We were lucky to catch up with Lizz recently and have shared our conversation below.

Lizz, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?

I’m very happy owning and running my own business. It gives me a sense of freedom I’ve always desired.

Tattooing is what I’ve wanted to do since I was 6 years old. If you’ve read previous interviews of mine I go a little in depth with what sparked that for me.

In today’s world, being a tattooer isn’t what it used to be. I’ve found myself ebbing and flowing with the changes in the industry and outside of it. My work goes everywhere with me. Being a business owner is a lot of responsibility—taxes, bookkeeping, managing client interactions, making sure people feel safe and heard, paperwork, emails, DMs on Instagram, content creating—the list goes on and it doesn’t start and stop only when I’m in the studio. Tattooing is an inside, outside and internal job.

Truthfully I haven’t ever wanted to leave tattooing or find a new career path. I’ve only ever wanted to grow with tattooing. With that being said, I have had thoughts of continuing my education. When I was freshly 18 I went off to college and told myself “tattooing will always be there if it’s meant for you, get your degree to fall back on something”. Hindsight is always 20/20. I’m proud of myself for getting my degree but now that I’m older I realize how much my BA doesn’t hold the weight I thought it would.

Tattooing isn’t for everyone, although I feel like many people in 2025 believe they can. Like many other career paths or trades.. it’s not for everyone. Tattooing looks so glamorous online and to some regard it is.. but it’s one of those age old sayings.. “you get back what you put in”. Truthfully it’s a bit more than even that… because being a tattooer vs being a tattoo artist aren’t the same. I think most of us start out being a tattooer and some of us evolve with the art and push boundaries within ourselves and for others to blatantly see and pick apart. And the worst critic of all is ourselves.
But tattooing is different from most things, in my eyes, it’s different from quite literally anything. It’s special, it’s history, it’s beautiful, it’s hard, it’s dedication— every single day and night but I stand behind it not being for everyone. It’s a trade and a career.. it’s not a hobby. Just like being a nurse isn’t a hobby. You’re either all in or you aren’t. We just don’t see nurses post about their work the way tattooers do and most of the time a nurse is dealing with so much more than just what we think we know of the job.

So do I think about what it would be like to have a “regular job”? Of course. I think it’s natural to wonder if the grass is greener on the other side. Waking up to no thoughts about social media or criticizing myself for the 6 hours of drawing I did the night before… sometimes that sounds nice. Sometimes thinking about clocking into an establishment to do the job that has guidelines and doesn’t need anything from me besides that task? Sure, sometimes that seems like it would be easier. Clock in, do the job, clock out and forget you were even there. I didn’t become a tattooer for an easy paycheck. From my experience, the grass is only green where the water you’re using is your sweat and tears to push the limits of yourself in ways that are hard but so fulfilling.

So yeah I definitely think about going back to school, getting my masters and uphold my 18 year old thought process… because some day I won’t be able to physically tattoo anymore and what happens after that? Who knows but right now… I’m enjoying my choice to follow my adolescent heart.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

For those who don’t know me, what I do or where I work: Hi, my name is Lizz and I’m a tattoo artist in Denver, Colorado. I’ve been a tattoo artist since 2017. Most people would say I specialize in clean line work… personally I think I still have a bit more work to do in order to feel like I specialize in anything. I love tattooing nature inspired concepts, ornaments, and large scale body flowing projects but I’m not limited to any of those things. I love a good lettering tattoo and something fine lined. I also love bold and colorful tattoos and think my work lends better to something with color.

Where did I come from? How did I get here and what do I want you to know?

I like to think I started my tattoo journey the day I held a pencil for the first time… or maybe my mom has convinced me of that now because I’ve heard her say, “she’s been drawing since she could hold the damn thing!” for quite literally my entire life. Reality hit me in 2017 when I actually walked into a studio for an interview and started right then and there. Before I dive head first though, let me tell you what I did before that.

When I was 16 years old I met my biological father for the first time. He happens to also be a tattoo artist. I visited him in Alabama where I spent 2 weeks in a street shop called Royal Street Tattoo in Mobile, Alabama. For those of you who know tattooers well.. Sean Herman was a bridge in that studio—along with CW Neese. My time in that studio was spent watching people tattoo, getting a tattoo and learning to spit shade on watercolor paper. I fell in love so fast. I told my mom when I got home that I was dropping out of college and moving to Alabama—didn’t happen but I totally thought I was going to. The first female tattooer I ever met worked in that studio-Suzette Callahan. I was in complete awe that this bad a*s woman was tattooing in a street shop 12 hours a day, every day. I would watch her draw and be completely enamored. I thought to myself, “wow… she’s a rockstar and I wanna grow up to be like that”. She really showed me that a woman can be just as good, work just as hard, have clients, be herself and do solid tattoos. It opened my eyes into the real world of what it could be like. Instead of moving out of state, I went off to college to appease my mom for filling out all my FASFA paperwork and being the first person to go to college in my family. Well I’m happy I did it.. even though I didn’t really want to I ended up with honors my first semester and I loved the freedom, so I stayed.

When I graduated college my first job was being a manager at Claire’s. You know, the famous ear piercing storefront-that I actually never wanted to be apart of given my knowledge of piercings- but as a college grad, I took what I could get. It didn’t take long for me to realize it wasn’t for me. Stocking shelves, counting money, putting in data… I just didn’t love it. Not only that, I probably royally screwed their piercing sales because I definitely told every single parent to not pierce their child in that manner, opps? I’m not sorry… the tools used to pierce at Claire’s are terrible. (Don’t come for me with, “I got all mine there and they are fine! Because a lot of people don’t have that experience and how they tell you to take care of it is the opposite of what you should do and that’s just the tip of the iceberg on that topic).
I moved on to becoming a manager at a cafe. I did all the baking and served and helped run front of the house daily but even then, I didn’t feel fulfilled. I knew I liked being around people but I wanted something with purpose. So I became a preschool teacher. At the time it was the only job that would pay me more than $10 an hour and I figured, “You want fulfillment? Teach someone something, you’ll feel good about that!”. It was true, I did get a lot of fulfillment out of seeing tiny humans who didn’t know much but were sponges to the things you taught them. Yet again, I got to a point where I just didn’t feel like that was where I belonged. I had to cover up all my tattoos even in the dead of summer when everyone else wore short sleeves. I wanted something more… somewhere I could be myself and that was good enough.
So I found myself looking into college again while simultaneously looking for a new job. The same day I found a program I thought about applying for I also found an ad for a tattoo shop directly across the street from my apartment. I messaged them immediately with the hope they’d take a chance on me. They took a chance on me alright…

On a cold winter evening after my day of preschoolers, I went home, gathered my art portfolio, with my application for college still pulled up on my computer, and I took a risk. I was so nervous to walk in but I showed them my artwork and they loved it. I thought “oh my gosh, this is incredible… I can’t wait to get started”! Little did I imagine… in a mere week they asked me if I had any friends who wanted to be tattooed. I did, of course. So I scheduled someone to come in and I did my first tattoo in a studio setting. I thought maybe it was to humble me and show me it’s not easy and I’d go back to doing “apprentice duties” but that wasn’t the case. The owner said “okay for the next few months you’re going to charge $20 per needle you use and that money will be given directly to me”. So for 6 months or so I tattooed friends and “easy” walk ins for no money at all. During this time I still worked at the preschool every day, Monday through Friday 7:30am-5pm. Every evening I went to the studio from 5:30pm-10pm and worked 10 hour days on the weekends. After awhile I got burnt out. Tattooing became the only thing I wanted to do and along came a lice outbreak at school. Did I get it? Oh yeah, sure did! Not once but twice and after the second time (after the school year ended) I put in my two weeks and sent all the littles off to kindergarten.
By this point I was taking all the easy walk ins for the shop minimum. I started to make 40% and then 50%. After about 9 months of being there and the only other tattooer I worked with said, “wow, you out tattooed me AGAIN!” I knew it was time to find a place where I wasn’t being told I was the best. I wanted to learn more than what he could teach me or the owner could teach me. So I moved on.. and moved on again.. and again. I ended up in a studio with artists who were all about their work. It was refreshing and exciting. I made a solid clientele base. I was proud to be working with those artists. Everyone had their own niche. It was cool. I got to decorate my station however I wanted, I got to pay a booth rent instead of a percentage, I didn’t have set hours and could come and go as I pleased and I loved it. All of this was taking place in Pennsylvania. After 3 years of providing for myself solely from tattoos, I took another chance and moved to Denver, Colorado.. where I really began my career.

When I moved to Colorado in 2020, mere days before lockdown, I was scared. I didn’t know anyone here. I didn’t have any clients at all. I worked in a walk in shop for about a year before meeting the infamous Flipshades. January 2021 changed my outlook on tattooing in a single 2.5 hour tattoo with Flipshades. He was doing, talking, thinking about tattooing exactly how I wanted to talk and think about it. He showed me tricks and tips and helped me present my work better for viewers online. I had this old school tattooer mindset that no one would help me learn because tattooing was gate kept. It wasn’t. It still isn’t, even more now than ever, it isn’t. I just had to find the right people to know that and for the first time in my life I found the guy who was willing, able and saw my potential. Less than 3 months later I was moving my things into a new studio. A studio that housed Josh Payne. I knew who he was but I never thought I’d be in the same room as him, working next to him, watching him work all of the time. (I know some of you don’t know some of the names I’m dropping but I urge you to check them out. All these artists hold a deep special place in my heart and if it wasn’t for every single one of them, my biological father included, I wouldn’t be the tattooer I am today.) I truly couldn’t believe I had such an incredible opportunity and I ran with it as far as I could and I’m still running with it. Josh and Rick (Flipshades) have shown me more about the craft of tattooing than anyone else I ever worked with. I’ve gained so much knowledge and respect for tattooing because of them. I’ve found myself tattooing in multiple cities across the country and I love to travel and work in new places but a lot of that became possible because Rick saw the drive I had and I couldn’t ever appreciate him more for showing me things I may have not seen on my own.

So for the last 4 years I’ve been working at Long Live Tattoo Collective. It’s become a home away from home for me. It became chosen family for me. I finally felt like I was in the place I always wanted to be. Alongside world renowned tattoo artists who were traveling in and out of the country for their work. The inspiration is thick in the walls of that studio and I’m proud to be apart of each of the artists there and all the ones who’ve come and gone. I’ve become a better tattoo artist because of being there.

Maybe some of that was a rinse and repeat of my last interview but if there’s one thing I want you to take away from this reading it’s that I’ve busted my butt to get where I am and I know the struggles that can be endured. I’m proud I’ve never let anything stop me even when I had plenty of male tattooers tell me otherwise. I may not feel like I specialize in a specific category of tattooing but I do specialize in working hard, going after my goals, making others feel cared for and doing the best tattoo I can with the knowledge I have and the experience to back it. One of my absolute favorite things about tattooing isn’t just the tattooing or drawing but the ability to have open dialogue with my clients, let them know what my recommendations are but ultimately making sure you leave with exactly what you came for. My goal as an artist isn’t for me to do what I want… it’s for me to give you what you want while giving you insight of what can happen, what will happen, what’s a good idea and what isn’t. Not everything drawn can be tattooed and that’s something I like to make my clients aware of. The internet makes a lot of things look possible but there’s only one thing we truly know for sure in tattooing… “Bold will hold”!

As a female tattooer, LGBTQ+ tattooer, Puerto Rican tattooer… I’ve only ever wanted a safe, comfortable, inviting place for my clients to feel community and cared for. Instagram tells me 80% of my followers are female and truly I’m humbled for that. I don’t know that I’m the biggest inspiration for others but I hope my story can shed some light on “if you want it, go get it”. No path is easy. Even the jobs that have the guidelines. Sometimes, some days are just hard, plain hard but I feel like there’s a special place for me in this industry. I’ve cried during tattoo appointments with my clients, over things we’ve discussed. I’ve stopped tattooing to give my clients a tissue because of the conversation we are having. I’ve always had an aura that allows others to be open, vulnerable and honest… so when you get tattooed by me… just know your secrets are safe with me and I genuinely care about you, your needs and what you want. The tattoo we do for you, isn’t for me, it’s for you and I want you to be proud to wear it.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

There’s so many lessons in tattooing. I think one of the biggest lessons I learned was at the height of tattooing—for me personally.
The height of it came towards the end of Covid and the 2 years following it.
Covid gave everyone cabin fever. People were locked up in their houses with little to no interaction with others—I don’t think I have to tell you that though, you lived it. Money was being thrown at everyone and I don’t think many people even knew what to do with it, on top of their unemployment checks. I became so unbelievably busy and I didn’t know how to manage it all. No one teaches you how to manage that part. Some people are really good at teaching you techniques but almost no one ever teaches you all the other things that go along with being a tattoo artist.

So when the demand became high, I made my price higher. I thought maybe that would deter some of the influx of emails I was getting. In some small way it did but I couldn’t post 15 designs without every single one of them being sold within an hour. It was intense but a good problem to have. Sometimes I worked 12 days in a row, 10 hour days with one day off after the stretch just to do it all over again. I started turning away work, left and right. I was overwhelmed. I didn’t know what to do and I thought turning things away that didn’t align with my goals would be okay. I guess to some degree it was but it also wasn’t. I should have taken every project, regardless, but I didn’t know that at the time and I was so worried people wouldn’t wait 6+ months to get tattooed. So I prioritized certain ideas clients had over others and that became a huge lesson for me.

Demand didn’t mean I needed to raise my prices. Demand meant I needed to learn how to stretch the market I had and take the projects but consider my health and my wellness too.

A lot of people started tattooing during covid and I think a lot of those tattooers came into tattooing thinking their designs would sell in an hour like they had before. Ebb and flow. The demand is not has high now, not for anyone I know but some people managed their booking in a better manner than I did and I didn’t look through that lens until it was too far gone. I got a little sucked into the idea that I may never really have to do custom tattoos again.. I could just draw what I wanted and people would pay for it. The humble experience of what a craft can be… it can be booming one year and dead the next… the only thing you should worry about is the art itself. The money comes and goes but the art remains and it remains longer than any of us will consciously live.

I know better now. I know that when my demand gets high again… I’ll prioritize the art for the clients, not the art for me. I won’t ever make the mistake again to think… “let’s say no to that one but yes to this one”. I say yes to everything I believe I can achieve well.
Lesson learned.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

The best course of gaining new clients for me is through other people who’ve been tattooed by me. I’d say around half of the emails I receive are because their friend or their friend’s friend has been in my chair and experienced what being tattooed by me is like. I’m extremely grateful for that. Word of mouth will always be your number one money maker. Every client who walks around with my work becomes a billboard for the next one and the cycle repeats itself.

By no means am I trying to say that humans are billboards but for a lack of a better term, I’ll go with that.

The experience someone has with you holds more value than anything else. You can be a great tattoo artist but have the worst bedside manner. Those types of stories get around and with social media, people are able to really pick and choose who they want work from and who they don’t.

I wasn’t always good at bedside manner and during some really, really rough times in my life I used my interactions with clients as therapy sessions for both of us. Right, wrong, indifferent… I tend to be a really open person and for some people that can be a little overboard. For others, they love it and feel connected and comfortable. There’s never good without the bad.

So I’m sure there are stories about me that aren’t great. I’m not perfect. I’m human and I make mistakes. I’d like to think that the people who have had good experiences tell all their friends and family and people they meet how great it was and then I have another email with another rad idea someone is coming to me with.

My clients a truly my best source of new clients. I couldn’t be more proud to receive so many recommendations in a city that has so many incredible tattooers to choose from. So if you’ve been tattooed by me and you’ve told someone about me? THANK YOU, from the bottom of my heart and soul, thank you so much.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @longlizztattoos