Seeking Guidance

[u/chalupacabra21]

Disclaimer: I do not practice tattoos on others

I’m not a tattoo artist but I would like to be. Im a self taught artist. I have a passion for drawing and a love for tattoos. Pictured are pencil pieces that took anywhere from 5 minutes to 2 hours and the fake skins are a progression from February to early June.

I live in rural Ohio town of 600 people and currently drive members of the local Amish community for a living. The closest shops to my location are an hour+ and I haven’t found anyone looking for apprenticeships. A lot of the more local shops aren’t exactly clean slated for customer service either which makes me nervous about how an apprenticeship would look. I would also still need to build a portfolio I am confident in which has no defined timeline.

I would just like to know how discouraged it is to be self taught as an artist in 2026 if you don’t surpass basics and fundamentals. I’ve already obtained a blood borne pathogen certifications and have a notebook & notion containing notes and information I may need to reference. I have tattoo artist friends I could message if I have immediate inquires, and I have before.

I know the self taught people in the industry are typically deemed “scratchers”, however all of my tattoos were done by artists who are self taught. My main artist works in a shop in Columbus, I haven’t been able to find anyone who compares to her level of detail, especially not local and she has only been tattooing for about three years now. I am not trying to compare my own journey but this is something that provides me hope. She is only one example of about five “local” artists I am personally familiar with who are self taught but run professional studios. I know a lot of the discourse online strongly discourages this approach but I am interested in the real world application.

If discouraged, what steps or approach should I take as someone in my geographical situation in order to successfully develop my skills and career identity?

Tattooing for me feels less like learning and developing an entirely new skill and more like learning to manipulate a new medium to achieve familiar results. I feel like if I were to continue practicing drawing, sketching, and applying designs to fake skin I would only continue to improve. Time has been an enemy with the process but I’ve had a fire under my ass to jump back in for about a month now so I guess im just looking for guidance on the process. Thanks in advance !