Just recently, articles started popping up all over the Internet spouting news about young Alicia Gutierrez and her tattooing skills. It seems that the seven year old's skill has struck the media with a bit of uneasiness, but Mommy Rantings feels like we should support our young, talented artists.
Reporters announce that Alicia Gutierrez aspires to be like her daddy, Patrick Gutierrez, a talented tattoo artist. He has been teaching her how to pursue the career in his tattoo parlor in Abilene, Texas. He, too, started at a young age, 14, but he believes that his protege could start giving people tattoos at a younger age than when he started.
His take? “I want her by the age of 12 to just be rocking out bad tattoos. I
mean, good tattoos, you know what I mean, awesome tattoos. And if she
keeps up with what she’s doing now, she draws a lot and she watches me a
lot, by the age of 10 or 12 she’s going to be pretty good.”
When asked by a reporter if she wants to be a tattoo artist, little Alicia replied, “Just like my daddy." Mr. Gutierrez said that his mother was supportive of his plans to become a tattoo artist and he wants to give his daughter the same support.
Mommy Rantings Weighs In
I believe that the naysayers are squeamish people who look down upon tattoos. Then, there is the issue that many parents would be worried about...she'll be exposed to blood if she performs tattoos. And, exposure to blood means that there is a chance of being exposed to diseases that are transferred through blood.
While many are questioning whether a parent should be supportive of a
career path like tattoo artistry, some stating that she should be
coloring in coloring books or painting on canvas,
Mommy Rantings feels strongly
that we need to support our young budding artists. What's wrong with a
little girl aspiring to be like her dad? What's wrong with the child
wanting to be a tattoo artist?
At age 7, though, the little girl shouldn't be performing tattoos on real skin with needles, like the picture below. And, I would think that her daddy would want her to wear more personal protective equipment, just like any other occupation that requires people to deal with other people's bodily fluids. Just the exposure to possible diseases that are passed in blood is wrong at the age of 7, but once she's of legal age to work and completely understand the hazards of the occupation, then her career choice should be one that she's passionate about.
I think that if she's practicing artwork that people would have tatted on their bodies on canvas or rubber arms, then she has a bright future in artistry, no matter what career path she chooses. If she decides to be just like her daddy, then so be it, we should support her decision.
What do you think?
