We were lucky to catch up with Amy Parker recently and have shared our conversation below.
Amy, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
In 2019 I nearly died after a paragliding accident. I fell about 60 feet and broke many bones. I was in the hospital for 5 months and had to relearn how to walk and use my body again. At the time of my accident was daughter was only three months old, so I was also fighting to recover to be able to care for her independently again. Over the next year I was able to walk again, take care of my daughter and get back to work.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I have been a tattoo artist in Las Vegas, Nevada for nearly twenty years. I love doing bright big colorful tattoos and also fine line black tattoos. I enjoy doing a mix of styles to keep work interesting and not get burnt out or bored of doing the same thing every day. I also specialize in doing memorial tattoos, and my sister and I do joint sessions where she as a psychic medium channels the person who the tattoo is for ahead of the session. I then take ideas and details that came out during the reading and incorporate those into a unique tattoo design that was channeled from the loved one who is no longer here.
My sister discovered her gift as a medium after her own fiance passed away unexpectedly, so this is a project close to our hearts.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
First, don’t listen to anyone else’s limiting beliefs. When I started tattooing it wasn’t mainstream or accepted like it is now. I had a lot of people trying to talk me into taking a more “sensible” career path. I love my job and my clients and can’t imagine doing anything else.
Second, if you dream of being a tattoo artist, draw as much as possible and create any kind of art you feel drawn to. Raw talent is great, but it takes persistence and hard work to do well, and many of the best artists are the ones who worked the hardest, not the gifted ones with no motivation.
The last one applies to all areas of life, and that is to not be a victim of your circumstances. We all face different battles in life, and the best way through these is to empower yourself to focus on what we do actually have control over and not worry about things we can’t change.
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
Take a break from working, get off my phone and go on a hike for a few hours. Physically activity and nature does wonders for stress! Try to focus only on what you can do right now and don’t get caught up worrying about things you can’t do anything about today anyway.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amy_pruss/profilecard/?igsh=MWdoZG5vNXJyeHFweA==
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/15ZEh7Cuih/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Image Credits
Sarah Shumaker
