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

Sam, appreciate you joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I’ve always been drawn to creative pursuits (pun absolutely intended) from a very young age. I would wake up early on weekend mornings to draw with my dad, and I would entertain myself by copying my mom’s cursive handwriting, so now looking back, my profession as a calligrapher makes so much sense! Growing up, I had envisioned myself working in a creative job within a larger corporate environment (I dreamed of working in the art department of a big magazine, or designing book covers) but when I eventually entered those types of jobs (I did end up working at magazines!) I always found myself pursuing other creative side projects and hobbies outside of work. Eventually I realized I could make those hobbies my actual job instead!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a professional calligrapher and lettering artist living and working in New York City. When people ask me how I got started in calligraphy, I usually say that I was a very nerdy kid! I taught myself cursive and always loved decorating letters and trying to copy other people’s handwriting or fonts and logos that I saw. I went to NYU for photography and graphic design, and I worked primarily as a photo editor for a number of different editorial publications before pursuing calligraphy full time in January 2016.

In addition to working on all sorts of projects for corporate, commercial, and private clients, I also produce and execute live lettering events, and work on large-scale brand collaborations. I love working on all sorts of unconventional materials: fabric, leather, stone, live plants, fruit… you name it and I’ve probably written on it. My work has been featured at an NFL stadium, at the Sundance Film Festival, at a Formula E race, at the Mall of America, as the logo of an apartment building in Washington, DC, and as the logo of a famous restaurant in New York City.

I love working with traditional tools and materials in a modern way to push the boundaries of what calligraphy can be.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

It can be very hard to explain to anyone who isn’t self-employed that you are never really “off”… You’re always thinking about your work in one way or another! Social media is a wonderful tool, but it is very hard to keep good boundaries. You wear so many different hats as a business owner that there’s always something that needs attention, even when you’re caught up on the main to-do list!

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

When I first left my desk job to pursue calligraphy full time, I took a course as part of a certificate program by a local university in financial strategies for creatives. I had never taken a bookkeeping or accounting class in college, so this really helped me get my footing right from the start.

Contact Info:

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