I once was at a party and approached a local tattoo artist with the intention of asking if she was interested in doing my next piece. She asked to see my tattoo, which I was aware was lame as I was just starting out. When she saw it, she turned around and walked away without saying a word. I was pretty bummed.
Later when she did my sleeve I mentioned to her what had happened years before and made the point that everyone has to start somewhere.