Tampa Florida Tattoo School
Tattoo Apprenticeships in Florida
Ink Different Tattoo School - 1602 E 3rd Ave, Tampa, FL 33605
Our Florida Tattoo School and Apprenticeship Program in Tampa are located in Ybor City, on 3rd Avenue right around the corner from the boutiques, restaurants, bars, and clubs on 7th Avenue. It’s an inspiring and diverse neighborhood with a rich history. Our Studio is only blocks away from the Cadrecha Plaza Station (#4) for light rail.
Tampa Tattoo Apprenticeship Program
Ink Different Tattoo School - 1602 E 3rd Ave, Tampa, FL 33605
Our Florida Tattoo School is located at Ink Different, in a neighborhood known for its colorful murals, great nightlife, and vibrant artist culture.
If you are serious about becoming a Tattoo Artist, then we’re ready to talk with you about joining our tattoo apprenticeship program. Our mission is to ensure equal opportunity in the tattoo industry, worldwide. And we're looking for talented artists from all walks of life, like you.
We are proud to offer our Tattoo Apprentices something they can only count on if they complete their apprenticeship at Ink Different:
- Guaranteed Job Offer
How to Become a Tattoo Artist in Florida
Our Tampa Bay Tattoo Apprenticeship is only for people who are serious about changing careers, or transforming their lives, and becoming exceptional Tattoo Artists. We are fortunate to have developed a small handful of Tattoo Artists who are willing and able to train future apprentices in a safe, structured environment, that works.
Once in our Tampa studio, you’ll be trained to implement impeccable tattoos on clients, while gaining the skills, work experience, and professional development you need to launch your career as a Tattoo Artist. Apprenticeships generally take 1 year to complete.
Follow Us @inkdifferenttampa
Love looking at tattoos? Check out our shop's Instagram @inkdifferenttampa to scroll through tattoos from our awesome team. Once you explore our feed, we're sure you'll be interested in joining us so you can start your own tattoo portfolio!
Why Become A Tattoo Artist in Tampa, Florida
Ahh, the Big Guava… “What?” you say. Well if you know people from Tampa, they know the nickname for Tampa that’s a spin-off from NYC “Big Apple,” which comes from the fruit that never really worked out well in Tampa, yet attracted Vicente Martinez-Ybor, a cigar entrepreneur whose name adorns the coolest part of town, Ybor City.
YBOR CITY
With the look and feel of a young Los Angeles, at a fraction of the price, in a sunshine state with no personal income tax, Tampa’s population has been booming, and Ink Different has placed itself right in Ybor City.
Check it out, is this place cool or what?
Ybor City is the center of nightlife in Tampa. Nicknamed “Cigar City” of course, because of its origins, you can find more than just your tobacco fix in Ybor. The nightlife scene is non-stop, and tattoo studios are everywhere.
Did you know that the Cuban Sandwich was invented in Ybor City? Be you didn’t! No, it was not invented in Cuba or Miami, but in Tampa by cigar factory workers from Cuba in Ybor City!
Music History in Tampa
When it comes to music legends, Ray Charles got his start in Tampa playing the clubs on Central Ave. Ella Fitzgerald and Cab Calloway also frequented the clubs on Central Ave, building their fame and notary as amazing talents. You’ll never guess this, yet the dance “The Twist” was invented in Tampa. Hank Ballard, the man who wrote the song Chubby Checker, was inspired by seeing teenagers dancing on Central Avenue during its heyday in the 1950s. "The Twist" was the B-side of its record, but quickly became a national sensation when Checker performed it on "American Bandstand." With roots this deep and all the people from LA and NYC relocating to Tampa, we expect big things from the Tampa music scene.
Neighborhood Trends - Seminole Heights
On that note, while Ybor might be your tattoo and evening stomping grounds, Seminole Heights has become the go-to relocation area for artists from LA and NYC. When you go there, it will absolutely remind you of Silver Lake in Los Angeles and Williamsburg in Brooklyn. Just check out Hood Maps, and you’ll Seminole Heights is on the rise.
More Nightlife
Another place to hang out and meet future tattoo clients is Armature Works, right on Hillsboro River. This 73,000 square foot mixed-use commercial space has multiple event spaces, a co-shared workspace and many bars and restaurants. It originally held street cars, then a phosphate factory, and now it's just awesome. Our favorite restaurant, Strandhill Public, is just on the outside and run by some New York transplants who bring high standards and grapefruit-flavored beer to Tampa.
UNEXPECTED ART - Salvatore Dali Museum
And the most unexpected thing if you’re not from the Tampa Bay area, is the level of inspiration our artists can soak in when they visit the Salvatore Dali Museum!
You must know of Dali, right? Did you know that he did not create surrealism, yet simply infiltrated it, disrupted it, and then jaunted off to America to become famous? And then once he started reading Freud… well, the rest is history.
Street Art
Just like our other locations, Tampa street art is massive, powerful, and inspirational. The City of Tampa is so supportive, they have an entire team to help land owners commission murals and street art! Check these out!
Sports in Tampa
Now we know that not all artists care about local sports teams. We get it, yet your clients do! When a team is on a roll, the local loyalty builds and so do requests for tattoos inspired by the teams and their players.
From a sports perspective, Tampa has been kickin’ butt! The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won Super Bowl LV in 2020 against the Kansas City Chiefs by a score of 31–9. Love him or hate him, Tom Brady has shown that age matters less than most sports fans thought, by leading Tampa Bay to the win in his 40s!
The Tampa Bay Lightning won the 2020 Stanley Cup Finals by beating the Dallas Stars in six games, and the 2021 Stanley Cup Finals by beating the Montreal Canadiens in five games. Can anyway say “what!” - the sunshine state beating the frozen Canadians in hockey… are you kidding me?
Your Career As A Tattoo Artist in Tampa, Florida
Ink Different is now in the Tampa Bay area, not to be disrupters like Dali but to open up tattoo apprenticeships in ways that are way less disruptive to the local art community and as inspiring as championship teams.
We are here to give every artist a chance to make a living from their art, take the pressure off the other local artists to provide apprenticeships and build our artist family in a way that serves all the tattoo lovers who are moving to Tampa for the cheap rent, all year sunshine, insanely good sports teams, and the kind of opportunities only afforded in growing cities. Come see us!