willing to travel

[Crash131Tattoo]

Hey everyone,
I've posted on here before and have had some real solid responses. So I'm biting my nails and thinking I'm finally able to pop the question. I have read so many postings about scratchers and so many obviously from them. That got me to thinking about how I came up in this industry.

Here's a little history...
I'm a female artist and wanted to tattoo desperately at the age of 13. That is when I started hanging around shops and drawing flash. I was many times discouraged and my desire sky rocketed and plummeted yearly. At 17 I asked to apprentice as a piercer to get my foot in the door at Addiction NYC but being a young girl in a nyc street shop, I was shunned, not in the manner of breaking down an apprentice, but just told by the owner that the other tattoo artists didn't want me there because I was a distraction. So I started doing Henna there just to be around the buzz. 3 years later when Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans a tattoo artist I will not mention came to NYC and I allowed him to stay in my place. Finally, I was offered an apprenticeship. He couldn't believe that I could hang in the same shop for almost 4 years and no one was willing to teach me a thing. I sublet my NY apartment and moved to New Orleans, mind you it is right after Katrina and New Orleans is not a safe place for anyone, let alone a young pretty white girl. I began to learn so much... but only for 1 month... the artist began to drink and do coke every night and start hitting on me saying, "I'm your master you are the apprentice, you have to do what I tell you to do" Which would be fine if I didn't feel like the only safety net I had wanted to sleep with me. As soon as he got forceful with me I snuck out in the middle of the night and waited at the airport for the next plane back to nyc. I came back to ny with nothing substantial and now everyone thinks I'm a quitter.

Another 4 years went by. Within those years I have made some great friends in the industry all of which said they are willing to give me pointers but no one will give me an apprenticeship so I traveled again down to FL. I was offered another apprenticeship. This time I swore I wouldn't leave till I was an artist.
Little did I know the guy didn't want to teach me, he just wanted to profit from having a pretty female artist "I'll make him money because no body can say no to those tits" he said. He didn't teach me anything!!! Just had me buy equipment and said I would learn on walk-ins.
And that is how I started... scratching the f@#k out of unsuspecting walk-ins. It's been almost a year and I have come soooo far. I moved back to NY and was hired at Addiction based on my looks again and my ability to talk to clients. I built a clientele and am doing... ok.
But then I look at the work by the artists at All Or Nothing and find myself still learning way to much on message boards and I know deep down that I missed out.
I say all this to show that I didn't just suddenly decide I wanna tattoo and I'm not looking for hand outs.

I want to tattoo there is no doubt about it. I have earned the right to in the last 8 years if you ask me and no one will take this away from me, but I don't want to scratch my way up to the top. This is my career and I want to be the best I can be.

So here it goes... I need help. I need a real apprenticeship. I want to learn from a true artist. One that I can be proud to learn from. I will take advice, offers and criticism. I just don't want to be ignored anymore!
p.s. I'm willing to travel
-Crash

[WillGonzalez]

Your story and plee for help sound sincere, Im sure someone will take you up on your offer. The only advice I can give is, most likely to get taken in by a really good tattoo artist - your Artwork will need to be outstanding - and show range. That of course is relative.

My recommendation is to draw your butt off, dont stop drawing. Dont play video games or watch mindless tv - draw. Then when your done drawing improve on those drawings, then paint, then draw more.

[Crash131Tattoo]

Originally Posted by WillGonzalez

Your story and plee for help sound sincere, Im sure someone will take you up on your offer. The only advice I can give is, most likely to get taken in by a really good tattoo artist - your Artwork will need to be outstanding - and show range. That of course is relative.

My recommendation is to draw your butt off, dont stop drawing. Dont play video games or watch mindless tv - draw. Then when your done drawing improve on those drawings, then paint, then draw more.

Very true. Thank you Will, that is sound advice
You can see my paintings and tattoos that I have done here
www.facebook.com/crash.na

[Bunny]

Well....your tits are okay doll but.........

ha ha ha!

I sent you a freind request so accept it and we will talk!
I can't promise you i know anyone but I can promise you
I will look at your work and ask around for you once I do
see it!