My tattoo career has been far from sunshine and rainbows, quite the opposite actually, though I had no expectations of what my tattoo journey was going to entale.
Literally blood, swear & tears, it almost tore my soul into pieces, at times I swear it did, but the worst it gets the harder i pushed, the more determined I became.
Anxiety, depression, stress, self doubt, frustration, so tired and so sick of being treated like shit.
Broke ass bitch. Anxiety anxiety anxiety.
When I was offered a tattoo apprenticeship, I was focusing on animal studies , I had not drawn in 3 years and being an artist was not on my mind, it was so random and I thought fuck it, so I said YES.
My life immediately flipped upside down, backwards and started to warp into shapes I could have never imagined, I was just out of a toxic relationship, working 70 hours a week between 2 jobs and my apprenticeship, I did not have a single day off for 2 months.
our tattoo apprentices do not get paid and are not recognized by our government meaning we have no income assistance, to them, it is not a career, I worked so hard to save so I could afford to work 50 or so hour weeks for free for months and then spend $2000 au on my first tattoo supplies!
I was a shop bitch, I managed almost everything, now this entails ALOT I was practically running the whole shop, while being the cleaner, sorting out their appointments and even drawing their tattoos designs, while fetching lunch, ordering stock and just so much more but I loved it, for a while, I did like to be busy.
Things went south after I had been tattooing for a little while, I became so depressed and mentally ill, I was bullied a little but more so emotionally abused which is what effected me the most. Already struggling with the demands of being a tattoo artist and the anxiety that comes along with that, I was not in a good state and I new I had to leave.
That did not go well, all of my tattoo equipment and supplies were kept which is about $4500 worth, I became even more depressed.
After not working for a few months an artist that had previously worked there offered me a position at his own studio and purchased my supplies for me to pay him off weekly for! How kind of him, though that kindness did not last, yet again, it was horrible, falling back into my hole of depression, I wanted to die, I started having me talk breakdowns before my tattoos, I just could not take it anymore, so I left.
They also kept my equipment and supplies which was about $5000au worth and recidving multiple threats for months afterwards.
Hurray, the third tattoo started of great but that also turned out to be horrible in other ways, I was so so so over being treated like shit, and that how I felt or my life or what I needed never mattered. I left and they kept $800au of my clients deposits which I had to make up for. Seriously?! SO MUCH GREED IM OVER IT.
As a tattoo artist, I run my own business completely, i just need a studio to do it in, they supply some materials like paper towel etc, but we give them 40-60 % of our earnings, that is very very expensive rent.
So of course I left my 3rd studio, on to the 4th!
Finally.
A place where I am treated with respect, as an equal, as a human being, finally I can flourish and enjoy my work.
I am absolutely over how apprentices and tattoo artists get treated in this industry, they are not door mats, they are not slaves, they are human beings paying the shop owners ALOT of money to work under their roof. (Some studios have managers and cleaners, help with bookings and sorts, but alot don't) all shops are different.
So, next time you get a tattoo, I would suggest that you tip your artist, because they have probably been through ALOT to get to where they are today, to give you that tattoo, and then up to 50% of their earnings are taken away to work in a shop, then we also can spend 20 or so hours a week drawing tattoo designs and speaking with clients, we dont really get paid for that part!
Thankyou for reading my experience, I did keep it short. Here are a few pieces of my recent work and thankyou so much to my clients and the people that support me!
Feel free to follow my insta @tattoosbysonja
