When one walks into a tattoo shop he or she is usually greeted with the soft buzzing sound of a tattoo gun and a very interesting scenery all around. There may be dim fluorescent lighting, interesting photographs, or a wall of strange tattoo ideas. One may wonder why the tattoo artists there chose that certain job, or if he or she knew that they were going to be become a tattoo artist when they were younger. The answer may be yes. It’s a very good idea for one to have plans for when they get older. Planning ahead can save one a lot of time, and show someone what their passions really are. If one was to be a tattoo artist, these are the ideal career plans for becoming one.
South Texas College(STC) is one of the top recommended colleges for tattoo artists to get their degree at. It’s in McAllen Texas, a city on the edge of the border with Mexico and Texas. There’s 142,696 people residing there. STC offers great art programs, and interesting extracurriculars, including intramural sports, Art Club, Fitness and Sports Club, and South Texas Ink and Clay Club. On their spacious campus, the school has many cool events and festivals for the 34,000 students that are enrolled there. Their campus also allows for students to walk or ride bikes to class instead of driving. The climate in McAllen is usually nice, so many students walk to their classes. (“Connect With Us!” South Texas College)
They have 5 dining areas at STC; the Pecan Cafeteria, the Mid-Valley Cafeteria, the NAH Cafeteria, the Cyber Tech Cafe, and the Starr Cactus Restaurant. The Health and Wellness center is also located on campus, so students may receive quick care in emergencies. Although there is no on-campus rooming(dorms), there are many apartments located nearby. -“Find Success. 30 Million Students Started Their College Search and College Planning Here.” (Campus Explorer, www.campusexplorer.com/)
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Some of the entertaining events they hold on campus include bean bag toss contests, flag football, carnivals, holiday celebrations, and more. Even the faculty are involved in some of the student events. At STC, there is 1 faculty member to every 26 students. Since there is 2,700 faculty and 34,000 students at STC, the school is pretty large. (“ Find Success. 30 Million Students Started Their College Search and College Planning Here.” Campus Explorer)
At STC they offer 121 degrees in many subjects, including arts. If one was to be following the path of a tattoo artist, the best idea would be to get an associates degree, and major in either graphic arts or visual arts. For an associates degree, it takes two years of college. One is required to take the basic college classes offered at STC, plus the additional classes required for the major. A major in visual arts is the most recommended major for aspiring tattoo artists. (“LinkedIn: Log In or Sign Up.” LinkedIn, www.linkedin.com/)
Visual arts can take a lot of forms, including ceramics, drawing, painting, sculpting, printmaking, design, crafts, photography, video, filmmaking, and architecture. Many artists major in visual arts, since it’s one of the main groups of arts. The other group would be graphic arts, which takes its form as etching or line engraving, but it is not as common as visual arts are.
There are many differences between graphic arts and visual arts, including how the art looks. Graphic art is 2-dimensional, whereas visual art is usually not. Graphic art is based on the use of lines and shapes, and are not as widely used around the world as visual arts are.-
Usually, visual arts is the chosen major over graphic arts, because visual arts offer more forms of artistry than graphic arts do. They are both very interesting forms of art, but one must consider their overall plan for life outside of college when choosing a major. Tattoo artists use both visual arts and graphic arts every day.
However, it is recommended for tattoo artist to major in visual arts because it’s used more widely in the art world, and it expands one’s art portfolio. It is very beneficial to go to an arts college if one chooses the profession of being a tattoo artist, but, like it stated before, you must choose your major wisely.
Tattoo artists are required to take a few training courses for the job. They must take a CPR training course and bloodborne pathogens training class. Also, an associates degree in art is strongly recommended for an expanded portfolio. A portfolio is basically a diverse group of art you have created, and can be an advertising style for tattoo artists.
It is essential for any artist’s success in the real world. When one walks into a tattoo shop, he or she wants to see what the artist’s style is. If one has a portfolio, the customer can view all of the art the artist has created. If one really wants to be a successful artist, one may also train under a licensed professional to get hands-on experience for the job. (Study.com, Study.com, study.com/)
The salary for the average tattoo artist is about $35 per hour, $5,000 per month, and a $32,000 annual salary. If one works 10 hours a day, he or she would make $350 a day, and $1,750 a week. However, a tattoo artist’s pay can vary based on where he or she works. The opportunities to make money are pretty much endless. While the pay is definitely not as much as a surgeon’s salary would be, if one is really passionate about what he or she wants to do, and finds the job enjoyable, then it shouldn’t matter how much one gets paid. (Study.com, Study.com, study.com/)
The hours are very convenient if one owns his or her own tattoo shop, as one gets to create his or her own schedule in the time that work for them. Owning a tattoo shop is very challenging, however, and can take years of experience before one is ready to take on that difficult task. If one is determined and motivated, though, anything can be done, so owning a tattoo shop is definitely possible and totally available.
When working at a tattoo shop, the setting doesn’t really matter. Tattoo shops are everywhere, but you do have to take into consideration the amount of people living next to your shop, or the amount of shops already in the area. If one was to work in Houston, for example, one must search for a place that doesn’t have a tattoo shop. If one puts his or her shop next to another’s, one has a large chance of losing a ton of business.
It’s a very good idea for one to have plans for when they get older. Planning ahead can save one a lot of time, and show someone what their passions really are. If one was to be a tattoo artist, those are the ideal career plans for becoming one.
To sum up, if one makes plans for college and his or her future job, they will be very successful in what they do. Being a tattoo artist is not for everyone, but that’s what makes it a very unique and interesting job to have. Be honest, how many people does one know that are successful tattoo artists?
