We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Samara Phillips a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Samara thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Almost every entrepreneur we know has considered donating a portion of their sales to an organization or cause – how did you make the decision of whether to donate? We’d love to hear the backstory if you’re open to sharing the details.
One of my goals with my small business is to be able to give back to my community, whether it’s physical products or monetary, I am proud to have been able to do this monthly! There are several local non-profits I have donated products for their auctions like Loaves & Fishes and Walt’s Waltz. The first organization helps stop hunger by rescuing surplus food and redistributing it free of charge to partner agencies who reduce hunger in Greenville County. The second organization aims to end the stigma surrounding mental health struggles through educational programs, the arts, stigma-free environments, and research. I also give a monthly monetary donation to UNHCR which helps aid and protect refugees and is involved in stopping human-trafficking. Hunger, mental health and human rights are three causes that are so important to me and even though I am not able to donate thousands of dollars right now, as my business grows, so will my donations.
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?
My name is Samara (Sam), I am a mixed media artist from Greenville, SC who owns and runs my home based small business, Samara Designs Studio. Over the past 28 years it has been my dream to be a full-time professional artist. Everyday I take steps to help this dream come to fruition. From high school age my main concentration has been metals/jewelry but after focusing on making jewelry for approximately 24 years, I simply got tired of it and decided to start exploring other mediums like polymer clay, mixed media 2D and stained glass art.
I just love creating with my hands. The concept of creating something from an abstract idea into a physical product not only amazes me but helps give me purpose. As a lost teenager, finding art saved my life and continues to keep me going during hard times mentally and emotionally. I truly believe that art not only brings joy to people but the act of creating can save lives. I am a huge advocate of integrating arts and music into our education system!
My current concentration is stained glass art which has a very special place in my heart…here is the story. My relationship with stained glass began when I was eighteen years old and took a beginners class with my aunt and sister. While I did enjoy learning a new skill, my sister became a very talented glass artist over the next twelve years. Sadly, she unexpectedly passed away at the age of thirty-three. After inheriting her glass supplies, it took me about twelve more years before I decided to unpack her boxes of tools & sheets of glass to give it another go. This has turned into a wonderful journey where I have been loving exploring and honing my craft with glass. Each step has led to my current collection that is focused on my love of plants and nature, which is inspired by my mother. Each piece I make is dedicated to the memory of my sister.
This collection mainly includes cacti, aloe, snake plants, mushrooms and other botanicals made of glass. My mushroom plant stakes are by far my biggest seller and have probably made thousands of them over the past year! I currently sell my products wholesale to over 100 retail business across the U.S. and have five products sold by UncommonGoods, based in Brooklyn, NY, and have also worked with ShopPBS.org. I do sell retail through Etsy and on my website but wholesale has been the most successful venture for growing my small business.
My hope is that my art can spark joy in someone’s life, whether it’s treating yourself or giving a gift, I hope to bring a little positivity to the world. I am also a huge believer in supporting local makers of handmade goods instead of always going to the big box stores. This not only helps your local economy but is also better for the environment in many ways.
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
I want creative and non-creative people to understand that art isn’t about the end product but about the journey and the process. It has taken me years to realize this and to stop worrying about what others think of me. Who cares if your painting looks like a two year old did it or you can’t make your earrings look as good as the pros?! Comparison can be a real buzz kill when it comes to being a creator and is especially hard because of social media. Instead of being jealous of someone’s success, look at it as proof and motivation that you can do it too. Study what your heroes in your industry are doing and have done to get to this point in their career and emulate it. But in the meantime while trying to get to your goal, make sure to enjoy what you are doing and have fun; don’t forget to let your inner child play! Whether it’s baking, painting or writing a song, all creatives are special and needed in this world. Think about how good it feels when your hear your favorite song or have that beautiful meal put in front of you…these little things are what really matter and it’s artists that created them.
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
About two years ago I learned about an online wholesale platform, Faire.com, that helps connect retail businesses to makers. Once I was approved and set up my shop page, my sales really took off! Even though they do take a commission, it is a great way to get discovered by other small businesses that would otherwise not know about you. I got so many sales the first few months that I was able to cut my hours at my day job to only two days a week! Although more retail sales is my goal, having my work in over 100 shops feels amazing and it’s because of Faire.com. I would recommend any maker looking to boost their sales to try them out.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.samaradesignsstudio.com
- Instagram: @samaradesignsstudio
- Facebook: @samaradesignsstudio
Image Credits
Portrait by Eli Warren Product images by Samara