We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sam Stokes. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sam below.

Alright, Sam thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you share a story about the kindest thing someone has done for you and why it mattered so much or was so meaningful to you?

In a world full of so much love and so much kindness, it is impossible to choose just one.

Perhaps it was my mother who took such loving care of herself while I was growing in her womb so that I may greet the world healthy and strong.

Perhaps it was my father sitting for hours in his car, lovingly doing crosswords until I finished with some after school activity.

Perhaps it was the day my brother was born and we first locked eyes, eager to begin a journey of our lives.

Perhaps it was the man who let me cross the street as he waited patiently in his car for me to get safely to the other side.

Perhaps it was that time I was napping on the sofa and my partner came to kiss my cheek and gently put a blanket on me.

Perhaps it was the woman who watched me sleep in my car at a campsite and told me the next morning she was looking after me to make sure I was safe.

Perhaps it was the stranger who saw I was feeling down and asked to give me a hug without a name – just a little moment to share some love.

Perhaps it was the little child who ran up with the biggest hug saying “I don’t remember you, but I’ve missed you. Can you see how much I’ve grown?”

Perhaps it was that soft morning I looked in the mirror and simply said, “I see you and I love you. Thank you.”

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

As an artist and musician, I hold so much space for love. For grace, compassion, joy and growth.

In my shows and throughout all of my artworks, I view it as the highest act of servitude. I stand on that stage, I dig into the deepest depths of myself to better understand an emotion that has no name, that has not been given a color, but that can perfectly fit within the realm of this one song.

If a friend comes to a show saying they came for themselves – not to support me as a friend – but to gain something for themselves, then I have done what I aimed to do.

Nothing makes me happier than to give back to humanity through music, art, poetry so that humanity might unlock one more tiny bit of understanding of itself.

So in that, it is light and dark. It is soft and hard. It is loud and quiet. It is joyful and tender. It is masculine and feminine.

It is a balance of all sides to an individual – which is therefore a mirror of the whole.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

The future is very bright for artist and musicians. Art and music is so highly valued because so many people are able to create and share their music like never before!

I see a future in which musicians are able to live from their art. Full stop.

They are able to sell their music to fans and reach them in this global way through streaming and translate that into genuine sales and sustainable incomes for musicians. This is coming!!

Simultaneously, the music industry is becoming more and more health conscious than ever before.

More artists than ever are choosing healthy, sober lifestyles than ever before and to hold the space that you can be healthy and rock’n’roll – that’s the future.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

It’s the moment when someone says, “I didn’t know what this feeling was inside of me until I heard that song.”

Or if someone says, “I didn’t know why I came out to this venue tonight, I wanted to stay home, but after I heard that song, I know why I was called to go out.”

If something that’s said or sung impacts someone in this way, my heart is immediately full of immense gratitude and appreciation that this could help them in that way.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.samstokesofficial.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/

Image Credits
All Photos by Judy Lin Photography