Apprentice Spotlight: Why Medical Assistant Ashley Pietkiewicz Chose a Creative Career in Tattooing

It started with favors. Friends asked Ashley Pietkiewicz to draw designs for their tattoos, and the more she did it, the more she loved it. Eventually, her friends and family said what they’d been thinking: why not cut out the middleman and become the Tattoo Artist yourself? Ashley has worked as a medical assistant for 10 years, and she loves medicine. But it never gave her the creative outlet she wanted. 

Today, she’s training in Ink Different’s Traditional Tattoo Apprenticeship, working toward Ink Different’s location in New Haven, Connecticut. In her Apprentice Spotlight interview, she explained why she decided to pursue a creative career.

Who is Ashley Pietkiewicz?

Ashley Pietkiewicz is a medical assistant from Queens, New York. She earned her medical assistant license in New York and has worked in medicine for 10 years, much of it supporting the LGBTQIA+ community.

She’s always loved art and has been drawing for a long time. Today, she balances her medical job with her tattoo apprenticeship, while raising a young daughter with her husband.

Why would a medical assistant leave a stable job for tattooing?

Ashley hasn’t left medicine. She still works as a medical assistant while she trains. But she’s chosen tattooing as her future, and she had to explain that choice to others.

Some people in her life questioned why she’d step away from a stable 10-year career. Ashley’s answer was honest. “As much as I love medicine,” she says, “I had to tell those people in my life and tell myself that I wanted to pursue something that I was more passionate about.” She wanted something with a creative outlet, “something as fun and as lasting as tattooing.”

It didn’t happen overnight. She started her Ink Different application, then fell out of touch and stopped answering emails for months. Burnout in medicine and constant encouragement from her husband eventually pushed her to reach back out.

Reality check: Ashley didn’t stop caring about medicine. She just realized she needed creativity in her work, too.

If you’re feeling the same pull, read why a tattoo apprenticeship is perfect for career changers.

What skills transfer from healthcare to tattooing?

Ashley found two big connections between medicine and tattooing.

• Sanitation: Her medical background gave her a strong foundation for tattooing’s strict sanitation requirements, including the OSHA bloodborne pathogens standard.
• The training structure: Becoming a medical assistant meant classes followed by an externship. She found her tattoo apprenticeship very similar, with classes first and in-studio work later.

She’s not the only one to make this switch. Charmaine, a Tattoo Artist at Ink Different’s New Haven location, spent about 10 years in the medical field before changing careers to tattooing.

How do you make the switch from a dead-end job to tattooing?

Ashley’s job wasn’t a dead end. It was fulfilling, just not creative. Her path into tattooing offers a few steps anyone can follow:

Step 1: Notice what people ask you for

Friends kept asking Ashley for tattoo designs. That was her first sign.

Step 2: Listen to the people who believe in you

Friends, family, and especially her husband encouraged her to pursue it.

Step 3: Come back if you step away

Ashley started her application, then disappeared for months. When she reached back out, Ink Different set up a meeting quickly, and she submitted her art.

Step 4: Show up, even if you’re shy

Ashley admits she was shy at first. But her first class, with Martin, made her feel so welcome that she signed up for another class the next day.

Step 5: Make room in your schedule

She fits classes around work and family, and she says she looks forward to them.

Before you start, read about the mistakes aspiring tattoo apprentices should avoid and the tools every beginner Tattoo Artist should know. To start building your name, see these platforms to help Tattoo Artists build their brand.

Why is tattooing an AI-proof creative career?

Ashley sees tattooing as a lasting field. It has been around “for years and years and years,” she says.

The interviewer added that with everything happening in AI, tattooing is one of the places “we’re pretty confident it’s still going to be here.” Tattooing depends on human skill and the connection between a Tattoo Artist and a client.

Read more on why Tattoo Artists are still essential.

What is Ink Different’s Traditional Tattoo Apprenticeship?

Ink Different’s Traditional Tattoo Apprenticeship is an 18 to 24 month, four-phase tattoo apprenticeship built for beginners. Ink Different has trained Tattoo Artists for 15 years. No prior art experience is required.

• Phase One: Art and design, online.
• Phase Two: Machine practice on synthetic skin, online.
• Phase Three: Supervised tattoos on real clients in a tattoo studio.
• Phase Four: Building independence and preparing for licensing.

Ashley loves the community in her classes. Apprentices at different stages learn together, and she says seeing everyone’s work is better than looking online for inspiration. She’s enjoyed all of her instructors, including Martin, Jake, and Julian.

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 own tattoo studios. The Traditional Tattoo Apprenticeship is available at 60+ tattoo studios nationwide.

What is the Master Mentorship program?

Once you’ve built your foundation, Ink Different’s Master Mentorship connects you with Master Mentors, including Al Fliction, Liz Cook, Kyle Dunbar, Boneface, Jordi Pla, Marcel Oliveira, and Kara Gutierrez.

How does Ink Different make training accessible?

The online early phases make it possible to train around a job and family, like Ashley does. Ink Different also offers Spanish-speaking locations in Denver, Orange County, New York City, Miami, San Antonio, and San Diego. Its “Good Humans” culture means you join a supportive community from day one.

Seats are limited, with only two apprentices per tattoo studio per Mentor.

Ready to become a Tattoo Artist?

Ashley Pietkiewicz chose passion over comfort, even when others questioned it. Now, coming home from work, sitting down to draw, and joining class is what she looks forward to most.

“When you finally start doing it and you actually take the leap,” she says, “it becomes just so worth it.”

Ready to become a Tattoo Artist? Apply now to Ink Different’s Traditional Tattoo Apprenticeship and start building an AI-proof creative career with licensing support and a guaranteed job offer at one of Ink Different’s own tattoo studios.