We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kristina Tafoya. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kristina below.

Alright, Kristina thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

After opening my shop in 2015, I started to put more focus on how we process the pain during a tattoo session. I found that you could get the same release as therapy without having to talk out loud and walk away with something beautiful to wear forever as a reminder that you are stronger than you knew. Taking a more therapeutic approach, with in the environment and in the tattooing process itself, my clients where able to feel confident and comfortable in their own skin again. I take pride in holding a higher standard to cleanliness, and professionalism. I specialize in cover ups and working with skin trauma. I’ve helped people with ptsd, surgical trauma, body dysmorphia, and many other mental and physical healings. We all have a journey we are on and a tattoo can bring new life into that journey. “The power of positive inking.” And “you are what you ink” are the slogans I thrive by here at Tina’s ink tattoo gallery.
A positive and uplifting experience.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Tattooing has been my dream since the third grade. o used to draw on all the kids at school with gel pens and sharpies. I’ve been in the tattoo industry 18+ years now. From being an apprentice for 5 years with two separate mentors and then working in different shops, i felt many were not up to the standards I felt our industry should have. I decided to open my own shop “Tina’s Ink” in 2015 with the hopes of bringing more of the health and safety of tattooing to the foreground.l while also bringing a calmer, light and positive atmosphere, I was able to create a more therapeutic approach to my tattoo sessions creating an safe space for healing.
Seeing shops not being clean or safe, and seeing a need for better regulations and better education, I became the chairman for the Board of Body Art Practitioners for the state of New Mexico from 2019- March 2025 to try to help my state with the regulatory side and bring my professional experiences to the table and am also a part of the Alliance of Professional Tattooists and was the chairman for the education committee from 2023- March of 2025. After these past few years volunteering my time and efforts to the industry, i found I was starting to drown in it and having such a huge passion for the tattoo industry, i am grateful for the time I’ve spent in regulations and I have been able to learn and experience so much from the regulatory side, unfortunately, I have had to step back this year to focus on my shop and my family as I am also a mother to two beautiful little girls. One of which dreams of following in my footsteps.
I have had 3 apprentices through Tina’s ink, and have had other shops come to learn about scar tissue and tattooing. I love what I do and am so grateful for the opportunity to give back and teach others.
I have gone through other types of schooling including a cadaver lab in order to understand what I would be working with. Skin is an important organ and we have to treat it with care. I’m proud of my shop and the artists I have working along side me.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

By being kind and respectful and hearing what my clients have to say, validating their emotions during the process, giving them a safe space that they can let go and feel what they need to feel to work through everything they are dealing with. Being able to connect and relate with my clients has also helped build my reputation. People who come to me for a beautiful tattoo often say, they get so much more out of it. From either the energy I have within the shop or the release of energy we help our clients achieve. We do our best to go beyond the surface. It’s not just about the tattoo design.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

In the very beginning, it was extremely difficult to get my foot in the door. To become a tattoo apprentice is no easy task. Most artists will look at you and turn you away immediately. Not every tattoo artist wants to be a mentor either. I went to every shop in my town and was turned away. It wasn’t till I got my first real chance but it was in another town so I would commute and get to the shop before open and leave late at night to go home. I ended up getting my in a car accident one evening and totaled my truck so I couldn’t commute anymore, losing my apprenticeship. I then found my second foot in the door with another artist this time being in my town so I could make it work. After 5 years, I realized that my mentors never had a sponsor license (which is required in my state) and never had an application on me so my state board had nothing to show I had done my hours, so I had to present to the board with not only my apprenticeship hours but also my hours in the medical courses I took as well, going above and beyond the requirements of a tattoo apprentice. I was approved to take the final exam to get a tattoo license and because of the lack of training, I failed my test 3 times even though I knew the answers, my anxiety was getting in my way and I was second guessing myself which hurt me in the end and that last test being by one 1 point. I was so disappointed and felt like I would never achieve my goals. so I had to start over and re-apprentice in order to take the exam one more time. I was ready to just quit and give up and become a phlebotomist or a paramedic. I realized I had worked too hard to give up so easily and decided I would not give up and found a shop willing to take me in and let me work as a regular tattoo artist under the apprentice license and I was finally able to pass the test and become a licensed tattoo artist. I’m so glad I didn’t give up and pushed though my anxiety. This was over 15 years ago. I took my experience and promised if I became a mentor, I would never let that be the experience for them. I’ve now had 3 apprentices, the last is just about to graduate. I’m super proud of all of them. Sometimes the road looks like you’ll never make it but if you just take one step at a time. Your dreams can come true too.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.tinasink.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tinas_ink_tattoo_gallery?igsh=MWRqZ2tpNDJnOXNwbw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1ArvGiX1q4/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Image Credits

Photography credit for black and grey photo: Alex Townsend

Color photos credit: Kristina Tafoya