Meet Ima Leupp

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

Hi Ima , thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.
I like to think of my optimism as a super power. I grew up in a rough space and I grew up too fast. I had to take care of myself really early. I made a million mistakes as a child and I’m grateful for that. I’ve seen the worst that humanity has to offer, and knowing that, everything else is manageable. I have survived everything I’ve ever been through and it makes living a relief.

If I choose to look for the good and beauty, then that is what I will find. I can’t control anything except how I respond to a situation. I can’t control my first thoughts, but I can control my second thought and my first action and I choose to be optimistic and see the silver lining.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I like to capture moments. I love creating images that make people feel something. I am obsessed with music. My business partner, Joseph Hassage, and I work hard to help people represent their art authentically. I want to help musicians and models find their own voices in visual arts. Whether it’s music videos or photos, I want to be a vehicle for other artist to showcase their own personalities and stories.

I love trying new things.

This April, my company, Seamless Loop Productions is partnering with Black Box Creative and Optic Onslaught to create an art showcase that gives space to women and queer visual artists. The theme is Intimacy, Movement and the Human Body and I’m excited to be working with Shelbi Aiona and Zoja Exotica on this project set for April 13th in Austin, Texas.

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?
I think 3 qualities or skills that have impacted my journey have been resilience, curiosity and the ability to not live a conventional lifestyle.

Art is hard. There have been times I have lived in a dining room for $250 a month or not eaten so I can continue the pursuit of my career. I did everything I could to never go back to waiting tables or working in movie theaters. I don’t have family support. I do have the support of my business partner and best friend. If anyone has believed in my when I couldn’t, it was Joseph.

I have followed my curiosity everywhere. I have sold everything I had and traveled, I have picked up and put down hobbies and interests. Sometimes they come in handy for my art, sometimes they don’t (or haven’t yet). I shoot everything. My biggest problem today is not overcommitting my time because I love to play with cameras in my free time as well as for my job.

I found the thing that I am obsessed with. The thing that I literally dream about, and I have done it almost non stop since I picked up a camera 13 years ago. Sometimes I don’t make money, sometimes I stress, sometimes my partners tell me I’m too busy. Sometimes it is so hard I want to quit, but I don’t. I would love to have financial stability, but I love what I do too much. Sometimes I am so successful I could cry. I have to do it. I don’t have any other choice. I don’t have a backup option.

My advice. Find what you obsess about and do it every day.

What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?
The biggest way I have improved in the past year is saying no. I don’t shoot what doesn’t feel good. I don’t work on projects that don’t align with our vision. I don’t take jobs that don’t feel right, and I don’t do as many free shoots. I started getting overwhelmed at how much I was doing and how full my schedule was, so I had to start saying no. It turns out my work is better when I’m not overworked and when I take projects I want to work on.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Models: Leslie Elizabeth, Gabriella Gorecki, Leslie Elizabeth, Peyton Fishbeck, Janie Samreth, MISSIO, Danielle Ploeger

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