Today we’d like to introduce you to Samer Ghani
Hi Samer, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My name is Samer Ghani, I’m a first generation Palestinian American artist working full-time in art & culture in Milwaukee, WI where I was born and raised. I was raised in a low income single mother household, I went to Milwaukee Public Schools where music and art first impacted me and my journey. When you’re young and poor so much of your driving imagination is the ability to dream…so going though Milwaukee Public schools (which are historically underfunded) my engagement with orchestra, violin, was my first step into realizing that art can not only be a mechanism to dream, but to fulfill a broader life for myself (and my family). As this inhibition and deep interest in art grew, so did my passion for exploring and sharing my unique story as a Palestinian-American. Where I’m from there aren’t a lot of Palestinian working artists, I realized quickly that in my community I’m able to communicate perspectives, methods, and ways of thinking that are unique, valuable and undertold.
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?
Being a full time artist is driving on a dirt road with 4-wheel drive. Most times its anything but comfortable, but nothing worth chasing feels like luxury (at first). I absolutely struggle most with defending myself, myself worth, and making sure I get paid, as funny as that sounds. When you work with a plumber or electrician, you instinctively trust their expertise and value; however I find that when people work with artists, they often imply their own ideas, judgments, and serve to undervalue how much your service or art is actually worth. It’s tough, you never want to over ask, the constant fear of “did I just underask?” always looming between gigs and projects. Between all of that, and the amount of personal sacrifice it takes to make a dream into reality is really hard to communicate, an isolated and lonely feeling….but in this you learn to find confidence within yourself, your own mind and heart, and you push through any struggling moment with vigor and strength. These core values drive every working artist (I think), it’s uniquely apart of the creative process, so much of any art is about correlating your life experience to the reality you face; I trust artists, I trust their ideas, I trust the intuition, because artist have such a different perspective on everything.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m an artist, but primarily a Photographer & Videographer, as well as a Director, Producer & Photo-Journalist. I spend a lot of my time working with other artists in Milwaukee, Non-profits, and organizations big & small. I try to give back as much as I can, I tend to work with artists for free, or greatly reduced rates. I serve on the board of the Cactus+ Arts Non-Profit as the Vice President, and donate all of my time striving with our team to continue to foster an inclusive and generating arts community in Milwaukee & beyond. All of these plates that I try to keep spinning exist at the intersection of Arts & Culture, it’s something that I genuinely believe will take an arts community like Milwaukee to an unprecedented position.
There is still so much of my inner-core that is left to be uncovered, and everyday that I work at these things, have dynamic conversations and further my artistic craft I believe I turn over a new stone. I’m very grateful for what I’ve done and where I’m headed as a first generation artist in Milwaukee, and I owe a lot of thanks to a lot of hard working people!
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Artists are as important as scientists, & doctors.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.samerghani.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samerghani/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamerGhani
Image Credits
Portrait of me by Dylan Mazurkiewicz