If you’ve followed my blog for any amount of time, 4 months of radio silence shouldn’t be surprising.  But this time, I really do think I have a valid reason for once (other than ambivalence/nothing to say/ambivalence) …

I’ve finished my apprenticeship and am now a full-time tattooist.

Whew!  Even though I made the transition over a month ago, it’s still a great relief to say it out loud.  It’s unbelievable to think that it’s been a year since I started this, and unbelievable how quickly it’s gone by.  I will admit, somewhere 8 months into my apprenticeship, I never thought it was going to end - which I think explains my radio silence, in a way, because I didn’t want to sound so negative about my experience, because in the long run it’s supposed to be difficult.  If it wasn’t difficult, it wouldn’t make the payoff quite as sweet.   And this past month has been very very nice and I’ve started out of the gate strong.  A huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders, but really, the hard work has just started. Like any independent, client-based work  I get just as much out of this as I put into it.  Feeling like I’ve accomplished something, nailed a tattoo, hurdled a challenge, connected with a client - it’s exhilarating.  But feeling like you’ve failed is nothing short of heartbreaking.  But it’s mostly been encouraging, I’ve got some clients who are both amazingly gracious and I wouldn’t have much to do if it wasn’t for their flattering word of mouth.  I am very lucky, and I do hope I’ve earned it, and I do hope to sustain it.

SO.  I’ve changed this blog over to tumblr - still at blog.blueskycomplex.com - because tumblr is so damn convenient and easy to use.  Hunter/Gatherer will be images only.  No more formal 6 month hiatuses, expect more process work, sketches, you know, an actual blog. And I’ll actually keep it up this time!  Seriously!  I’m excited for things to come.

 And, as always: