Random thoughts

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TatsbyBones
Posts: 34
Joined: Thu Jun 23, 2005 2:03 am
Location: Dallas, TX
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Fri Jun 24, 2005 5:45 am

I am starting a guest spot at a new shop tomorrow, and being a little retarded about change, I am having trouble sleeping- and this is what I was laying awake thinking:



I have trouble understanding the people that have no respect for the tradition, and long hard road that must be traveled to become a master tattooist. Without getting to philisophical on ya, I think of it alot like Kung Fu. Now when you get done laughing let me explain. You could no more go to a two week, two month, or two year class to become a martial arts master.You can't learn it from a book, a video, or by yourself. The same holds true for tattooing and all it intails. Saying that "I could tattoo, I can trace" is similar to saying "I can fight anyone, after all, I can kick". Why do you mop and clean cars, and pick up butts in the parking lot, and treated like dog shit? Because at that point, you are.There is a reason the same 15-20 top notch artists are always featured in the mags. How many shops are there out there? Just because you can pick stairway to heave does not make you Jimmy Page. Hell, just because you can draw doesn't mean you could tattoo. Why do tue masters of this art sometimes act like total a--holes? Because they earned the right. The picture I keep getting in my head is the old guy from the tv series kung fu. "When you can snatch the pebble from my hand grasshopper" And guess what grasshopper, your not ready. And what really sucks is that you may never be. In the distant past, the medicine man was the tattooer, and it was a spiritual thing. It sometimes, and should, be the same today. Everyday you learn something new, and if you don't, you should just quit now. Why do apprentices scrub tubes 10 times each? Because until you can clean one, you shouldn't even hold one. Kinda a wax on wax off thing. Most of the shit makes no sense at first, but it will save your ass one day. HiiiiiYaaaa! and goodnight from a grasshopper.
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BadWolf
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Joined: Tue Aug 24, 2004 9:00 pm

Fri Jun 24, 2005 9:51 am

You won't find much respect for that opinion, here, unfortunately. We have kitchen scratchers claiming to have 10 years of experience, who JUST learned they needed to buy an autoclave, and that there was such a thing as aseptic procedure, who feel they have the right to call themselves a tattoo artist. Just because they got lucky and did a few pieces that someone thought was acceptable, they feel they have no need for things such as "respect for the safety of their customers" or any of that "unimportant shit".

I find it truely sad that those who have the power haven't stepped up and done something about it, and shown their respect for the art form by not allowing such people to advertise as a "tattoo artist". Any real tattoo artist would be offended deeply by such a thing.







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