people who think they can tattoo waaaay better than they actually can… I keep running into this both in person and online. New(ish) artists who either claim more experience than they actually have (in some cases including their apprenticeship as experience!) or who aren’t too bad but take on more than they have any right to take on at this time.

I know my limits. I am still working on melons people. My shading is… shady My linework & solid fill are tight – on melons. Even my greywash wasn’t too bad. My whipshading *sucks*.

My opinion is, if I can’t do it all, I wont touch a person and if I am not willing to work on me (I don’t want that shit on me!) then I will not work on another person either. Eventually someone will have my first piece, and my second, and third, ad infinitum. Waiting is not done yet.I have the healthy attitude of “wow, this sucks!” because it can only get better. I am not overextending my reach. Not yet anyway

It just drives me batty to see what could be amazing work, if it was done by someone who was a little more skilled.

Michael keeps telling me that old joke, How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice.

Too true. I am very frustrated with my work right now. My shading needs work. I needed him to help me with a piece I did for someone else this morning (graphic design, not tattooing) because I kept making the same mistake over and over because I couldn’t see beyond it anymore. I am kind of beating my head against a wall creatively right now anyway.

Anyway, back to the point of this – I thought the Green Monster had gotten a hold of me, but after stepping back, I don’t think it’s true. I think I am just seeing more and more scratchers out there and it’s a shame. I mean, by all means, get that shit. Then come pay my husband five times as much to fix it – you are supporting my family when you do that. I just hate to see such bad work that has the potential to be good work from the get-go.