We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sami Siteman a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Sami, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?

I’m grateful to be able to say that my parents did a lot of things right, and one of the most impactful things they did right was to always encourage my creative endeavors. I have always loved music, photography, and arts & crafts, and they have always encouraged me to pursue these passions, with both moral and sometimes also financial support (they helped me buy my first DSLR camera 12 years ago, the same one I still use today!). I’m so grateful that they recognized how important creative passions have been for my happiness and expression.

Sami, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a singer/songwriter, product/UX strategist, and photographer. As evidenced by the ways I describe myself, I have never really been able to choose just one thing to do or be; in the wise words of Walt Whitman, “I contain multitudes.” For much of my life, I felt like the message I received from society was that if I didn’t choose one thing to focus on, I wouldn’t be able to succeed in anything I did because I was trying to do too many things. While there is some validity to not spreading oneself too thin, I am also a passionate advocate of doing everything you can in this lifetime – we only get one. Continuing to pursue all of my passions is honestly what I am the most proud of and what I want to show others that they can do too.

In terms of how I got into each of these things and where I am at with them now, here is a breakdown:

1. My music: I’ve been singing for most of my life and writing music for about 14 years, but it wasn’t until 7 years ago that I finally decided to record an release my music for the first time. Since then, I have independently recorded and released 26 tracks (including 3 EPs and many singles), which can all be found anywhere you stream or buy music. Similarly to my many interests, my music itself doesn’t fit into just one box – it lives at the intersection of pop, country, and singer/songwriter. I like to say that I write my music for me, to express myself and to process my emotions, but I share it so that other people can connect and relate to it the same way that my favorite artists have done for me. I have been writing a lot lately and plan to release a lot more music over the next 18 months (the first new release will be my song “Glass Slipper” on February 7th!).

2. My photography: In 2011, I got an iPhone and quickly became enamored with the ability to take pictures on the spot and see the output immediately. I loved it so much that in 2012, I got my first DSLR camera, a Canon Rebel T3i, with the help of my parents for my birthday. I began truly falling love with photography, with the ability to capture a moment in time and be able to admire it forever. To this day, I still use that same camera. My favorite subjects are nature, animals, engagements, families, and graduating seniors. I call my photography business Happilee Sami Lee Photography.

3. My career as a product/user experience researcher, designer, and strategist: I always knew I wanted to study Cognitive Science in college because I was so fascinated by the brain and human behavior, but I did not have any clue what I wanted to do after college. I explored the ideas of being a criminal psychologist for the FBI, doing music supervision for film and TV, working in social media marketing, and more. But one day in my senior year at UC Berkeley, in my role as an assistant science teacher for an after-school program that helped encourage young girls to feel more comfortable in STEM, an exceptional woman came to visit our classroom to teach the girls about her realm of STEM: UX Design. Even as a 21 year old, I had never heard of UX either, but hearing her speak about how UX is all about empathy, understanding your users, and problem-solving to find the best solutions made me more and more excited. It was like a lightbulb went off in my head – I had finally figured out what job I wanted to pursue after graduating. I spent the rest of my senior year of college learning from her, researching how to break into the field, and figuring out what kind of education or experience I would need to do so. I was fortunate enough to find a position as a UX intern and get trained in the field by the lovely folks at that company. I stayed on with the company for several years, and then a few years later, I transitioned my career a bit more toward strategy and away from design itself and found myself in my current role doing product/UX strategy work at a digital design and engineering consulting company.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of my music career is when people reach out to tell me that my song helped them through a difficult time. As I mentioned, I usually write my music as an expression of my own experiences or challenges, and to be able to share that solace with someone else is truly why I record and release my music.

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?

Though I am not yet at the point of my music career bringing in a full-time income, I do sometimes fear that relying solely on my creative endeavors to take care of me financially might take away some of the genuine joy I get from doing them. So I try to maintain my focus on authentic writing and singing and making music for the connections I make through it and for the joy I get from it. Any money I make from it is a bonus, and I’m fortunate enough to have my career as a product/UX strategist to help supplement that.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://samisiteman.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samisitemanmusic/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/samisitemanmusic/
• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/sami-siteman-706194112
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIhVdEuIenZ_Z-_7nGLQ5xw
• Other: Email: [email protected]

Image Credits

Tulip Field photo: Grace Dupuy