Story & Lesson Highlights with Lisa Winter of Downtown Phoenix

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Lisa Winter. Check out our conversation below.

Lisa, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What is a normal day like for you right now?
I’d say my days recently have been pretty focused on the things that bring me joy. Spending time with my pets, my wonderful partner, and of course, making art. I have a live-in cat alarm clock that lets me know when it’s time to get up and feed everyone breakfast, so I get to start my day with lots of love! From there, I’ll usually check my schedule, email and the socials, make a mental list of what I need to tackle for the day, and get to it! Of course, it can be hard to not accidentally doom scroll and lose track of time. But hey, we try. I’ve been tattooing some really fun stuff lately out of the new designs I have available. So that’s definitely been a good motivator to stay on task and come up with some fun new flash!

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Lisa, but the internet knows me as Tenderstabs! I’m a tattooer in Phoenix, Arizona. I’ve been an artist my whole life, and started tattooing in 2018. I love big, bold, bright colors, and I think my work definitely shows that! I do a large range of styles— cute little line work pieces, watercolor, neotraditional, anime, black work, you name it! My start was in more of an American traditional style, taught by my mentor. But over the years, I’ve taken those fundamentals and have started to build up styles of my own. I think being able to experiment like that is one of my favorite parts about my job. I love being able to take what I know, expand on it— almost translate it into my creative language, if you will, and then try to bring something new to the table.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
Oh, what a fun question! It’s funny, because I was actually just thinking about this the other day. I have these glimpses of memories of young me just being so lost in curiosity. I spent so much time just observing. Absorbing everything around me to try and understand how things worked. And, at times, feeling so overwhelmed by it all. I drew and, later, wrote a lot to try and make sense of life. And what I was realized the other day was that I actually live my life right now in a way that is more authentic to that younger self than I ever have before. That curiosity, creativity, and even anxiety has never faded. But I’m able to channel it into my tattooing— which has honestly been my saving grace.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Grief and suffering are so complicated. It can knock us back, slow us down, make us want to give up. But I think the beauty in that struggle is the resilience gained. As you’re learning to navigate life through your burdens, you’re forced to grow, to push yourself in new ways. That slowing down can be an invitation to reflect. To shed what you no longer need, and to refocus on what keeps you going. I’ve experienced a lot of loss recently, and the grief has been weighing on me heavily. While it’s been hard, it’s also been an exercise in recentering. A reminder for all the things I have to be grateful for— and that I have the strength to get through the harder seasons of life. We need moments of suffering to reconnect with that strength, to remember all the good, and to propel us forward.

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Is the public version of you the real you?
I’d say so! I mean, we all know that social media will always be a sugar coated version to a certain extent. But I do try to be as vulnerable as I can. At the very least I’d say my public self is genuine. Even if it’s not every aspect of my life being shown. I’d say the main things I keep more to myself are my mental health struggles. I don’t post too much about that just because I feel like it’s something I’m working on for myself and I’d like to keep it for myself. But my clients will know that once we’re tattooing, I’m like an open book. My clients are often incredibly vulnerable with me about what’s going on in their lives. If they’re in the place for it, we get into deep conversation and I totally over share, haha.

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. If you retired tomorrow, what would your customers miss most?
Well the easy answer would be my tattoos! More specifically, I think they would miss my attention to detail and creative flare that I put into bringing their ideas to life. I also hope that maybe they would miss chatting with me! Who doesn’t love a good judgement-free place to spill their tea? I pride myself in making a safe and comfortable space for my clients. Whether it’s requesting a change to your design, moving your stencil as many times as needed, or listening to your life’s trials, you never have to worry about not being heard or respected in my studio. Good thing I’m not retiring any time soon! Or probably ever, honestly. Haha.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @tenderstabs