Daily Inspiration: Meet Abby Tarpey

Today we’d like to introduce you to Abby Tarpey

Hi Abby, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I think my story began a longgggg time ago, having always had a passion for the arts. When I was a child, growing up in Central Pennsylvania, my parents could never pinpoint what made me so obsessed with drawing/painting/fashion/etc. considering that none of my immediate family members are interested in the visual arts. Some of my first memories in my childhood though, are of the fashion-reality competition show “Project Runway” playing on our little box television in the early 2000s. I would sit way too close, and make paper towel outfits for my dolls or sketch an idea based on the episode’s challenge. Continuing to delve into my passion for arts and illustrations, I really fell in love with the story behind where the model was going more than the visual art itself.

Simultaneously, I switched schools to a place that offered 35mm Black and White photography as an elective art class in 7th grade. While none of my photos were anywhere near good, I got to learn the parts of a camera, development in a dark room, and the art of photography. Leading me to an ‘aha’ moment where I connected all of these elements including, art, graphic arts, camera work and storytelling, I decided to try making a short film. Never looking back, the entertainment industry and Video Production became the one path that made sense for me.

As a high school Class of 2020 graduate, I chose to stay close to home during the uncertain pandemic times, and attend the Pennsylvania State University, where I studied Film Production and Photography. This really felt like an opportunity to expand on my skills and try anything I could get my hands on. Working in multiple organizations, women-led boutique internships, creating multiple short films, and capturing hundreds of photos, I never slept, but had lots of fun doing it. Starting on small sets when I was 18, I learned how to work my way up and support crew in creative ways. At my job within CommAgency, a small media marketing agency servicing departments in Penn State and local companies, I met multiple like-minded fast-paced hardworking individuals. They became the core crew for my two larger short films, “Playing God” and “Frail Grounds” as well as the smaller crew for a documentary filmed in Amsterdam “Music for the Soul.”

After returning to Happy Happy from filming our documentary in Amsterdam in March of 2024, while taking graduation photos, I jumped off of a sign in platform boots, and changed the next few months of my life forever. Landing unluckily on an uneven spot in the grass, my leg went one way and body the other, snapping both bones in my shin apart by a few centimeters. Being taken away from the Communications Building on campus in an ambulance, I spent most of 2024 literally learning how to walk again. The value of every step you take and the blessing it is to be able-bodied cannot really be understood until you experience losing it.

While mourning the loss of opportunities, experiences, and internships/jobs that could have been, I was also forced to reflect. I have been beyond grateful for the wonderful people I’ve been able to connect with over our passion for the arts, regardless of where or when in my journey I met them. I think my skills, creativity, and passion have always been there, hidden by a lack of confidence in my own abilities. While film, photography, and art itself is motivating for me, I think the truly interesting thing is always the people behind the story. Whether the creator, consumer, or subject, getting the invitation to meet and connect with a new individual is something I will never take for granted.

Never willing to stop working either, I completed a virtual internship while recovering, and returned to Pennsylvanian sets in the Fall of 2024. I knew I still wanted to achieve my goals of trying something new, even if it took me a little longer. Moving to Los Angeles in January 2025, I landed here just south of West Hollywood, connecting with local creatives, old friends, and new collaborators.

Currently on a journey to find a more metaphorical footing in life than last year, I am hoping to take all my memories and knowledge with me into some unique, creatively fulfilling projects for the future. You never truly know what is going to happen in Los Angeles. So far every day is different, from shaking Channing Tatum’s hand, to getting job rejections, to attending a Lil Nas X album release event, you never know what is coming next. While it is a huge city, I feel like Los Angeles is also home to countless amounts of creatives working towards their dreams, trying to find each other and themselves along the way.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has definitely not been a smooth road! I think some of my biggest struggles all come from within. The journey to believing in yourself and having enough self motivation to achieve your goal is something people don’t recognize while every artist should be furthering their work and art form, figuring out what will improve your work is much more difficult than many people give a credit for.

I think when I was younger, a lot of my struggles came from negative self reflection, and disbelief in my own abilities. I’ve always been told that I have a lot of “potential “but didn’t get a lot of recognition for my current success at the time. While looking back and knowing it was fair as my work wasn’t good, but I was very passionate about it, I think that that struggle impacted the way I viewed myself and my output.

Going into college, my biggest goal was to try everything that I could and put myself out there in creative situations. Learning how to use your voice, be smart with your words, and confidently state directions/opinions/perspectives is an art form within itself. I definitely don’t have it perfected, but got the opportunity to truly work on it amongst amazing colleagues.

Coming to Los Angeles, life became a struggle in and of itself. Having financial difficulties, car issues, big city problems, etc have been common for myself and my friends over the past few months. Learning how to be an adult in the city that is not forgiving, is difficult, but I suppose also rewarding. By developing a thicker skin, and working on listening to my intuition, all of the struggles have been from within and are hopefully something I can stop within as well.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My work is something that I’m always developing. I would identify as a multimedia, digital artist, focusing in photography and filmmaking. Within these mediums, my work primarily deals with mental health, feminism, and aesthetics.

I think that something that makes me proud about the work that I do is how it is continuously developing. While I love and respect, artists who are set in their ways, I think the ability to see my art develop is interesting. For right now, everything that I do is hopefully better than what I previously made. Additionally, while creating the work, I make it a point for the environment to be part of the creative process. And for the people who have dedicated their time, ideas, and work towards my projects, I hope to give them a positive experience and great memories. So far, they generally walk away with that experience which is really important to me.

Representing topics and themes that are interesting and personal to me, in an authentic or unique way has been a great way to take work from something that I think is important to create to something that is important to consume. While art should be able to stand on its own regardless of the size of audience viewing it, I think that with the mass production of media currently occurring, it is also important to recognize what value the piece has.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I think the most surprising part about my work is the amount of pieces there are. I am not the best at marketing myself or my work, as I’ve always been someone who just puts my head down and quietly creates, which can illustrate an illusion that I haven’t done much. Regardless of the role or concept I have, I am always striving to have at least one project going on currently, typically across multiple mediums. Because creativity is such an important personal outlet for me, I think the amount of work I put into my projects, or even purely how many there are, can go a bit under the radar.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.abbytarpey.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbytarps/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abbytarpey/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXjzkwMv5AsaKxHQT5xFD3w

Image Credits
Alisha Yi
Jodi Norton
Ellie Franklin