maybes” and “come back later” and “do you want to get a tattoo from me?” 

If you are lucky enough to get a “yes,” it is overwhelmingly likely that you will be handed the mop and the broom, and the squeegee, for months…. months!

But you MUST understand that as the apprentice learning to tattoo and for the apprenticer teaching tattoo, both are a job in itself. 

And the reality is, that finding an apprenticeship that is inviting, is as unlikely as getting into the top medical schools.

The Vocation is structured to help make your access easier and your success rate higher. We are something like medical meets business school - here to help you become our creative colleague!

You do not need them, per se. But consider this:

Realistically how will you provide the trust needed for clients if you have never been through an extensive process yourself? …

Applications open soon!

Until then, the most important thing to do is ask yourself 'Why'. 

Why do you want to become a tattoo artist? Why is this important? Establishing your WHY will help you stay grounded and focused when the road gets rocky (cuz it will!)

One of the most prominent challenges artists faces when building their careers is finding a tattoo shop that gives them a chance to thrive. We understand that experience is essential in learning how to tattoo. And on the flip side, we also know how hard it can be to find the proper training, so we can help you build your skills as an artist to become a future teammate or find the right shop placement for you.