Is art school worth it if my end goal is tattooing?
I've loved drawing for as long as I can remember, and since early high school I've thought that tattooing would be an awesome career for me.
I originally went to college for forestry, which is obviously pretty far from art, and I ended up absolutely hating it. Now I'm about to start at a completely new school for art, and I'm starting to question whether going to college for art is actually the right move.
I'm worried about going into debt for a degree that I may not even need for the career I want.
For those of you who are tattoo artists or have gone through apprenticeships: Does going to art school actually make a difference when it comes to getting an apprenticeship? With the industry being so competitive/oversaturated right now, would having a degree make me more appealing to a shop, or is it really more about your drawing skills and portfolio?
I'm currently considering two paths:
- Go to art school for a semester or two and see how I feel. If I'm genuinely improving as an artist and feel like it's helping me build a strong portfolio, I could continue.
- Skip college altogether for now, work full-time as a barista, and spend the next year or two seriously focusing on drawing, building a portfolio, learning as much as I can, and eventually looking for an apprenticeship.
Part of me feels like spending those years drawing my ass off and building a portfolio could get me closer to an apprenticeship faster, while avoiding potentially unnecessary student debt. But another part of me worries that I'd be missing out on the education, structure, and connections that art school could provide.
I'd really appreciate hearing from people who are actually in the tattoo industry.** **If you were in my position, would you go to art school, or would you focus on working/drawing and trying to get an apprenticeship?
Also, if you did go to art school before tattooing, did you feel like it genuinely helped you, or do you think you could have gotten to the same place without it?