We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Somer Stampley a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Somer, appreciate you joining us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.
I work primarily with colorful pieces of paper. Cutting, arranging, and gluing the pieces to make a large still image or using those cut papers to make stop motion animations. I’ve always been making art since I can remember, but I decided to go to college for anthropology. I would take some art classes here and there throughout my college years but for the most part I am a completely self taught artist. I’ve always drew with colored pencils or made collages, but around 7 years ago I started cutting out paper and it just took off from there. Being so entranced and wanting to really learn more about art for so many years, really helped me create my own style which sets me apart from most. Stop motion animating came a bit later after cutting out paper for a couple of years. It was (and still is) such a challenge. I started animating because a friend asked me to do a music video for his band and I just went all in with learning how to make these tiny pieces of paper move in a concise and natural way. It was not easy. Learning a new craft, especially something like stop motion animating, is an obstacle in itself. I’ve always been really into animations and I loved watching cartoons growing up. I had really no interest or didn’t think I could even do something so challenging. Perseverance has helped me along the way and has gotten me pursuing art practices that I would have never conceived for myself. Cutting out paper is something that I have grown to love so much and I can’t help but constantly think of different things I would like to cut out.
I definitely think that practice has made me hone in my skills and my style so much. I feel like without failing or making mistakes I would not be making the art I am currently making.
Somer, 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?
Currently, I work with cutting out paper and “collage” with them. It’s hard to describe my work as collaging because it feels more like I’m drawing with cuts that I make with my X-acto blade onto colorful pieces of paper. Then arranging them to bring an image to life. When I started, I was making punk show flyers and art for punk bands mostly. It really took off from there with doing art shows, residencies around the world, and art for clothing lines.
Now, I am working on stop motion animations made with paper (taking pictures of each movement 24 frames per second). It’s an insanely rewarding art practice but it is so painstakingly time consuming and meticulous. For each animation, I make a storyboard and sketch out each scene and make detailed notes on what shapes and what colors I need to start cutting out of paper . I cut each piece of the animation out and depending on the scene it could be A LOT of paper.
The main thing that I work on is commissioned animations for various types of people or businesses, bands to children’s television program. I am currently working on an animated video that provides information to New York state migrant farm workers with workers rights. I’m so proud that my art practice can lend itself to being something fun and inspiring to look at to something with information that could help someone’s situation.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
Creating things for myself is the first thing that comes to mind with what’s most rewarding. I feel an unexplainable urge to create art, which I am sure is the case for most artists. I do love seeing people’s reaction to my work, especially with animations. People ask me how I can be patient with something like stop motion or the fact that I cut out these tiny pieces of paper, but honestly I’m not patient. I just love to see the objects/ subjects move and love to watch the animations progress and come to life. There’s nothing like it. So, learning to be patient is an aspect of animation. Living in a city like New York, time flows different here. There’s a sense of urgency all the time and there’s so much going on around you, you feel like time is racing ahead of you and it’s hard to find time to actually make the things you want to make. Making animations, I have to take my time and slow down. Everything photo I take, is a frame which is a part of a second. One photo of 24 photos which makes one second. That’s a lot of photos.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
I would say the pure fact that I want to create art is my main drive. Everyone has goals that are fixed with having an income and surviving. So there is a part of my drive that is focused on making money, selling my art, and doing commissions for an income. This force doesn’t control my style or my ability to create something that is entirely unique to myself and my process. I always want to grow and learn to be a better person and that person (me) is an artist. It took me a really long time to consider myself an artist because I felt like I wasn’t good enough or I was an imposter. The list can go on. So, getting to this point is a part of the journey and I’m honestly excited to see what the future brings.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.somerstampley.com
- Instagram: @shesonlydreaming
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_7gPz8NiudZ6Y0qbjQny1w
- Other: [email protected]