Family Tattoo Chicago

I’m looking into doing a Tattoo apprenticeship. How would I go about doing this in the chicago area?

ive been drawing my whole life and get approached from friends and family all the time about doing tattoos so how would i get started

Go to a shop and talk to the shop owner/ top artist. ask if they would like to take on an apprentice. Bring in a portfolio with your best pieces. Don’t ever pay a shop for an apprenticeship. It will be tough enough without having to pay them, because for the next two years of your life, you will be doing a lot of work in their shop for very little or no pay. and when I say work, I mean chores (emptying garbages, cleaning the floors, etc.). be prepared for this. consider getting a night job, because apprenticeship is a full time job without pay. some artists or shops may give their apprentice a portion of their tips, but an agreement like this will be reached if and when they take you on. After about 12-18 months, they may start having you tattoo actual people, in which case they will give you a cut (usually 25-50%) of the money from your tattoos.
Also, make sure you get along with everyone in the shop and you respect them as artists. Arm yourself with as much knowledge as possible about not only tattooing, but other fine art forms and piercing as well. Find out as much as you can about the artist you want to apprentice for. become friends with them. find out how well they are respected in the tattooing community and the just the community in general.
You are about to embark on a great journey into a wonderful career with some great income potential. Good Luck!