Meet Steve Whittenberger

 

We recently connected with Steve Whittenberger and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Steve, thank you for joining us today and sharing your experiences and acquired wisdom with us. Burnout is a huge topic these days and so we’d love to kick things off by discussing your thoughts on overcoming or avoiding burnout

I think doing anything for long enough can cause burnout, especially working in any kind of customer service job and with the insane cost of being alive these days. I’ve been there many times having tattooed for over two decades. I think the trick is to keep something for yourself. We live in a world where everyone is a brand and you have to constantly be selling yourself to everyone and that’s a horrible way to live. Keep some of your joy just for yourself. Create art for no other purpose than just creating. Somewhere along the line we lost the plot and started monetizing every aspect of our lives.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I feel like there’s no way to talk about yourself without sounding like somewhat of a blowhard. I’m a tattooer and painter, and I guess art of all sorts. I don’t strive to be flashy or chase trends, I consider myself more of a craftsperson, and therefore try to just make sure I can help the client achieve their vision without trying to get in the way too much. I would just like to be known as a nice person who tattoos and adds to my community.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I think the biggest thing is to just be nice. Life is hard and people are going through it. Being kind goes a very long way and opens more opportunities than being a jerk. The next thing would be to keep your head down and work hard. Also I guess being able to draw is pretty important.

Tell us what your ideal client would be like?

The ideal client would be someone who has a vision of what they want but understands flexibility, has good stories, and integrity.

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