Today we’d like to introduce you to Sophia Leopold.
Hi Sophia, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I think I’ve always been interested in the same things that I am now: art, travel, style, food (especially eating!). I grew up in a part of Iowa where there wasn’t a whole lot going on in terms of creative outlets or inspiration. I knew I wanted to leave from a really young age. Although I was very lucky to travel a bit with my family, being a teenager mostly felt like waiting around.
A ‘conventional university’ was pretty much out of the question, I only ever wanted to do something creative. At the time I had never been to the South, let alone know about a place like SCAD. I think I’d imagined all artistic people going to New York and that’s that. I was most excited about applying to schools there and around New England, but it was my family who was first enchanted with SCAD. After an admissions tour, my mom said “if you don’t go to school here, I will!” So that’s how I got to Savannah! It took a while, a couple of years actually, to figure out what I wanted to study (writing!) and find an amazing circle of friends.
At SCAD you are essentially working throughout your studies (networking, interning, etc.) so even though it was really scary graduating in the middle of a pandemic, all of that experience did wonder for my confidence! Since the majority of the jobs I was applying to were remote, I decided to continue living in Savannah for a little bit longer while working from home. For almost a year (time flies!) I’ve been a content specialist at Pencil & Paper Co., a Nashville-based, retail and editorial site!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Definitely not! I was a very shy teenager and it took me a long time to let go of those feelings of isolation and loneliness from high school and come into my own. Re-wiring your brain to not care about what other people might be thinking is difficult but so incredibly freeing!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
There’s not much out there in terms of artistic pursuits that doesn’t capture my attention! I’m all over the place, but I think it all comes down to my obsession with pretty things, whether I’m finding or creating them. I follow the interior design and fashion very closely and I adore learning about the histories of both. Right now at work, I get to combine my love for writing with my visual eye, which is extremely satisfying and fun! After hours, I do a lot of cooking and that can feel very creative too!
Composing a dish (if you’re a bit mad like me!) has so much in common with basic design principles like color, texture, contrast, and form. Not saying every dinner I make belongs in a museum (last night I ate Annie’s boxed mac and cheese), but it seems no area of my life is exempt from a little styling!
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
Luck has played a hell of role! So many of the opportunities that have come my way were so ‘right place, right time.’ My mom would say something like ‘the universe aligned,’ but I’m not that spiritual. I think you just have to work hard, chase after what you really love, and find a way to learn and move on from failures (easier said than done!).
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @sophiafayleopold
Image Credits:
Kendra Frankle
