We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Melody Novack. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Melody below.
Melody, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
Growing up was rough and I never had role models or people to look up to. I was living with undiagnosed autism in a toxic family environment. There was a lot going on and my emotional support needs weren’t being met. I never seemed to fit in on a mental level with my family or peers, so I struggled with insecurity everyday. I still struggle with being insecure. Leaning into my own awkwardness and what separated me from the norm helped build a foundation for me to develop confidence. Instead of dancing around social encounters that left me feeling drained, I let go of how I wanted people to see me and started accepting how I was. I learned how to be gentle with myself when I made mistakes and celebrate successes.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I’m a professional body piercer and I’ve been piercing for five years. I originally got my start in California and moved to Nashville, TN to receive further education at Icon Tattoo and Body Piercing. I work with empathy and with a trauma informed approach to service my clients. Being able to have a stranger trust you with their body and their story isn’t something I’m desensitized to. I’m lucky I get to wake up everyday and help people celebrate life, their mind, and their body.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Some of the most impactful practices in this work is empathy, humility, and self-awareness. Getting a body modification is a scary thing for most people and that’s normal. I want to be the kind of person who can support you through it. In this industry, you have to have humility and some sense of self awareness to really grow, especially when you’re first starting out. No one starts something being good at it. We make mistakes along the way. It’s what you do when you make a mistake and how you treat yourself along the journey that separates you from the rest.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
Setting boundaries with clients over social media has been a challenge. It’s getting more rare to walk into a studio and see portfolios in person; most people have moved to Instagram to showcase their work and build a working relationship with their clients. Being that accessible has draw backs though and a lot of clients get angry with you if you don’t respond soon enough to them. We shouldn’t have to worry about losing a client or a bad review because someone messaged us at 3am asking a question and we didn’t respond within 2 minutes. Putting everything behind a screen has made this industry more accessible, but has erased the humanity aspect a little bit.
Contact Info:
- Website:www.icontattoo.com
- Instagram: toy.christ
Image Credits
June Bug Seven
