Tattoo Shop Tango: How Master Mentor Liz Cook Balances Multiple Tattoo Shops, TV, Coaching, and Motherhood
Liz Cook auditioned for Ink Master, got accepted, and then asked to be cut. She had just opened a tattoo studio, and that was her priority. Today, she’s a world-renowned color realism Tattoo Artist with her own ink line and multiple tattoo shops. She also runs a coaching platform, has appeared on TV, and is raising a six-year-old. She’s one of Ink Different’s Master Mentors, too.
On this episode of Tattoo Shop Tango, she sat down with us and co-host Chico Cortez. They talked about how she makes it all work, why every Tattoo Artist needs a coach, and what to do when people you’ve trained move on.
Key Takeaways
She said yes before she knew how: Liz never planned to own a tattoo shop. She stepped forward and trusted it would work out.
Get feedback from outside your head: Liz says every Tattoo Artist and shop owner needs a coach or Mentor to keep growing and avoid burnout.
Use the “go-getter loop”: Set goals, get feedback, grow, reflect, and repeat.
Run the numbers first: Before leaving a tattoo shop split or opening your own, write a real business plan.
Give new ventures time: Liz says a new tattoo machine can take 10 to 50 uses to feel right. New ventures deserve the same patience.
Who Is Liz Cook?
Liz Cook is a color realism Tattoo Artist, tattoo shop owner, coach, and one of Ink Different’s Master Mentors. She was the first Tattoo Artist to sign on to Ink Different’s Master Mentorship.
She also has her own ink line and appeared on TLC’s Tattoo Girls. These days, people in her tattoo shops call her “mom,” and she’s happy to take on that role.
Liz never planned to own a tattoo shop. Her husband at the time had a vision, and she believed in him and in them as a team. They started with a simple goal: a place where they could work for themselves. Then other Tattoo Artists asked to join, and they realized they were good at running a tattoo shop.
That opened her eyes to an entrepreneurial side she didn’t know she had.
How Does Liz Cook Balance Multiple Tattoo Shops, TV, Coaching, and Motherhood?
Liz balances it by trusting herself, giving herself grace, and learning which projects to let go of.
She steps forward before she has every answer
Liz has seen the same pattern throughout her life. When she started college, she didn’t know how she’d pay for it. It worked out, and she eventually paid off the debt through tattooing. Owning tattoo shops felt the same way.
Her view is simple. Either you get good at something and love it, or you find out it’s not for you and move on to what you do love.
She learned to stop doing everything
After her first tattoo studio took off, Liz wanted to be involved in everything. Eventually, she ran out of capacity. She had to get specific about what truly aligned with her and remove the rest.
She turned down TV for her tattoo studio
When Ink Master’s second season reached out, Liz auditioned and got accepted. Then the producers planned to cut the cast roughly in half. The pay was about $250 a week, and Liz’s tattoo studio had just opened. She asked them to cut her. She trusted another TV opportunity would come.
It did. Casting for TLC’s Tattoo Girls found her through an interview she’d done for a women Tattoo Artists’ website. She expected to be the main character. Instead, she became the “mom” of the group.
She paces herself
Liz admits she pushes hard. She jokes that she has two inner voices. One asks what she was thinking. The other tells her she’s got this.
When she takes on too much, she asks how to rebalance and pace herself. Having a six-year-old has taught her to treat herself with the same gentleness she shows her daughter.
Mentor Insight: Liz asks herself when it’s time to sprint, when it’s time to jog, and when it’s time to rest. Knowing the difference helps her avoid burnout.
Why Does Learning From a Mentor Like Liz Matter?
Learning from a Mentor matters because, as Liz says, education never stops, and you need feedback from someone outside yourself.
Chico shared a pattern he’s seen many times. Tattoo Artists leave for private tattoo studios so they don’t have to answer to anyone. But many come back because they stagnate creatively. There’s no one to bounce ideas off of or check their placement.
Liz’s answer is to work with a coach and have a few Mentors. In her coaching, she teaches what she calls the “go-getter loop”:
Set goals.
Get feedback, both from yourself and from people outside yourself.
Grow.
Reflect.
Repeat.
She says many Tattoo Artists struggle with perfectionism, imposter syndrome, and people-pleasing. She did too. At first, she was afraid to be imperfect in front of a coach.
She also notes that problems grow when you ignore them. Some people wait until a wall gets so big it makes the decision for them. Her coaching helps Tattoo Artists keep those walls manageable.
What Can You Learn From a Multi-Hyphenate Tattoo Artist?
From Liz, you learn that a tattoo career can grow in many directions, as long as you’re honest about your capacity.
Craft: Liz is known worldwide for color realism, and she still tattoos.
Business: She runs multiple tattoo shops and coaches other owners.
Education: About a year into owning her first tattoo studio, Liz wanted to build an education model for tattooing. She had loved her traditional academic art training. When she saw others teaching first, she felt jealous. She used that as a push to build her own platform, Candid Color.
Patience: Liz says it can take 10 to 50 uses of a new tattoo machine before it feels right. New ventures need the same patience.
Flexibility: She reminds Tattoo Artists that this is a lifetime career, and it’s okay to change your mind.
When Chico shared that someone paid another coach $10,000 for the same advice he’d given for free, Liz had a quick answer. That’s a sign to start charging for consulting.
How Do You Build a Career With This Kind of Range?
You build range by mastering your craft, getting honest feedback, and planning before every big move.
Step 1: Commit to real training. Start with a structured tattoo apprenticeship, like Ink Different’s Traditional Tattoo Apprenticeship.
Step 2: Master the fundamentals. Line work, shading, machine control, and safety come first, including the OSHA bloodborne pathogens standard.
Step 3: Find Mentors and a coach. Liz says she wishes she’d worked with a coach sooner. If money is tight, start by talking to other shop owners or Tattoo Artists you respect.
Step 4: Write a business plan. Chico points out that Tattoo Artists often leave a tattoo shop split thinking they’ll keep 100%. Then rent, supplies, and other costs show up. Liz agrees. Run the numbers and ask whether you have the time and capacity to sustain it.
Step 5: Protect your time. Liz helps Tattoo Artists map out their calendars. For example, she might suggest batching content into one focused day a month.
Step 6: Expand when you’re ready. Coaching, products, or a tattoo shop of your own can come later. Give each one time before deciding if it’s right.
If you are a career-changer, our post on a career change tattoo apprenticeship will help you take that first brave step and see how quickly your life can shift.
What You Can Expect From Our Traditional Tattoo Apprenticeship
Ink Different’s Traditional Tattoo Apprenticeship is an 18 to 24 month, four-phase tattoo apprenticeship that takes beginners to job-ready Tattoo Artists with licensing support.
Liz has seen the results firsthand. She’s mentoring Clarice Dumas, a Tattoo Artist who came to her through Ink Different. Liz calls Clarice a phenomenal person with real passion for art and tattooing. She says Clarice was a perfect fit for how she thinks and teaches, and she’s impressed by how hard Clarice works.
Here’s what you can expect:
Hands-on training: You learn in person from experienced Mentors inside a working tattoo studio.
Beginner-friendly: No prior experience required. You’ll learn drawing, machine control, and safety.
Licensing support: Guidance through your state’s requirements.
A guaranteed job offer: You’ll receive a guaranteed job offer at one of Ink Different’s tattoo studios.
This is a career that comes with confidence. You’ll finish with job-ready skills, licensing support, and a guaranteed job offer at one of Ink Different’s tattoo studios.
Mentorship That Pushes Your Brand and Skills Further
Ink Different’s Master Mentorship connects Tattoo Artists with Master Mentors, including Liz Cook, Al Fliction, Kyle Dunbar, Boneface, and Jordi Pla.
Chico says the idea for Master Mentorship came together as he and Ink Different began building education programs. Liz was the first Master Mentor to sign on.
Learning from Master Mentors sharpens your technique and your business sense. It’s also the kind of outside feedback Liz says every Tattoo Artist needs.
Making Tattoo Training Accessible for Everyone
Ink Different offers Spanish-speaking locations in Denver, Orange County, New York City, Miami, San Antonio, and San Diego.
Ink Different has trained Tattoo Artists for 15 years. Along with tattoo apprenticeships, Ink Different runs retail locations and film and TV production, all to support excellence in the craft and community. As we see it, the community around the craft is its heartbeat.
That’s also why Tattoo Shop Tango exists. Shop owners face the same challenges, and it helps to know you’re not alone.
Ready to Become a Tattoo Artist?
Liz Cook never planned to own a tattoo shop. She said yes, learned as she went, and kept growing. She also learned to let go when people moved on.
When a Tattoo Artist leaves, Liz first asks what she could have done better. Sometimes it’s just the natural next step in that person’s journey. She once opened a collaborative tattoo studio with a Tattoo Artist who came up through her shop. It ended after he and his wife divorced, and he now runs his own private tattoo studio. Liz holds no hard feelings.
Chico has been there, too. After his own divorce, his business partner decided to go out on her own, and he still wishes her the best. Early on, he treated his tattoo shop like a gang you could never leave, and he got angry when people left. Eventually, he realized shop owners are like landscapers. They plant flowers in gardens that aren’t theirs, and they’re happy just to see them grow.
Liz sees it as a rising tide that raises all ships.
For tattoo shop owners: Explore Ink Different’s shop owner training to build the systems and support your tattoo shop needs.
For aspiring Tattoo Artists: Apply now to Ink Different's Traditional Tattoo Apprenticeship and start building an AI-proof career with licensing support and a guaranteed job offer. Prefer to explore first? Fill out our quick questionnaire to see if it’s the right fit.
To work with Liz, message her on Instagram at @lizcooktattoo, or book a free intro call at candidcolortattoos.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Liz Cook?
Liz Cook is a color realism Tattoo Artist, tattoo shop owner, coach, and Ink Different Master Mentor. She has her own ink line and appeared on TLC’s Tattoo Girls.
Why did Liz Cook turn down Ink Master?
She had just opened her tattoo studio, and the show paid about $250 a week. She asked to be cut so she could focus on her business.
What is the “go-getter loop”?
It’s Liz’s coaching framework: set goals, get feedback, grow, reflect, and repeat.
How long does the Traditional Tattoo Apprenticeship take?
Ink Different’s Traditional Tattoo Apprenticeship takes 18 to 24 months across four phases, with licensing support and a guaranteed job offer.
Should I open my own tattoo shop or go private?
Liz recommends writing a business plan first. Account for rent, supplies, and your time before leaving a tattoo shop split.
How can I work with Liz Cook?
Message her on Instagram at @lizcooktattoo or book a free intro call at candidcolortattoos.com.
