Today we’d like to introduce you to Samara Phillips.
Hi Samara, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My name is Samara (Sam) and I am a mixed-media artist that is obsessed with creativity and all things handmade.
Growing up in beautiful Greenville SC, I was privileged enough to attend the most amazing public high school for the arts, the Fine Arts Center. This is where my creative adventure began. FAC specializes in visual and performing arts and encourages exploration outside of your main interest, which was photography for me at the time. Taking courses in metalsmith/jewelry and darkroom photography ignited a creative spark that I didn’t know was missing from my life and made me complete. While feeling like a lost teenager, art unexpectedly made me feel excited and like I had a purpose in life-it saved me way back then and has continued to save me over and over again.
Over the past 25 years, my main concentration has been metals/jewelry while attending various workshops at our local art museum and John C. Campbell Folk School in N.C. But I am mostly self-taught-there is nothing better than checking out a good tutorial book or watching a YouTube video and just going for it! Experience and practice are the best ways to learn and hone your craft. Over the past five years or so, I have begun to explore other mediums such as printmaking, watercolors and my new favorite, stained glass.
My latest collection is focused on decorative stained glass pieces inspired by my love of nature and plants. Influenced by unique leaf and plant shapes, I meticulously handcraft each piece in my home studio. Luckily this compilation has taken off like wildfire through a wholesale platform, Faire.com and I now have products in over seventy small shops/boutiques in the U.S. and a few internationally. I also have five products sold by UncommonGoods, based in Brooklyn, NY, and have also worked with ShopPbs.org. Wholesale has really been the most successful venture for me and the only way I have been able to cut my hours at my day job so I can start focusing on my small business.
Art, for me, is about pushing my personal boundaries by using a variety of materials and learning new techniques. Letting your inner child play is so important in the creative process. I create because it helps me feel mentally and spiritually balanced. Art has saved my life over and over again. Without creativity, I would be lost.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
OMG, there have been so many struggles over the past 25 years! Trying to be an artist as a career has to be one of the most challenging and competitive choices to endeavor. My main focus over the past twenty years was metals/jewelry making and there are a lot of jewelers out there! It is so hard to be seen, especially before social media was a thing. I would put my jewelry on consignment at local shops but that always turned out to be a nightmare with lost inventory or not getting paid for sold items. I will never do consignment again! I started selling my jewelry on Etsy around 2014 but found without paying for ads, it is almost impossible to be seen in a sea of other artists, There were many days when I would throw my arms up and swear to my husband that I was done with being an artist. But my heart would break every time I would say it aloud.
I finally realized over the years that I was the only one that was standing in the way of making this dream become a reality. I can’t tell you how many times I made excuse after excuse for not being able to quit my day job or participate in some local craft show…”I don’t have enough time or money to make up enough inventory”. That was my good old stand-by excuse but what I was really thinking was “I’m not good enough, Who am I to say that I’m a real artist??”. It was fear that was keeping me from taking that next step or commitment…the “imposter syndrome” is a real thing folks!
Once I finally came to terms with my imposter syndrome, I began to make a vision board (yes, I am. Woo woo!) with all of my goals and dreams, even the ones that seemed impossible to attain. I began to say yes to more opportunities and I slowly noticed more and more of my goals on my vision board were coming true! I guess what I am saying is that you have to truly believe in yourself. There are so many people out there that are living their dream and instead of letting jealousy get in the way (I am guilty of that one!) let them be proof that you can do it too!
One of my hardest struggles is when I lost my older sister back in 2007. She was a very talented stained glass artist and when she passed, I inherited all of her supplies. It literally sat in my parent’s garage for seven years before I decided to open the boxes and wipe off the collected dust. She and I, along with my aunt, had taken a stained glass workshop together back in the nineties, so I had a little experience to get me started. I began by making glass wind chimes for my family made with her leftover glass so they could each have a last memory of her. Then I started making glass wishing stars from her original design and that morphed into my latest plant collection. I never would have imagined that one of my greatest struggles would have been the biggest stepping stone to finally making my small business flourish.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My day job over the past 24 years while also being a maker, has been at a local art gallery/custom frame shop, Bennetts’ Frame & Art Gallery. Working there has helped me learn the art business and make good connections. Although I have loved working there, my real dream is to be my own boss. I want to show my kids and other women in the world that if you work hard enough and don’t give up, you can make your dreams come true. I am now working there two days a week as my personal business is slowly growing.
This past year has been my most successful with stained glass as my concentration and I think it is about finding that right niche of unique products along with a positive attitude that leads to more doors opening. My love of plants comes from my mother; she is obsessed with houseplants and gardening. I think I am most proud of this latest collection because it is inspired by my sister and my amazing, supportive mother. That makes it very personal to me and proud of every sale I make.
My next big goal is to teach art classes locally. I am hoping by teaching to inspire and to show that people of all ages and skill levels can create art. It’s important to enjoy the process more than the outcome and to take time away from your busy schedule to let your inner child play!
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
That you alone are the only one that can make your dream come true. Stop waiting for that “big discovery” or waiting for another person to be your way into the art world. Just keep trying different avenues like craft shows or selling wholesale to see what works for you. Do research…apply to juried shows, send your story to that magazine you have dreamed of being featured in. Don’t be afraid to ask for that feature-be your biggest fan and best advocate!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.SamaraDesignsStudio.com
- Instagram: @SamaraDesignsStudio
- Facebook: @SamaraDesignsStudio
- Twitter: @Samara_Designs
