We were lucky to catch up with Sandra Lin recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Sandra thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?
My partner and I really wanted to create a Tattoo shop and overall experience that isn’t out there in the industry. We worked incredibly hard to find a good location and overall setup that was inviting. We spent 3 weeks, with our family, remodeling and upgrading the location. We have worked tirelessly everyday for the last almost 3 years not only building a Brand, but also building an amazing team. We have worked with the local community, the LGBTQIA, and the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community, to build an accessible and inclusive environment. We have six strong an incredible female artists. They are each insanely talented and push each other to become better artists everyday! We cultivate a learning environment. Our Reiki Master teacher is also a part of the Trans community and a key part of us offering full access to the Deaf and Hard of hearing community. The biggest thing that we all participate in is giving back to our communities and raising money and awareness.
I am incredibly proud of the family and environment we have built at Disruptive Ink.
Sandra , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
As a female LGBTQ-owned business in a society that has historically been less than accepting, the Disruptive Ink Tattoo Studio seeks to actively break down barriers and disrupt the status quo. One tattoo at a time. Each tattoo, whether large or small, visible or hidden, pieces together to weave a story of humanity. Through the lines, colors, patterns, and art emerges a common thread of acceptance that connects us and speaks to the human sense of belonging. We like to do things differently, disrupt things, and challenge the status quo. Our clients say our studio has a vibe that is funky yet welcoming, we are inclined to agree! Community is important to our shop and you will often find us hosting fundraisers, participating in community events, holiday drives, domestic violence initiatives, LGBTQ youth campaigns, causes personal to our clients, charities our artists support, etc. All of our team is trauma Informed and ASL access trained.
We have over 20 years of experience between all the people in the shop.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
When we first opened, Holly and I really thought we just needed to get tattoo artists in there and everything would fall in to place. That was not the case. We had to go through a few artists to realize they didn’t align with what we stood for. Then we realized we needed to be more patient and more diligent with new artists coming in.
So we started saying no a lot more to people that fit what we wanted to build. We started letting people go that weren’t willing to build this idea with us.
It took some growing pains and tough choices.
But we started seeing the light, we started finding the perfect group of Artists and people that truly represented our vision.
How’d you meet your business partner?
My business partner is actually my partner in life. We are getting married this month. She was my biggest cheerleader when I first started tattooing. I am the tattoo Artist and in the shop everyday running the day to day. She is not an artist, but knows everything about the tattoo world. She also has a vast knowledge of what it takes to successfully run a business. So we work perfectly together, balancing each other everyday.
Contact Info:
- Website: Disruptiveinktattoos.com
- Instagram: @disruptiveinktattoos
- Facebook: @disruptiveinktattoos
Image Credits
Photo credit Holly Cue