How late is too late when it comes to switching careers? The answer, it is never too late!
How late is too late when it comes to switching careers? The answer, it is never too late. Contrary to popular belief, there is no single timeline of milestones one must achieve by a certain age. You may find your love sooner but might be struggling professionally at 28, or have nothing figured till you’re 35 but more successful and happy with your life at 37. Drawing parallels and comparing yourself to others is one of the many major reasons why most people fail to live a happy life.
This is the story of Arjun Sood, a 36 year old Delhiite who had been working corporate jobs for fifteen long years before quitting to become a tattoo artist!
What took him so long? Well, Arjun was not unhappy with his corporate life. He knew that to become successful in the corporate world, he would require higher education. He did his graduation followed by an MBA to land fantastic managerial positions at companies such as IBM and Policy bazaar.
During these fifteen years post his school, he also got married and had a child. As per the society’s standards, Arjun had everything that societal norms would expect him to have in his thirties- a decently paying corporate job, a wife, and a kid.
Around 2018, Arjun’s wife was studying art and she sent him her work in response to which Arjun also sent her his artwork. His wife loved his art and readily supported him when he asked her about shifting his profession to become a full time tattoo artist. In no manner are we saying that he did not face pressure from his family, but he navigated through it and took a chance on life to pursue his passion of creating art on people’s bodies.
Arjun enjoyed the corporate life but he knew he was meant to do much more.
He started with the three month art course at Aliens in Delhi in 2018. The course introduced him to the nuances of tattooing for the first time. He realised through the course that tattooing isn’t as easy as it looks.
About Arjun’s experience at Aliens Tattoo Art School:
To his surprise, a lot of hand holding happened at the art school- enough even for someone completely new to art to understand and follow. The results? Tremendous learning and exceptional skill-enhancement. Skills that he once thought he would never be able to learn. But now when he looks at a complex artistic picture, his perspective of looking at it has changed completely. He no longer looks at how detailed and artistic the picture is, but looks at how the artist has used strokes to create a certain effect and how he can improve it by the skills he has learnt. He learnt a lot about which needles and ink to use, how to maintain hygiene to prevent infection, and much more.
Arjun’s passion towards tattooing is apparent in the way he looks at tattooing. “Almost all celebs turn to a reputed tattoo artist for their tattoos and the industry is lucrative. Our society does not respect tattooing as much as it should because being a tattoo artist combines the expertise of a doctor and an artist since it is the responsibility of the artist to protect the skin of his clients while making a beautiful tattoo that the client will always cherish”, he says.
The 2020 pandemic hit hard, so sitting home, he focussed more on his art and improved himself. Finally, he got so good at his work that he was hired as an intern mentor. Today, he is working at Aliens Tattoo School and feels elated to have allowed his artistic side to breathe after years..
Nothing is easy in life, even Arjun struggled initially during the course as he was introduced to newer concepts of art. But the support system at Aliens Tattoo Art School alongside his inner passion helped him overcome all the challenges. It is always about taking that plunge of uncertainty to achieve something miraculous, that’s exactly what Arjun did, even though he was a qualified employee in his thirties.
Click here to find out more about the course that Arjun took and browse which one can you take to take your art skills to the next level.
