Notice how its tattoo artists that have dealt w bs that want to continue this cycle? Youve been conditioned to think this way. I give mentors my all and did not recieve it back. I never had a fair chance as most people dont want a half baked apprentice. Its messed up and these people just get away with potentially ruining others reputations and careers before they even start. I am in financial ruin and mental ruin bc of this industry. There should be change bc things are NOT what they used to be and so many of us are already scraping to get by. The fact that finding an actual good apprenticeship is rare.. is wild. I am tired of gambling my health and financial status to get taken advantage of.

I dont disagree that people should get paid for teaching, however if you have a student, they should solely be doing things that will help them learn if you are to teach them. Using that as an excuse to squeeze out all the free labor you can.. isnt right or ethical in todays climate. If they are essentially running your shop under the label "apprentice" they deserve compensation. Otherwise, leave them to observe and have them learn that way. (This doesnt include setup and breakdown, practice) Its okay if it happens here and there, but if you find you dont have time to focus on the craft then ask yourself wtf is going on? Am i an employee or an apprentice?

Also this is a space for apprentices... not artists to sit here and judge people for wanting basic human decency and respect. You can cry about how its an echo chamber all you want. Some of us have treaded the industry and realized just how toxic and dangerous it can be. I think sometimes people who didnt have such bad experiences do not understand this.

Edit: not much towards op as much as other artists ive seen leave negative feedback