We recently connected with Ima Leupp and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Ima thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?
What I continue to learn about success is that I cannot give up, especially when it’s so hard I question what I’m doing.
I’ve given everything I had to a company that completely failed, I left another company after burning out, I have struggled with alcoholism, substance abuse disorder, and recovery, I left my industry for 2 years, I’ve lost and gained relationships, I’ve lived on couches and gone hungry. It’s strange that so many years of my life can be summed up in so few sentences. I have learned that if one things fails, I have to get back up and use the lessons to start the next thing.
I have to remember that I’m never starting from square one, I still have all the experience I’ve gained.
I know I can’t do anything else except what I’m doing, and what I’m building. I’ve tried everything else, I’ve failed and succeeded more than I could have ever imagined possible and I realize I have no other options outside of creating art with people I believe in.
The only other thing I believe about success is being respectful towards the people I collaborate with. More than the quality of my work, people remember how I treat them and how I prioritize communication. A positive attitude has opened more doors for me than my portfolio could alone.
Ima , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I moved to Austin for the music industry. I wanted to find a band again more than anything. I picked up a pack of cigarettes (when I used to smoke) that claimed Austin was the live music capital of the world so I packed up my car and moved a week later.
I met my business partner, Joseph Hassage, in a vegan co-op near campus in 2010. He was the first person to put a camera in my hands and teach me how to compose shots. He has been the most supportive person in my life and has pushed me to be the best I can be. He consistently challenges me to grow and is the rock in our company. None of this would be possible without him.
I tumbled into a film company on accident and found myself on set with a camera taking behind the scenes photos. The company took me under their wing and trained me. M. Andrew Barrera and Shaggy Welsh from 360 Studios really trained me to find my own voice and taught me the rules early on. I’ll never forget how supported I was.
Currently I run a small media company with my business partner that focuses on collaborating on visuals with musicians. We do music videos, live performances, album covers, photography, and social media content. My background in music has fueled me with a passion to be a vehicle for performers to create and use their voice with confidence when it comes to creating visuals that align with their vision.
I am proud of the quality of work we have been lucky enough to create with the amazing artists we’ve had the fortune of collaborating with and the relationships we’ve built with performers we believe in.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being a creative, for me, is that I don’t feel like I’m wasting my time.
I work almost every day, but a lot of the time it doesn’t feel like work. I have this super sick job that I want to brag about. I am finally at a place where I can choose the projects I want to work on.
Half of the time, I feel like I’m hanging out just making things with my friends. Like I found this secret, little life loophole. I get to work with my favorite bands making beautiful images, I get to travel and I have caught myself thinking if I die tomorrow, I don’t feel like I gave up a part of myself.
I used to work in a funeral home and I would pick up people that were my age or younger and it really cemented the concept of mortality. It hit me one day, if I died I would regret not doing every single thing I could do to do the things that make me feel the most alive.
I get to create beautiful photos and videos and I have this amazing opportunity to constantly be amazed at what humanity is capable of. Music is the most powerful form of art that we have been graced with and it is genuinely my pleasure to find ways to support and enhance that experience.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
The goal of my creative journey is to collaborate with artists I believe in and to build a place where other artists feel safe expressing their visions and trusting us to help them.
I want to create a space for performers to create visual art on their own terms. I don’t ever want one of my collaborators to feel limited by what they feel like they have to do.
I just don’t ever want to stop doing what we’re doing. I want to look back on my life and feel pride in what we’ve created.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.seamlessloopfilms.com/
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/imashoots
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=seamless%20loop%20productions
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@seamlessloopproductionsllc1707/videos
Image Credits
Jynx Garza Colorblind Samara Simpson Sam Harding Skydxddy The Used Badflower MISSIO