We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Stevie Heptig a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Stevie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights 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?

I have been very fortunate with my career. I signed my first professional performance contract in 2017 when I was 20 years old, to be a singer in a show touring the Dominican Republic. Since then, I have performed on many contracts throughout the world as either a dancer, singer, or actor. I have worked in NYC, LA, Las Vegas, the Dominican Republic, Germany, Kansas, Missouri, Florida, Guam, and multiple cruise ships sailing to Alaska, the Caribbean, the Baltic, the United Kingdom, and more.
Of course as a performer, there are always waves of too much work, and waves of not enough work. However, looking back, I can say I have been quite lucky and have had consistent work performing for the past 8-10 years. I have been able to earn a full-time living supporting myself as a creative. Of course, I have had side jobs here and there, but when it comes down to it, my performance jobs have supported me financially. Covid was difficult for everyone, performers included, but somehow, I was able to work through the majority of it.. although not without its complications.
I do think- had I stayed put in one city, and not attempted to travel around so much, that maybe I could have settled and made more money after establishing myself somewhere for a few years. However, I have no regrets with the trajectory of my career. I traveled so much at the start of it, and have made a name for myself in multiple cities, including my home in Las Vegas. I do not feel I am finished with traveling and performing, but it has been great to stay put for a bit and support myself for a solid 4 years- performing consistently in shows on the strip.

Stevie, 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 am a dancer from a small town in Kansas. I have been dancing and singing for my entire life, and I originally enrolled in colleges for the pre-vet program. However, one trip to NYC changed my trajectory completely and I realized I could not give up performing. I attended a ballet conservatory for 1 year and then moved to Las Vegas at 19 to attend a prep school for its first ever year of opening. It was a huge risk with no promised outcome, and it was the best decision I have made for my career. After attending TAPS (which is now on year 10 and has grown immensely) I booked my first contract, as a singer, and moved to the Dominican Republic for 6 months. Since then, I have lived in LA for a very short moment; I then lived in New York for 3 years dancing, singing, and acting in numerous projects; I lived and worked on and off cruise ships sailing the world for 2 years; I performed for 4 months dancing in Germany; and I have traveled to multiple states judging dance competitions. I love to say that I do not want to just be a dancer. I want to do everything I can as a performer. One of my favorite jobs that was so random, and only meant to be a 2 week long gig, turned into a 6 month job that started an entire career journey. I was hired as a look alike for a character being brought to life on a cruise ship. I had to learn how to speak in an english accent, deal poker, and dress/act like a pirate queen. I helped create this character and grow it from a possible thought, to now a job that employs over 15 girls on multiple ships. After I had been extended for 6 months, I was then hired by Carnival Corporation to train the new actresses for this character we had developed. That job took me all over the world and I will forever be grateful to it.
I have lived in Las Vegas the past 4 years steadily performing in numerous shows, and I could not be happier. It has been a blessing having consistent, reliable work and income as a dancer for 4 years. It has also allowed me to support myself fully in going back to school full-time all while still performing every night in shows. I would say that is what I am most proud of.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

This past year was definitely the hardest for me personally. Solely because I pushed myself to my limits. I performed nightly in two separate shows, as well as gogo dancing 1-2 times/week after shows at night, and then attended school full time for 7 months to earn my Advanced Aesthetician license. My typical day would be school from 9-4:30, straight to shows until midnight, and then on weekends I would gogo until 3am.
I continued working out and training, keeping great progress at school, rehearsing for my shows, and somehow tried to include social moments in there as well. I also lived in my own apartment and supported myself financially with school/bills/living alone/pets/health scares etc all on my own. So this year really tested my strength, resilience, will-power, mental stability, and drive.
Although I say that I supported myself financially on my own, I definitely was not on my own through this journey. My family, friends, teachers, and trainer all were such a strong support group, I definitely could not have succeeded without them. It is so important to surround yourself with people who want to see you succeed and who want to help you and celebrate you. Yes I am proud of myself for the work horse that was last year, but I really owe so much to them and their constant support.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

One of the most rewarding aspects of being an artist, is the community. The artistic community is beyond supportive, especially here in Las Vegas. We hype each other up, we push each other to grow and expand in new ways, and we celebrate each other’s victories. In such a competitive career, it is so beautiful to be a part of a supportive community full of people who help others. The Las Vegas performance community is small, and tightly knit. But because of that, we support each other like our own family members. Its so beautiful. I wish every city were like that, because then in the end, everyone benefits.
The world would be a much better place if everyone supported each other like the artistic community supports their own.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.stevieheptig.com
• Instagram: @stevieheptig
• Facebook: @stevieheptig
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevie-heptig-36b3ba256/
• Youtube: @stevieheptig

Image Credits

Anneli Adolfson Photography
Ginger Snaps Photography