We were lucky to catch up with Sammy T. Anderson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Sammy T. , appreciate you joining us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

Being a professional creative has always been what I wanted. Of course, that doesn’t come without its share of doubts. Fortunately, I have always been relatively confident in what I was pursuing, and vowed to never let money be the driving force behind my life. That being said, we all have those moments where you realize you’re living in a shoebox and wonder what in the world you were thinking, but any time I’ve tried to imagine doing something else, I can feel my heart emptying. Art and creativity has always been my passion, and it’s always been something I’ve adored. As much as I might wonder what it would be like to have a regular life, the older I get, the more I realize that’s just not who I am. I love working as an independent artist, making things that are important to me and seeing what comes. I’ve only got one life, it would be pointless to live it for someone else.

Sammy T. , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I have always wanted to be an Actor/Writer/Filmmaker, etc. and strove out to make it a reality. I don’t know if you ever really feel like you’re quite “there” as an artist, but I suppose my foot in the door to acting came when I was cast as a replacement in a feature film “Devil’s Cove” and things snowballed for me from there. I was able to make more connections, get referred for more work. Of course, every day still takes a lot of effort, auditioning and getting yourself out there. As a filmmaker, I have always loved making movies, and to this day I still make most of them independently, with low budgets. With Poetry and Writing, I have also done it my whole life, but was not professionally published until 2022, when I aggressively started submitting my poems, so that really came a little later in my life.

Art is a lifelong passion and profession. I always work to grow and adapt and become better, and try not to get in the way of who I am at the time. Your art should change as you change, and I think that’s for the better. I try not to box myself in, and always try to be grateful for the opportunities I’ve been presented. Not everyone gets to make this dream a reality, so I do my best to remember how blessed I am, and never taken an opportunity for granted. I’m just proud to be able to call myself a professional artist, and to have been able to work on projects I am passionate about. I’ve always said art should be made “For yourself, for others.” meaning it should matter and be personal to you, but you should be doing it for the betterment of others and the world. Getting it out there so someone who needs it can find it. That’s always been my driving force.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Easily, it’s reaching people or making even a small difference in people’s lives. Whether that’s simply entertaining them or moving them, that’s always what means the most to me. Even if you only have one person reading/watching your work, keep working for that one person. They might really need you at that point in their lives. I’ve had a few people reach out to me, primarily on instagram, to let me know how much something meant to them, and that is the greatest feeling. Just knowing you’ve made a difference. That’s why I think it’s so important to stay true to who you are/what you need to put into the world as an artist. You never know the impact you could make on someone.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I don’t know that this is a “lesson” per se, but I will say that one thing I really had to learn was that talent itself is not enough and, in some ways, it shouldn’t be. The people I most see succeed in both the film and writing worlds tend to be the ones who work incredibly hard (don’t overdo it, though. There’s a difference between hard work and over work) and always put themselves out there. They are fearless, in a way. Some people gate keep their work because they are afraid to fail, and you have to let that go in order to succeed. The successful people take chances, they fail and they get back up. They are also, for the most part, kind. We all hear the story about the rude or unkind star, but stars are relatively rare. They are the 1% (and I’m sure most of them are also kind people) but most of the artists working are blue collar people getting by, and they are kind and easy to work with and gracious.

So, talent matters of course, but you can always get better. Being fearless, working hard and being kind are things you need above talent alone, and that’s important to know.

Also, make connections. A lot of my work in film has come by referral, and that’s something I really do take pride in.

Contact Info:

• Website: sammytanderson.com
• Instagram: @sammytanderson
• Youtube: Sammy Anderson