We recently connected with Sam Paige and have shared our conversation below.

Sam, appreciate you joining us today. Have you signed with an agent or manager? Why or why not?

I am forever wondering, “How can I challenge myself and others to think differently, more inclusively, more creatively?” So, when I met Jesse at Other Peoples Children, I knew that I had found my home with a creative talent agency. Jesse and I continue to share inspiring dialogue around how to be part of a changing modeling industry and creative world in an impactful way that celebrates the human experience beyond the surface.

I have participated in some impactful projects with brands, including Equinox and SKIMS. Those collaborations encouraged me to reflect on the power of visual representation; what we see can engage us in deeper dialogue with self, other, society. With my Equinox campaign in 2017, I posed topless to show my scarred, flat chest after more than a decade-long journey with my health. That ad sparked a buzz, normalized, even elevated a choice that was rarely discussed when I proactively had a mastectomy in 2008. Since then, I have explored self-expression as a catalyst for conversation. Our capacity for change and growth through personal and collective creation is why I love going to see art wherever and whenever I can; art always pushes me to imagine new possibilities.

My approach to modeling, collaborating, writing, creating has always been to ensure that whatever I am a part of is aligned with who I am and my purpose in the world. That level of authenticity is far more interesting to me than the next great thing if there is no soul in it. So, my advice to anyone seeking an agent, or any type of creative collaboration, is to find people to work with who share your vision for a project and also the world. Create and be art that reflects your essence. That synchronicity will powerfully speak through any and all media and move us towards the change we wish to see in this wild world of ours.

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?

Hello, my name is Sam Paige (they/them). I am an artist, writer, teacher, parent, meditator and so many more nouns and verbs. At my core, I have always been one who questions. I have not always known the right questions to ask, or where to look for the fitting answers. Like everyone else, I have gotten lost along the way. I still do at times, and those moments are usually the ones that lead to beautiful growth and deeper embodiment of self. When my connection to self has felt disconnected, I have turned to inner inquiry. Over time, I have learned that the questions that resonate most are often the ones that sound an inner alarm—a knowing, or remembering. I love the process of asking and being asked.

I crafted my latest project, My Beautiful Alien, as a space to explore a new conversation around truth, growth and possibility. Inspired by Marina Abramović, I invited people to show up for the unknown by anonymously asking me 99 questions that I am now answering publicly. In an ongoing performance art exchange, we are examining the previously unstated and unimagined together. We uncover stories that allow us to be honest with ourselves, with others, with the sky.

I grew up in a world where everything felt prescribed and questioning norms, binaries, systems was often discouraged. My invitation to the world is to step into a place where we look deeper; an arena where rawness and honesty are the way of life. People can join the conversation at MyBeautifulAlien.com and through our weekly newsletter. Soon, we will be launching our workshops and experiential dinners that will welcome people along for the exploratory ride in person, in community.

Another endeavor that I am honored to share is my role as creative producer on Verônika Shülman’s beautiful play, Promiseland, about her ancestors. Working on a play has been a first for me. Collaborating with other artists on their dreams nourishes everyone in immeasurable, nonlinear ways. It’s gorgeous.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

With my My Beautiful Alien, our mission states, “We believe by engaging in raw, honest dialogue, we can advance the revolution we wish to see within ourselves and in the world.” My purpose in this lifetime is to honor and model radical honesty. As such, my goal for My Beautiful Alien is to create a space–literally and figuratively–where we can gather, grow and build together as our truest selves.

I learned to live authentically the hard way after lying to myself for years about my identity, sexuality, values, goals. I found greater peace and freedom once I began to speak voice into who I am and to live my life connected to that knowing. This return to self includes owning my non-binary identity and queerness, engaging in art and writing that can be confronting to norms and trends, choosing honesty over comfort, and so on. By being radically raw and vulnerable, I seek to enliven that same spirit in others. I believe the world would be a wholly different place if we were all moving through our days as our authentic, embodied selves.

My greatest desire is for My Beautiful Alien to support people in bravely entering new conversations and spaces for themselves, for each other, for our world. We are at a crucial moment in human history. Old systems are crumbling, and we are being called to become clear on what we are building to fill the void. Rejecting something is one thing; knowing what you want to erect in its absence takes deeper thought and focus. The current moment is asking for our full attention. So, I am driven to ring the bell and call everyone together to consider—internally and externally—the great opportunity we have to be part of generating something new and different. It is our time.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I had cancer my senior year of college. At 21, that experience changed me and altered my perspective on how I gauge success. I was inspired to explore my dreams. After I graduated from university, I decided to take an internship in Italy for 3 months while I figured out what was next. Those three months turned into 2 years at a job in Florence. The school where I was working invited me to stay for longer, and yet I opted to come back to Los Angeles for a year while I applied to graduate school. My thoughts on what was “right” got the better of me, and I reverted back to a more conventional idea of what my personal growth trajectory “should” look like. (I have since ditched the words “should” and “right” as I find they can lead me down misguided paths.) I then earned a Masters in International Relations and spent a few years working in economics research at a prestigious think tank in Washington, DC.

All that I was doing looked great on paper, and I was miserable and again feeling ill with chronic migraine headaches and anxiety. After deep reflection and too many nights in the emergency room, I re-committed to discovering a personal path that felt meaningful to me and existed outside of society’s traditional definition for success. That evolution took time, and is ever-unfolding as we are consistently confronted with societal norms, beliefs, systems to dismantle. From that point on though, I turned towards creative projects with purpose.

Contact Info:

• Website: mybeautifulalien.com
• Instagram: mybeautifulalien

Image Credits
Images by Hailley Howard Makeup by Lisa Dempsey