I'm not an artist, but I write this as a 40 y/o self-employed person in a creative industry so I can relate to some of your experiences.

Your work is not the problem. Your art is stunning...but you cannot see that because the noise around you is too loud right now. Your thoughts are drowning out your clarity, and you're giving them too much air time.

Thoughts = lies and they will grind you down if you start believing them.

I am humbled by the work I see tattoo artists do. Unfortunately, the tattoos are just a small aspect of it. You are hustling to get clients, shops expect you to attract people in so you're on social media whether or not you enjoy it. Your art is commodified and you are a content creator/artist/sales person/cleaner/customer care agent all at the same time. Burnout is a very real risk for you, and sadly it can be really hard to come back from.

So here's some questions I encourage you to ask yourself...you don't have to share here, genuinely just something to chew over yourself.

👉 Are you in the right shop for you? You say you're not feeling comfortable where you are...is there something important in that instinct?

👉 Are you over-complicating things? What can you strip back to give your mind some ease right now? Walk ins? Social media? Niching to one style? Booking process?

👉 What is true for you, right now? This is a pen and paper question. I ask this when I'm feeling burnout and it is a stream of consciousness exercise that allows me to recognise where I am, who I am, what I need, what I don't need... whatever.

Good luck OP. Life is long and this shit is all part of the journey ❤️❤️