shows like Miami producing ink, tattoo artists like Kat Von have been hugely successful, now in the eyes of popular culture tattoos are professional artists of art and theater, skilled craftsmen; one of the only ways to become a tattoo artist is to find one who will take you on as an apprentice, the other is fine, do it yourself. Again this is difficult to do, self taught tattoo artists are looked down upon, there are rare exceptions but for the most part they are shunned by the industry. The tattoo industry parallels some areas of craft in this regard, hobby craft is inferior and lacks skill or substance, but DIY is somewhat of a gateway. I know a few tattoo artists who specialize in stick and poke tattoos and who started out tattooing themselves and their friends, but thanks to their hard work and skill they now do it for a living, no apprenticeship needed (DIY is a back door towards