We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jared Rolf. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jared below.

Jared, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

It definitely was not full time from the start. Piercing does not hand you stability just because you know how to hold a needle. In the beginning I was working side jobs, staying up late, and wondering if this would ever really pay my bills. Things changed when I stopped treating it like a hobby and started running it like both a craft and a business.

I invested in better tools, found mentors who cared about both safety and style, and built trust with clients one piercing at a time. Word of mouth is everything in this work. Every healed piercing that looked perfect became its own little billboard walking around town.

Over time the clientele grew, and I surrounded myself with a shop that matched my standards. Covenant Tattoo became home base. It is creative, professional, and full of people who genuinely care about what they do. Once I had the right environment and reputation, everything else followed.

Could I have sped it up? Maybe, if I had learned earlier that technical skill is only half the job. The other half is people. How you communicate, set boundaries, and make someone feel safe in your chair. Once I understood that, everything started to make sense.

Jared, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a professional piercer at Covenant Tattoo in Fort Collins, Colorado. My path into this industry started with curiosity and a deep respect for body modification as both art and ritual. What drew me in was the combination of precision, anatomy, and human connection. Piercing is not just decoration. It is a controlled, intentional act that becomes a part of someone’s identity.

I started like most people in this field do, by sweeping floors and watching closely. I learned that a clean station, steady hands, and good communication are the foundation of everything. Over time I trained, studied technique, and learned how to read both anatomy and emotion. A piercing is not only about placement. It is about making a person feel safe, seen, and confident.

At Covenant Tattoo, I offer professional body piercing services using implant grade jewelry and sterile technique. Every piece of jewelry that leaves my room is chosen for fit, comfort, and healing. I focus on anatomy based placements that look intentional on each person’s body rather than following trends that might not suit them. I also help clients curate their piercings so they flow together as one cohesive look rather than a random collection of holes.

The problems I solve are often about trust and confidence. Many clients come in nervous or unsure. My job is to create a calm, informed space where they know they are being cared for by someone who takes every detail seriously. What sets me apart is that I balance technical precision with patience and empathy. I am proud of how consistent my work is and how often clients tell me they felt genuinely comfortable from start to finish.

What I want people to know about my work and about Covenant Tattoo is that we treat every service as an experience, not a transaction. It is a collaboration between artist and client, and that partnership is what makes it meaningful. I care about every person who sits in my chair and want them to leave with something that feels personal, intentional, and built to last.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Society could start by actually valuing creative work instead of treating it like a hobby that magically pays rent. Too often people expect art, tattoos, music, design, and piercing to exist purely for inspiration while forgetting that the people behind them still have bills and bodies that get tired. Support means more than applause. It means respect for time, skill, and the years of learning that go into making something look effortless.

One of the best things communities can do is invest locally. Go to the shops in your city, buy from artists directly, and stop asking for discounts from people whose hands literally create your self-expression. Real support also means teaching young people that creative careers are legitimate paths, not backup plans.

On a bigger level, a thriving creative ecosystem needs space to exist. Affordable studio rent, access to tools, and less red tape around small business ownership make a huge difference. When artists can actually afford to stay in the cities they help make interesting, everyone wins.

At the end of the day, art in any form is what gives a place its heartbeat. If society wants creativity to thrive, it has to stop treating it like decoration and start seeing it as infrastructure.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

What most non-creatives miss is that doing this kind of work means living with a constant mix of pride and doubt. Every piercing, every decision about placement or jewelry, carries the weight of someone else’s trust. You’re making a permanent mark on a living person, and no matter how many times you’ve done it, there’s always a little voice asking if it’s perfect. That pressure never really goes away, and I don’t think people outside the creative world understand how much mental energy it takes to keep showing up and caring that deeply.

There’s also the misconception that creativity is spontaneous. That we just “feel inspired” and magic happens. In reality, it’s structure, repetition, and discipline. A clean station, properly sterilized tools, and exact measurements are not glamorous, but they are what make the art possible. Most of what I do is quiet focus, not wild bursts of inspiration.

The last thing people tend to miss is that creative work doesn’t stop when you clock out. Your brain stays on. You think about your next client, the next project, the next way to make it better. It’s rewarding, but it asks everything of you. I wouldn’t trade it, but it’s not the effortless dream people imagine. It’s a commitment to care, over and over again, even when no one sees the work behind it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.holesomepleasures.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/piercingsbyjared?igsh=aXYyMzZkY215cWhy&utm_source=qr