We were lucky to catch up with Steff Leppard recently and have shared our conversation below.

Steff, appreciate you joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

Starting a new career is always risky. It’s like you hit a reset button and you have to start from the beginning. I knew going into the tattoo industry would be difficult at first. You only have friends and family and from there, it is word of mouth essentially. When I decided to jump, I had to devote all my time and invest in order to advance. I had no idea if I would be able to afford living expenses in the beginning. During the time I first started my apprenticeship, I was unemployed due to my work closing. I knew I was limited on time to begin making enough to support myself so I worked very hard, almost every day.
As a 30-year-old, switching from a corporate environment to becoming an independent artist is difficult. Many people think by that age you should have a career, a family, a home, and be successful. When I ask myself what success means, it’s measured by happiness. It’s doing my passion every day. No matter what career I would have, I would always find myself itching to create. Which is why I knew I needed to take the leap now or never. It was risky and it was scary at first, but something I tell myself is to always trust that everything will work out. If you follow your passion, the rest will fall into place. Now, I am about 6 months in tattooing and microblading full-time and I am able to support myself. I can’t wait to see what doors this will open for me as an artist.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I go by Steff Leppard (she/her) and I am a Tattoo Apprentice and certified Microblading artist from Pennsylvania. I currently work at Tattoocek Ink Studio in Gilbertsville, PA. I have a background in fine arts and art therapy as well. I have always been curious about the tattoo industry. I used to actually draw tattoos with sharpie on my friends in high school. I remember talking about tattooing as a career and my parents were not very thrilled about the idea at first (they eventually grew supportive). When I went off to college, I studied art as my undergrad. I would find myself designing tattoos for friends for fun and never really knew what to use my art degree for. Later on, I would begin taking Master’s courses in art therapy while working full-time at a corporate job. When that job closed down, I had an opportunity to build a portfolio and research how to find an apprenticeship. Shortly after, I found Tattoocek Ink Studio and was able to start right away.
I would say I am most proud of never giving up on what I love. I would want people to know that I want my clients to feel comfortable and happy no matter what. You should always feel comfortable with your artist and feel safe!

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Initially, being an artist alone was seen as unsuccessful. You always hear things like “you can’t make money doing art” or “how will you support yourself? What kind of career is there in art?”. The truth is, art is limitless. There are so many art forms, I have a hard time focusing on one creative thing I enjoy. There is really too many to choose from. I have had people doubt my decision in going into the art field many times but it has actually made me more driven to prove I can support myself by doing what I love.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

To reflect on the previous story, I think if people were educated on the multiple careers in creative paths, it would be eye-opening. There are so many fields in the arts people can be successful in. Teachers, therapists, photographers, musicians, and dancers, just to list a few. Without art, I think many of us would be lost and feel constricted. Through my journey and experience, I was never happy working in a corporate environment. I needed to have creative freedom and I wanted to have flexibility. In a way, you can compare it to an individual contractor. You work hard to build your success but if you don’t take the work or make the hours, you can fail. Many tattooers that I know are the hardest working people and are very successful.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @steffleppardtattoos
• Facebook: Steff Leppard Tattoos

Image Credits
Don Zielstorf