Mentorship
Seven years of tattooing taught me more about art, people, and creative survival than anything else. I'm sharing what I know — through workshops, writing, and one-on-one conversations.
Office Hours
A one hour conversation with me, focused entirely on where you are and where you want to go. Whether you're trying to break into tattooing, figure out your next move as an artist, or think through a creative problem — this is time to talk it through with someone who has been there.
I'll be honest with you. I won't tell you what you want to hear if it's not useful. And I'll bring everything I know about the industry, the craft, and building a creative life on your terms.
Book a session
"Valerie is the whole reason I was able to find a good tattoo apprenticeship and not wind up in a toxic shop with a bad mentor. I trust her and this workshop with my whole heart and soul."
Kiki, tattoo artist · 2 years
"Finding a creative mentor who understands not only the craft, but the inner work required to become a whole, realized artist, is rare — almost impossible. Val is that mentor. She has helped me step more fully into my own creative power, daring me to pursue the dreams I once kept at a distance."
Trent, tattoo artist · 6 years
"The growth I've experienced in just the past 3 months with Valerie's guidance has far surpassed all the progress I made in the previous five years. She's genuine, honest, and deeply invested in seeing you succeed."
Dani, tattoo artist · 5 years in the industry
"She listened, asked questions, and shared her own experiences getting started in art and tattooing. It was a great session to start figuring out how to incorporate creativity and art into my daily life."
Calvin
Good for...
- Artists wanting to break into tattooing and not sure where to start
- Apprentices navigating a difficult shop situation
- Tattoo artists feeling burned out or ready for a change
- Creative people building a portfolio or figuring out their style
- Anyone who wants an honest outside perspective on their work or path
- Shop owners thinking about culture, structure, or artist retention
The Studio Audit
A structured 90-minute session built for working tattoo artists and shop owners who want an outside perspective on how their business actually operates. We go through your pricing, booking process, client experience, and growth — and you leave with a clear picture of what's working and what needs to change.
This isn't a pep talk. It's a review — honest, specific, and actionable.
Book the Studio Audit
What we cover
- Pricing — are you charging what your work is worth, and is your structure sustainable
- Booking — how clients find you, how they book, and where you're losing people
- Client experience — what it feels like to work with you, from first message to healed tattoo
- Growth — where you want to go and what's actually standing in the way
Everything I wish someone had told me before I walked into a $10,000 scam. The real landscape of apprenticeships — what's fair, what's not, and how to find the right fit.
- Building a portfolio shops take seriously
- Recognizing exploitative apprenticeships
- Questions to ask before committing
- Protecting your body for a long career
For artists who are already in — and want to build something sustainable. Style, clients, and a career that doesn't burn you out.
- Find your style
- Designing your clientele
- Apprenticeship guide
Waitlist open — drop your email at the link below and you'll be the first to know when this launches.
Join the waitlist →For shop owners and those thinking about opening one. What culture actually looks like when it works — and how to build it intentionally.
This one is being built in public — follow along on Substack as it takes shape.
Follow on Substack →Start by building a strong drawing portfolio — not tattoo designs, but evidence that you can actually draw. Shops want to see that you understand line, composition, and detail before they put a machine in your hand. Then research shops whose aesthetic matches yours, visit in person, and ask genuinely — not just by leaving a voicemail or sending a DM. The relationship matters as much as the work.
Be careful about paid apprenticeships. Some are legitimate, many are not. Before you commit any money, ask exactly what you'll be taught, by whom, and over what timeline. If the answers are vague, walk away. I cover this in depth in Workshop 01.
It varies widely — and that variance is part of the problem. Some apprenticeships are free in exchange for shop work. Some charge a few thousand dollars. I paid $10,000, which is on the high end and, in my case, was partly a scam. There are no regulations governing this in most states, including Utah, so there's no standard.
A higher price doesn't mean better training. Before paying anything, make sure you know exactly what you're getting — structured instruction, time with your mentor, a clear path to tattooing on skin. If you can't get straight answers to those questions, the price doesn't matter.
Red flags: vague answers about what you'll actually learn, pressure to commit quickly, a mentor who isn't around, being asked to do unpaid shop work with no clear endpoint, and anyone who discourages you from asking questions.
Green flags: a mentor whose work you genuinely respect, a shop culture that feels healthy, clear expectations about timeline and structure, and artists in the shop who seem happy to be there. Talk to other artists in the shop before you sign anything.
Expect to draw constantly, observe before you touch anyone, and feel like a beginner for longer than feels comfortable. A good apprenticeship should include sanitation and bloodborne pathogen training, time watching your mentor work, structured feedback on your drawing, and a gradual path to practicing on skin — first fake, then real.
Tattooing is technically a medical procedure. The learning curve is real and the stakes are permanent. Anyone rushing you through that process is not looking out for you or your future clients.
Style isn't something you decide — it's something you uncover. And that process looks different for every artist, which is why generic advice about it rarely lands. It's one of the most personal things I work through with people in office hours, because the answer is almost never what they expect.
What I've found is that your style is already in you — it shows up in what you keep coming back to, what you dread taking on, and the work you make when nobody's watching. The job is learning to read those signals clearly. If you're feeling stuck on this, it's worth talking through. Book an office hours session and we'll figure out where yours is hiding.
It can be — but it requires intention. The physical demands are real: your back, your hands, your eyes take a toll. The emotional labor of being with people at their most vulnerable, day after day, is real too. Burnout in this industry is common and rarely talked about.
Sustainability comes from protecting your body from day one, building a clientele that energizes you rather than drains you, and being in a shop environment that supports your growth rather than extracting from it. These aren't luxuries — they're what keeps you in the work long term.
I'm Valerie Jane Thompson — I make art as Jane the Stranger. I tattooed from 2018 to 2025 at The Collective in Salt Lake City, Utah, where I built a practice around surrealist, detail-driven work. I came into tattooing through my art, not the other way around, which shaped how I think about the craft and the industry.
I now work as a surrealist mixed media artist and share what I learned through workshops, writing on Substack (University of Here), and one-on-one mentorship sessions. My goal is to help artists enter and navigate the tattoo industry with more information and fewer expensive surprises than I had.
University of Here
I write about tattooing, creative life, and what it actually takes to build something real. Honest, personal, and practical — from someone still figuring it out alongside you.
Read on Substack