Sixteen months ago I started my apprenticship at a small tattoo and piercing shop in the Houston area. At the time the owner was a lady and her husband ran the shop. She is a tattoo artist and he is not. She was my teacher. They have since separated and she moved out of state. She signed the shop over to him. Another artist in the shop agreed to continue as my teacher. He is a great artist and I have grown a great deal under his tutoring. He says that I am ready to start doing small tattoos on walk-ins. The problem is.....the owner refuses to let me grow as an artist. I feel, as do others in the shop, that he is holding me back and I am feeling frustrated and recentful. Tattooing is my dream and my passion. It took a lot of work and money to get where I am. My parents are footing the bill and I need and want to move forward. There was no contract other than a verbal agreement to pay several thousand $ for a 3 year apprenticeship. At the end of which I would have a job at the shop as an artist and own the equipment that the shop bought for me to learn. This is seriously getting me down. I am beginning to doubt that he will ever let me move forward. I plan to have a serious talk with him in a few days about my future at the shop.
I need advice! I'm not even sure how to approach him. I'm afraid he will fire me if I make him angry. Do I have any options like finishing my apprenticeship at another shop? Sorry for the long post.
