We recently connected with Samantha Shammas and have shared our conversation below.
Samantha, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?
As of 2022 I have been full time in my creative business without the need for a part time job or side hustle. I started on Etsy after graduating college in 2013 and, at the time, always thought illustration would be a permanent side job. I officially registered my business in 2017 and in 2018 decided to go full in. I never intended to be an entrepreneur, but after multiple layoffs, it seemed that working for myself was the smarter option.
I don’t regret many choices I’ve made, as they made sense at the time. However, I do wish I embraced going full time earlier and really dove into learning. I could have saved a lot of time and headache. Instead of trying to take everyone (and anyone’s) advice and mold it to fit my business I should have narrowed my search to experts in my field.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I’ve always been creative and artsy. As a teen I took an interest in fashion and started taking classes and participating backstage in shows in high school which lead to BFA in Fashion Design from one of the best design schools in the world, Parsons New School for Design.
I started my business as a fashion illustrator in 2015 providing personalized prints and custom wedding illustrations and by 2018 started offering live sketches at events. Today live events and weddings are a huge part of my business and I offer all kinds of custom commissions for private clients and brands. I love being able to create pieces that bring my clients’ visions to life and produce work that they’ll cherish forever.
I’m proud to have worked on a variety of projects and events and my client list includes brands such as Louis Vuitton, Dior, Sephora, BOSS, Sareh Nouri, Mori Lee, Range Rover, and many more.
When clients hire me they know they’re getting someone who can not only accomplish what they’re looking for, but with good communication, timely completions, and vision collaboration.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
As a minority, I’ve always noticed a lack of cultural/racial diversity in art and particularly in fashion and illustration. I’m passionate about representation, lifting up women, and sticking to my values as a business owner. I’m proud to offer personalized prints where clients can choose their hair color and skin tone so they can truly see themselves in my work. I love creating custom pieces as it’s the best way to show people as they are.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
Talent itself can only get you so far. The rest is truly you and your team. I have a background in retail customer service so I know how crucial it is to understand your clients and potential clients. I’ve built my reputation on being a reliable vendor that shows up on time, communicates effectively, and being as low maintenance as possible while also doing my job with kindness and enthusiasm to both the client and fellow vendors. Some of these things may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how many talented business owners get a bad reputation simply from not being great to work with despite how good they are at their job.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.samialynn.com
- Instagram: @samialynndesign
- Facebook: www.samialynn.com/samialynndesign
- Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/samanthashammas
- Other: Etsy: www.samialynn.etsy.com
TikTok: @samialynndesign
Image Credits
Melissa Stimpson
Seamless Photography
Abby Jiu
Yoke Media
Adam Barnes