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Reawakening Wonder Through the Sketchbook: A Conversation with Samantha Dion Baker
387 Plays15 days ago
Samantha Dion Baker has always seen the world a little differently. From her childhood days sketching in her grandmother’s sculpture studio and watching her mother make intricate designs on a drafting table to a decades-long career in graphic design, her creative path has been shaped by curiosity, beauty, and a deep desire to pay attention. In this episode of ReBloom, Sam shares her inspiring journey of rediscovery—how picking up a sketchbook in her forties led her back to herself and helped her reimagine a life as a full-time artist, illustrator, and author.
Known for her evocative visual journaling and beloved books, Sam invites us into her process—one rooted not in perfection, but in presence. As she says, “Drawing isn’t about making something perfect—it’s about paying attention.”
Tune in to hear how she made the courageous shift from designer to artist, why she believes creativity is for everyone, and how drawing the everyday can lead to extraordinary transformation.
This conversation is a beautiful reminder that it’s never too late to start again—and that sometimes, the most meaningful reblooms begin with a pencil and a page.
Links:
Substack: https://samanthadionbaker.substack.com/
Website: https://www.sdionbaker.com/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/sdionbakerdesign/
Books: https://www.sdionbaker.com/books
Pre-Order Signed Copy: https://www.booksaremagic.net/preorders/samantha-dion-baker
Shop: https://www.sdionbaker.com/shop-2020
Thank You to Our Sponsors: Jet Creative and UrbanStems!
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Transcript
Introduction to Rebloom Podcast
00:00:01
Speaker
Hey everyone, welcome to Rebloom, the podcast where we explore the power of change, rediscovery, and living with intention. That's right. We're your hosts, Lori and Jamie, two friends who really love a good story about transformation.
00:00:16
Speaker
In each podcast, we're going to chat with inspiring guests who've made bold pivots in their lives or careers. They've let go of what no longer serve them to embrace something more authentic, joyful, and true to who they really are.
00:00:31
Speaker
And the best part, many of them reconnect with passions or dreams they discovered as kids. It's about finding the seeds planted long ago and letting them bloom again.
00:00:43
Speaker
So if you're ready for real conversations about reinvention, purpose, and following your creative heart, you're in the right place. Let's dive in and see what it takes to re-bloom.
Meet Samantha Dion Baker
00:00:57
Speaker
Well, Lori, we are in for a treat today. Oh my gosh, I love this woman so much. And I've, I personally have taken so much away from her by being able to be present and drawing alongside of her on a couple of trips, but hearing her journey and um the creativity that surrounds her life,
00:01:22
Speaker
It's so inspiring. And i I really do want to adopt adapt this process into my life because I just think about this shelf that she has of magical journals that are just going to be handed down in her family.
00:01:38
Speaker
Yeah, I think so. Today, everyone, we've got Samantha Dion Baker, who's just
Samantha's Creative Heritage
00:01:44
Speaker
incredible. And she's going to talk to us about her art journey, which is a long journey. It's, I mean, from grandparents to parents to herself and now to her children. And it's just a beautiful story of how creativity has been woven through their family and the magic that they create. And you all are in for a huge treat today so enjoy everyone enjoy well Lori are you yeah hey James I got to see you last week oh my gosh we re-bloomed in a big kind of way at your retreat and it was amazing my gosh so amazing and a lot of women said it was life-changing so how cool is that
00:02:32
Speaker
It's so cool. And, you know, i think it reaffirmed to me that what we're doing here on this podcast is so very, very important because we want to bring stories to our listeners.
00:02:48
Speaker
of artists and people who have pivoted along the way, but also people who were not artists and are just pivoting and doing something completely unique. and And, you know, we just love it. So it was amazing. Amazing. And I'm so glad you were there. who was awesome. Oh, thank you. I loved being there. I loved seeing you and hugging you in person.
00:03:09
Speaker
Okay, so we've got a great podcast today. And I get to introduce my friend, Samantha Dion Baker. and I have gotten the distinct pleasure of traveling with Sam on two trips to Mexico and watching her.
The Magic of Journals
00:03:29
Speaker
like I got teary eyed this last time we were in a coffee shop and I got all teary eyed watching her work. Because I think the the sketchbooks that she creates, the journals, are such beautiful treasures.
00:03:45
Speaker
She captures her days, her world, her travels. She's written three books that tell that story and how others can do it. She's a graphic designer. She's an artist. She's an illustrator. She's just an amazing person. So, Sam, I'm so glad you're here. hi Thank you. so good to be here.
00:04:04
Speaker
Welcome, welcome. Where is home? Where is home, Sam? I live in Brooklyn, in Brooklyn, New York. And it's been home.
00:04:15
Speaker
Brooklyn has been home for seven, almost 18 years. And your
Life and Career in Brooklyn
00:04:19
Speaker
studio looks adorable. You all can't see it, but it's, it's pretty incredible. Yeah. Where, where are you from originally, Sam?
00:04:27
Speaker
I'm originally from Philadelphia. not too far from And I went to school in New York. and did a little bit of time in Toronto where my husband was finishing school.
00:04:41
Speaker
But other than that, ever since I came to college, I went to Cooper Union in New York City. And and other than those four years in Toronto, I've lived here ever since. So take us back. i'm I'm always curious about the childhood piece. Everybody who listens to this know that I ask about that because I want to know what Sam was like as a little girl and what were your influences and what did you love doing?
00:05:06
Speaker
Oh, well, i yeah as long as I can remember, I've drawn and doodled. And I grew up in art studios because my mother well was, is an artist. And so was my grandmother and my grandfather who shared a studio.
00:05:24
Speaker
My grandfather passed away when I was a baby. um But then my grandmother stayed in the same house and it was her studio. She's a sculptor or was a sculptor.
00:05:35
Speaker
And She had the most incredible spaces. She worked on huge public commissions. um there's In Philadelphia, her sculptures still stand.
00:05:48
Speaker
And um she was in the Whitney and Biennial, and she she had a great career. And some of her work had to be lifted by crane out of the studio that I got to spend my time in when I was little. Wow.
00:06:03
Speaker
living around women, female artists, cause her twin sister, I've written all these stories on my sub stack. So if anyone is curious, i've I've written about my grandmother and her twin, um, and other things from the past on there, but, um, yeah, they were both artists and the story is that they drew straws to decide which one would be the sculptor and which one would be the painter because they didn't want to do the same thing as identical twins. They,
00:06:33
Speaker
So anyway, um this is the world I grew up in. um And then my father, was who was a lawyer who kind of supported us, he was is a creative also and really embraced it and you know loved our creative family. So I always always encourage.
00:06:53
Speaker
So I say, I think I write wrote about this in Draw Your um Day, my first book, but it wasn't so much whether I would have a creative life or creative career, it was if I wouldn't.
Choosing Design Over Art
00:07:05
Speaker
Yeah. Because, you know, it just kind of what we did and it was just my world. So maybe I wouldn't. um My father thought I was really good at arguing, so he thought I could be a good lawyer.
00:07:19
Speaker
Yeah. ah So um anyway, yeah, I could keep going on. but i think So i I have a question and I'm asking this on behalf of my daughter because she she grew up with a mother who was a designer, illustrator, whatever. And at some time, sometimes I think that that was hard for her, like searching for her own voice or like the comparison thing. Did you experience any of that or?
00:07:50
Speaker
I did, but it was mostly be because of my sister. Oh. um Because my, you know, I had my big sister who was my, you know, role model as an artist and she was so incredibly talented.
00:08:08
Speaker
People would say she was like a prodigy. I mean, she could just draw people from such a young age so well and, um, because she could draw so well. And it's interesting that I've written books, all these books on drawing.
00:08:22
Speaker
I didn't think that that that I was as good. So I decided to go into design and try and carve my own way. And so I did compare to my family, but i think my direct you know competition in a way it was, and it was only me. I mean, she didn't feel it. It was just a little sister thing. Um, you know, and I also wanted to let her shine. So, um, anyway.
00:08:53
Speaker
and you So you drew, you drew stra straws like your grandmother, maybe. I mean, kind of, although it wasn't a decision nothing that we, we decided on, but, um,
00:09:06
Speaker
Yeah, I think I just was like, no, ill you know, I'll do this. i'll I'll be a little more, maybe ill get a better job or I can be, you know, be a little more practical. i'll I'll go into design. so ah So you started you started in graphic design. um And were you did you love that part of your career? or
00:09:25
Speaker
Absolutely.
Transition to Creative Art Forms
00:09:26
Speaker
I mean, it is so polar opposite in a way to what I'm doing now because my focus when when i started... And also even at school, it's so technical. It's so, um you know, when, when I was at Cooper Union, it was the, you know, Adobe Illustrator and the computer and everything was just starting. And um I learned to like coast through that, but I ah i didn't want to use the computer.
00:09:56
Speaker
um It was always this battle of technology with me, even though, but, but everything was very precise. We had to, you know, hand paint letter forms to learn the differences between the classic typefaces and, you know, all this stuff, Lori probably. Yeah, I'm shaking my head. No one can see me, but I'm like, oh yeah, we use placa paint and painted those letter forms. Yeah, exactly. A hundred percent. Yeah.
00:10:21
Speaker
Yeah. So, you know, and, um and then, you know, then I went, my first job, actually, well, my first job was working with two young designers in Toronto those four years that I lived there.
00:10:35
Speaker
I was so lucky and I'm still friends with them today. And it was so hands-on because they were young and I was their first employee. um And then after that, I got a ah job in New York as an art director, really young at 26.
00:10:49
Speaker
And that was based in the art world. And so that was my way of being like in the art world, but not. So all I was doing was designing invitations, magazine ads,
00:11:02
Speaker
and catalogs and books for art galleries and museums. So if you can imagine, like very minimal design, very much about typography, clean, you know, the artwork had to shine. And then we were just doing lots of color correcting to get the paintings to match. And I worked on, worked with the Frick collection. I worked with the Guggenheim. I worked with Sotheby's. I worked with um so many art galleries and I did catalogs with famous, famous artists like Picasso prints catalog I have on my shelf and all these different, anyway.
00:11:38
Speaker
So it was an amazing part of my career, but it wasn't very creative. Yeah. Yeah. um It was like creative adjacent and very technical and very much on the computer.
00:11:51
Speaker
So I needed an outlet. I needed to like let loose again and like go back to my roots. So here we are today. So, So segue into like, how did that happen? That transition into what you're doing now?
00:12:08
Speaker
Yeah. And when did that happen too? Well, it wasn't, it wasn't really a conscious decision. The decision was that I was on the computer too much. Um, I really wasn't really that happy because I was just, well, so was a young mom. I had my kids, um,
00:12:31
Speaker
And then I had my second and we moved to Brooklyn and I was still working freelance and working on all these jobs, some of them still in the art world and then doing random other things. um I had really great clients. and then um But I just needed, like we needed one parent to be there more. So my work got like pretty part-time and um and it just got really stressful to like,
00:13:00
Speaker
suddenly have a job and not have full-time help and suddenly be like, I have to you know, have one baby on my, you know, it was just, it was just complicated. And my husband is like so supportive, but there was only so much some days as he could do because he travels so much for work anyway. So I, um, i just, just phased it out. I was like, you know what? I'm going to phase out.
00:13:27
Speaker
I had like just a few clients left. And um I wanted to keep my feet in the water, like my toes wet, because I didn't want to have to come back to it. So I always knew I was going to keep working, um but that I would just like be there more for my boys. And so...
00:13:47
Speaker
I needed something though, cause I'm a worker. Like I'm so like, I need i couldn't just be, I was like, I'm a nervous Nelly mom. Like I just, we would be in the playground and I'd be like, okay, let's go. You're going to hurt yourself. Let's go. You know, I just, you know, I just, um, such a like present and i think pretty good mom. I've gotten good feedback, but like, and I'm really close with my boys, but like I needed something. So I started drawing and,
00:14:17
Speaker
Also, I have a bad memory. i don't remember everything. Time was going by so fast. And so I just, just started writing more and I always kept a sketchbook and a journal, but the drawings were very minimal at that time. I was just writing down little notes and little things and maybe like a doodle here or there.
00:14:36
Speaker
Um, and then it just like kind of built. And then I was sharing on Instagram back in like 2014. fourteen So Instagram was still pretty young. Yeah. Yeah. And, um,
00:14:47
Speaker
I created a second account SD on Baker design, which is still my handle. I can't do anything about it. no There's a story to that anyway. So anyway, um that's it. I just like one thing led to another.
Instagram Influence on Samantha's Art
00:15:02
Speaker
And I just like, i always say that my career is like walking ahead of me to like five or 10 steps. And I'm just like, I guess I'm going here now. I guess I'm doing that now. Like I don't, it wasn't a conscious plan.
00:15:15
Speaker
so so you So you started, the kids were little, and, you know, I think that happens to a lot of young moms, too. I mean, we sort of back out of one career and we we start to balance um our lives. I mean, you have to, yeah whether it be the husband staying home or however we reset and...
00:15:35
Speaker
And then you pick up the sketchbook and did you immediately, I mean, as you said, you were doodling. When did they start to, ah when did that start to evolve? And you start to go, um wait a minute.
00:15:47
Speaker
I don't, but how how did that process happen? So a lot of what I was doodling at that time was letters. Okay. Because that I love drawing letters and I love typography.
00:16:01
Speaker
But I do it in my own way, and so i just was I was just copying letters, writing words. I mean, it all started very mostly with patterns and words and letter forms. And then I slowly started to draw things, and then drawing more and more. And then it became about the composition, and I started arranging a lot of things together because that's the design.
00:16:29
Speaker
And so, and when I shared it, I started getting a following and it was a and then suddenly I'm going to say it was like in 2015, maybe a year in or so. Yeah. no i I was like, I'm drawing my day.
00:16:46
Speaker
like It didn't have that name, but it was like a drawn journal. Yeah. So it's interesting. i i got really into Instagram about then too, about 2015, and the community was very different back then. but it And i that's how I started on my own art path.
00:17:04
Speaker
What was it that you were hearing or sit what were you sharing? And what what was the feedback that you were getting that was helping you in that community to know how to move forward and what direction to move forward maybe?
00:17:20
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, it it wasn't the, like, it it didn't, um, help form the path, if that makes sense. Or like, us yeah um, it, it just and enhanced it. And I was like, Oh, people are liking this. Oh, I'm getting a few new followers. Oh, you know, and then can't remember what year it was.
00:17:44
Speaker
I'm like, I should know. 12,
00:17:48
Speaker
2016, a year later, Instagram featured me. so like Oh, wow. Yeah. Bye-bye. Yeah. yeah and you know back Back then, it was like they they featured me. They wrote a little story and featured like a flip-through of my book.
00:18:04
Speaker
And then it was like, it it yeah, it kind of blew up. And so once that happened, um it it was like, this is I said to my mom, what am I doing this for? You know? Cause I was really, really compulsive about it.
00:18:21
Speaker
Every single day i designed and finished a page and my kids were like, what, you know, they went with it They helped. It was about their lives and my life, my life. And you know, it's a gift that they can look back on them They're sitting all my shelves, like their whole entire life basically. And, um,
00:18:42
Speaker
And, you know, it's funny, I say like, even to this day, they never got upset when I was drawing. Sometimes maybe, but like, never like when I'm looking at my phone. Yeah, yeah, yeah. um So, you know, the phone being part of the process became like the bad part of it. And so like the Instagram was like, the you know what I mean, the negative, because it took me away from So it but I, I love Instagram for all it gave
Podcast Sponsorship and Social Media
00:19:11
Speaker
me. So yeah.
00:19:13
Speaker
Let's take a quick minute and thank our amazing sponsors. Our podcast is proudly brought to you today by Jet Creative and Urban Stems. Jet Creative is a women owned marketing firm committed to community and empowerment since 2013.
00:19:29
Speaker
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00:19:44
Speaker
And bonus, our listeners get an exclusive discount when you mention re-bloom. And a huge thanks to Urban Stems, your go-to and our go-to source for fresh, gorgeous bouquets and gifts delivered coast to coast.
00:19:58
Speaker
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00:20:11
Speaker
Thanks to our sponsors and thanks to you for joining us today.
00:20:17
Speaker
What i love about how you work, well, first of all, i look at the ones that I've seen and they truly are heirlooms that will be passed down in your family and what a beautiful, beautiful gift.
00:20:31
Speaker
But I think you said this about when you are capturing your day the way you do in drawing and writing it's committed to memory in a way that's much more deep than if you just shoot a photo of it.
00:20:47
Speaker
And I, I was never one, like, you know, when I'm with you on trips, I was never one to draw how you all do, where we go to a coffee shop and sketchbooks are out and you're drawing the people and the, you know, everything.
00:21:02
Speaker
But I tried it myself when I was in Italy last year, I sat in this plaza and drew the people in the building and like that day is really seared in my memory because of doing that. And I always think back to you saying that.
00:21:19
Speaker
So i just love, love, love how you work. And I totally see that you come from a graphic design background, how you design the pages. Like i so I so see it. So I so relate to how you approach the, the journals that you create.
00:21:37
Speaker
Yeah. I think that, and i I think I've mentioned this in some way in all of my books that drawing is a decision.
Drawing as a Memory Tool
00:21:47
Speaker
you have to want to do it.
00:21:49
Speaker
And what you draw, what you decide to draw, no matter what it is at any moment is going to bring, bring you back. So it doesn't have to be the people in the cafe and the people, cause I don't really do that either, Laurie, you know?
00:22:07
Speaker
Um, it's you sometimes something completely random, like the tiles on the floor or like the lamp or something on the wall or just something I like, I want to draw that. And that will make make me remember this place.
00:22:21
Speaker
So, um you know, you don't like, I, I I'm with you because when we would go and sit at cafes with everyone, I definitely draw differently than everyone else does as well.
00:22:35
Speaker
But it's the same moment. so i And I can be in the moment and I can draw it in my own way. um But it's that slowing down processing something, you know what you know, because you don't you don't see anything the same way as you see it in a photograph or passing by.
00:22:58
Speaker
you don't see it the same way as when you draw it. You're you're so right. You just, you, it's, yeah it is, it's committing it to memory in a whole different way. So I've, I've just appreciated watching you work.
00:23:11
Speaker
So tell us all the things that you're involved in now. I know you teach and you do a lot of different things. So talk about where this journey has led you.
Samantha's Current and Upcoming Projects
00:23:24
Speaker
Well, I like to, you know, I don't want to let go of anything. None of us do. ah So I still do design minimally, but in a way, you know, it's it's always there.
00:23:38
Speaker
And I've written four books, i mean, three, and I know you're not wrong when you say three, it's just there was a kid's book squeezed in there.
00:23:50
Speaker
um And my some my fourth, third, however you want to look at it, um comes out in July. So there's a lot going on with that.
00:24:02
Speaker
It's very soon. And so I'm just sort of, i love making books and I love writing them and working on them, but I don't like this part. So yeah promotet the promoting and the selling is my least favorite part, but I've been really lucky because obviously they've sold well enough that they have me make more. So you know Can you tell us what the new book is about?
00:24:25
Speaker
oh yeah. um So ah the new book is called Draw Your Adventures. But it's not um it's not limited to travel, like traditional travel. That's only part of it.
00:24:38
Speaker
um It's all adventure. So the idea that when you open your door, a new adventure begins. Like if you're going to the DMV travel, you know, so like doctor's appointments. So the adventures that kind of choose us that we don't choose um to, you know, a laundry adventure to, I mean, anything um can be an adventure if you see it through the lens of, ah you know, of, of like, like positive um yeah experience and, and, and, um,
00:25:13
Speaker
yeah, it's like seeing, seeing all that we do through the lens of it. It's the every, it's the everyday moments that imprint on your heart. You know, I think that's, it's kind of, yeah, that I, I think that's a great idea. idea I love that. It's very childlike too. Like kids, when they go out in the world, everything is an adventure. Like, you know, everything.
00:25:34
Speaker
Yeah. I even put something playful in there. Some scavenger hunts that, um, I've always loved scavenger hunts and I sort of gives purpose. Like if you don't know what to draw. So um there's some playfulness in there too.
00:25:50
Speaker
i was going to do choose your own, choose your own adventure. That would be like part of the book, like, and you would like turn to page 80 to like figure whatever. um But we, we decided on the scavenger hunts instead.
00:26:04
Speaker
um So it is, it's, it's an adventure in itself, the book. I I'm hoping that, It's filled with prompts. It's filled with ideas. It's filled with examples. um It's not a teaching book. It's not like a how-to book. It's to how how you can see the world differently and your all of your experiences um in a new way.
00:26:25
Speaker
And no matter how you draw it, through abstract line and color to like precise drawings of you know, the people in the cafe. Um, yeah.
00:26:35
Speaker
So I love love it. love I was sitting with Kenzie. We were planning for a retreat the other day and we're sitting in this cafe and I was talking about how it was traveling in Mexico. And, and I said, half the people would have been drawing that guy sitting at that table. And and we both said,
00:26:55
Speaker
But we'd be drawing the packaging on that shelf right there because that's what we notice. And so I think that's cool that everybody can approach this practice in their own way and notice and draw and write about the things that caught their eye or their attention.
00:27:13
Speaker
And so I love that philosophy. Yeah. Yes. I love it. And I think it's about being, you know, it's it's really about being mindful in the moment. And as you said, it's it's taking the things that imprint that, you know, that you brought to that situation that really make an impact. And I love that about how it could be colors or lines and I'm, Laurie and I go about, we go round and round about all this because I'm a photographer, not a, I don't draw, although I'm better on procreate. I've been working really hard, were really, really hard. So now I'm thinking, what could I do?
00:27:44
Speaker
um But I think you're giving people permission how, wherever they show up to do that. And I love that because I think sometimes we feel like we can't and we shouldn't say that to our soul or we should just try, just do it.
00:28:00
Speaker
Oh yeah. And, yeah and, I will, I tell, I tell every single student, ever everybody I meet, there is nothing you do is wrong.
00:28:10
Speaker
Right. Yeah. Right. So, yeah um, you know, and everyone's an artist and everyone can, you know, if you can write your name, you can draw, you know? Yeah. So, um, there's, yeah, there's so many different ways you can take this book and, and, and, and use it as inspiration. So, um,
00:28:30
Speaker
Yeah, so um I'm excited about that. And I just found out I have another book coming. Yay! Can you talk about that one? What's that? You know, I don't know. um I think that I can, but I haven't like signed the contract yet. Wait on that one then. Yeah, I feel like I should hold off on it, but there is another one coming, which i I've heard is very nice compliment in a way, because if the publisher wants you to sign a new book deal before one comes out, to me go you know, they're, they're, they're pretty happy with what they're, what's happening. So I'll see.
00:29:10
Speaker
Um, it's a different project, but, um, I'm excited. So what I'm finding interesting is that as a girl, you were feeling like you didn't draw as well as your sister. And so you went
Overcoming Childhood Doubts
00:29:24
Speaker
down a different path and now,
00:29:26
Speaker
everything you're doing centers around drawing. So i love that. Teaching others to draw. Yeah. Teaching others to draw. So I, I'm happy that that little comparison thief didn't get away, didn't didn't get in your way to circle back to what you're doing because you really draw like exquisitely well. like Thank you. Yeah. Yeah.
00:29:53
Speaker
What's really nice is my sister, I think, is happy as well that that little voice in my head didn't stop me. Yeah. And only, you know. So, I mean, the pencil and the pen and the sketchbook just sort of led its own.
00:30:07
Speaker
Like I said, it just happened. And um I taught myself, I mean, people say, how do you do this or what's the best approach? And what's the, you know, how should i get started on this or what?
00:30:18
Speaker
And I'm always like, you just got to do it and practice. Yeah. Yeah. You know, um ah everyone says that, but it's so, I mean, sometimes people just need to be reminded, like there's no other way to get better.
00:30:32
Speaker
and anything. At I mean, it's very obvious, but it's also sometimes... sometimes not. It takes practice. And when it comes to art, for some reason, people have this idea in their head that you're, you either are good, you're an artist or you're not.
00:30:50
Speaker
And it's like, it's born in you and it takes practice and you, you get rusty, just like an athlete that doesn't work out regularly. You get rusty and then you have to get back at it. And practice practice mean you were drawing daily in your sketchbook and that you were honing your skills yeah yeah are you you still doing your pages daily not daily but but you know um it depends i mean obviously if i'm on a trip then i take more time which is hard too because then it takes a little bit away that i write about that and draw your adventures like sort of how to balance that um
00:31:33
Speaker
that time, your time. um ah I would say I draw in my sketchbook at least twice, three times. I'll do two or three pages a week. Yeah.
00:31:46
Speaker
when I find that there's something I really want to draw and want to remember. So, yeah. that So I'm going to take you down a little different path now. I want you to talk about your boys um because this creativity gene has continued on and they are fascinating, I think.
00:32:06
Speaker
So can you talk a little bit about them?
Creative Legacy and Family Influence
00:32:09
Speaker
Sure, that's like my other favorite thing to talk about. Yeah, I'm really proud of them. they're both They both found their own creative path that is very different than mine or my husband's. And we just, you know we're just so happy that they following their own,
00:32:32
Speaker
are following their own you know their own journey and we were supportive of it. um Ian is my older son and he was given a camera when I think he was 15 or 14. And he just, you know, a lot of kids ah really, you know, see it's a great way of like seeing the world through the lens.
00:33:02
Speaker
um Jamie, you can you can relate to that and not on your phone, you know, on a, through through the lens of like an actual camera. And yeah, he goes to the Savannah College of Art and Design is now in their film program.
00:33:17
Speaker
And so he was on last week he was on two film sets. And i got I got some behind the scenes, um so some ah photographs. It was so cool just what he's doing.
00:33:30
Speaker
And it's very collaborative there So he was helping one of his friends on their fashion and merchandising project um and doing a whole film shoot for that for her and with the whole crew.
00:33:47
Speaker
love it. Super exciting. And the the film studios at SCAD are like, Hollywood Studios. It's incredible. Wow. So, um yeah, they have like a whole mock city wow that you walk through and it's like, it's like it's all just set. Wow. Wow. It's incredible. It's an incredible school. Yeah. Yeah. And they have so much money they just keep...
00:34:09
Speaker
I think they've now, like, they they can't buy any more buildings in Savannah. I might have to pop by there. We're going to Hilton Head on our family vacation. Oh, my gosh. Go through. Yeah. yeah i We went into Savannah last year. Maybe we'll do it again.
00:34:25
Speaker
yeah Yeah, and go to the museum. It's a really world-class museum at this point. Oh, wow. Yeah, their museum is beautiful. Yeah.
00:34:36
Speaker
So, and then, and then Theo, my younger son, ah he you know, he, he got into some clothes. It's a little trendy. A lot of kids are like recycling and ups or sort of upcycling clothes and buying vintage and remaking things, learning how to sew.
00:34:54
Speaker
He's just taken it to a whole other level. And he's. glory you know it oh my gosh i mean you should see the things that he makes like she'll be wearing this great hat and i'm like oh where'd you get that hat oh theo made it i amazing yeah is he in college yet no he's in he's in high school he's in 11th he's finishing 11th grade um he wants to go to art school for fashion he wants to go to school in london we'll see what happens and I mean, there's no, or Paris or anywhere in Europe. He just wants to be in Europe because of fashion.
00:35:30
Speaker
And um yeah, he, he's fully designing and making things. It's amazing. well I am in awe of just the generational. Yeah. let go ahead His sewing machine is there. We didn't have enough room for it in our, in our home. So It's here in the studio. We share it. I love I love it. Well, I'm thinking back, Lori and I interviewed Todd Oldham, which was just so fun chat with him. heard that one. Yeah. oh he, and you know, you're reminding me, Lori. I was thinking that earlier when you talked about growing up in a creative family and, you know, the question would have been if you didn't go down that path. Yeah.
00:36:14
Speaker
Because it was just sort of in the DNA, in the environment. And it seems like that's carried through. Like your grandparents were their parents also artists? So it's interesting. my so my No, I don't think so. But my grandfather's mother and my my grandmother used her sewing machine.
00:36:36
Speaker
It was a singer, beautiful. Sadly, we got rid of it before we knew you know with Theo was little. when my grandmother passed away, but she used my, her mother-in-law's sewing machine.
00:36:49
Speaker
So the, she was at, ah I think she made like gowns and wedding dresses. I don't want to get that wrong. my My mother's told me I should remember. But anyway, he she was like an expert dressmaker and tailor. And um so somehow there's something in that, d you know, yeah yeah it also comes from my husband because he's a maker and a builder.
00:37:13
Speaker
And so, you know, like, I think it's random. I'm like, how did he start to like sew clothes? I don't know anything, but it's totally different than what I do or even what his brother does.
00:37:25
Speaker
And I'm like, but it's actually in there, you know, it's all. Yeah. yeah It's pretty magic. It's magical. And it's kind of like you were saying about the journals, like, you know, your boys, you, you expose them to the same things, but one saw one thing and the other saw something else. And,
00:37:42
Speaker
And I think that's the beauty of kids is that, you know, we can all go on trips or we can all do things. And you think, did you go on the same trip I did? Because I saw, know, but, but I think that's the children do that they pick up the thing that they love and that they're attracted to. And you, as parents have encouraged that. So that's, that's amazing. That's just brilliant. Brilliant.
00:38:03
Speaker
I was just teaching at a retreat with Carrie Schmidt. I don't know if you know Carrie, but she, um, so her story is she had some really severe health issues and, and she really believes that creativity saved her life.
00:38:19
Speaker
And so she is very devoted to creativity. And so I just wonder what your views are on living a creative life and how important that is.
00:38:34
Speaker
It's hard to say really, because I don't, well, I, I just have, I just have to say, and and and I think it's related. There was, i heard um Sir Ken Robinson speak once at a benefit for one of my kids school, like when they were younger, and there was a story that he shared about this kid and his, who was like very antsy and like couldn't keep, and he was always like jumping around and,
00:39:03
Speaker
jumping and doing things that it were like, and you can see one set of parents being like, stop, sit still, you're driving me crazy. And then another set of parents who are like, let's take him to the gym.
00:39:19
Speaker
Right. Let's take him to, and this kid became like an Olympian, like gymnast. And it's like, if we don't, you know, And it totally made like all of us cry and we were like, oh my gosh, because it's so true. And if you yeah if you don't, um
00:39:38
Speaker
like as parents too, or just as people, like if you don't embrace and sort of let yourself lean into um things that a lot of people will just dismiss as a hobby or like a side thing.
00:39:51
Speaker
But, you know, I was just doodling in a sketchbook and and it blossomed into like, I'm writing, you know, I'm on my fifth project or whatever number it is. i And like, it it's, you just, you, if it, if it feels good and it feels right, I mean, some of it's a luxury, some of it's a privilege because there's a lot of people who just, you know, they have to make money and work and, you know, so I speaking with like, you know, but that reality is there for a lot of people, but, um,
00:40:27
Speaker
You know, they' there there's so many possibilities and it can save your life and it can like lead to so much more and it shouldn't be ignored. And
Embracing Creativity and Art Therapy
00:40:38
Speaker
I don't know.
00:40:38
Speaker
If I was on a ramble there, but. No, I love it. You know, it's funny. I went to a a little kinder. I'm a new grandmother. And I went down to visit my grandson last weekend. And it's funny because when my son, who is very successful and does fine, I remember him sitting on my lap as a baby and he was all over the place. He was the classic, you know, little ADD kid all over. And I'm like, sit on my lap. Why can't you be the baby that sits on your mommy's lap, whatever.
00:41:02
Speaker
But he was all over the place. And it's funny how time and wisdom, my grandson is exactly the same way. But now I'm like, go, Jack, you go, you go be you, you go be uniquely you, you go, you go explore over there. Don't sit in the circle, go do whatever. And you know, it's funny. And because I think that that is your parents gave you that permission and you've given your children that permission. And you're right. It's, it's keeping that creativity in our lives, which we all need, however it comes to us and however we choose to express it.
00:41:36
Speaker
And whether you've picked a straw and gone down sculpture lane or painting or drawing or graphic design or photography or I mean, it's Or cooking or gardening or gardening.
00:41:48
Speaker
Making German. performance or singing or, you know, i think um I think about the performing arts too, you know. Yeah. it's It just needs to be part of your soul, I think. And just like breathing. Like I can't imagine now not being creative And for so long I wasn't. And I don't think I was very happy until, i don't know. It just, it's a sort of this lovely happiness that fills you up, I think.
00:42:11
Speaker
Yeah. Very calming. Cause yeah, I, I watch our grandsons and when they are in a, you know, making whatever it is, cause they're always doing that at our house, at Mimi's house there, there's just this focus in this calmness that happens when they're, they're busy making something.
00:42:32
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. So it's so special. And, you know, there, when I remember when Draw Your Day came out in 2018 and I was actually, it was a little bit of a surprise, but I was like, oh my gosh, of course, um that it was categorized in the art therapy section.
00:42:52
Speaker
um It wasn't something that I discussed or like we, thought I thought about really. um But it's all, it is,
00:43:03
Speaker
bringing it back to the, what I do and and what I encourage and, you know, it, it, it doesn't have to be your life, but it is, it, it can enhance and it can, um, you know, just be something that, you know, to have this outlet, um, but also capture your memories and be able to, you know, look back on your progress and also look back on your experiences.
00:43:26
Speaker
Um, that is, that is like a therapy that's like, that's, you know, it's just good for the soul. um And all all the little challenges that go in there, like hating youre hating the the drawing and that you made or versus loving it and all those feelings. and like Been there.
00:43:43
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, it's all part of it. It's like part of that process. And it's like the in any creative practice, it's you know two steps forward, one step back. and you know so But the little victories and how that feels. and it's Yeah, I'm thrilled that my my work can be in that.
00:44:02
Speaker
category of of art therapy. Do you witness that when you're teaching live that it like people have breakthroughs and imagine you do? Yeah. Definitely. Yeah.
Balancing Creativity and Business
00:44:14
Speaker
That's pretty special. And, but you know, I think the other thing that's interesting too, is coming from a creative family and you and your husband, as you said, your husband's um a maker too, you know, that there's a business side of it too. So you, I think that you can encourage your children and I'm sure others it's, you know, you can do something. I mean, it's not, you're just not coloring. You're, where i mean, you're creating a business.
00:44:37
Speaker
You've created a business strategically. Can you talk about the business side of it at all? I mean, how that's evolved from being a graphic designer and a freelancer to now the you're your own brand and your own business.
00:44:51
Speaker
Yeah. it
00:44:55
Speaker
i've I've always worked for myself other than that one job, those two first jobs that I mentioned. yeah So I was art director at 26, and I think it was around...
00:45:07
Speaker
I can't remember exactly how many years I was there, but it was a handful of years. And then I decided to start my own business with a business partner who I'm still friends with. And she's like a sister to me.
00:45:20
Speaker
And then it's so the business and the and the making money part of my work has always been there. I've always felt the pressure. I always wanted like, if I was going to work that I made enough money to justify, you know, paying for help to, in order to work or, you know, i didn't want to, I wanted to, um, and when the when my kids were little, I want, I wanted to definitely like contribute to our but family rather than just, you know, having my work,
00:45:53
Speaker
kind of be a burden or cost cost cost us money. So there is there's always always this pressure to sort of stay ahead. And um anyway, I don't, you know, the brand part of it and the business part of what I do now,
00:46:11
Speaker
it's it's just been it's just been part of that that same like process. I mean, it's not a conscious decision. i'm not like ah really good business person, but I've had to step up and, you know, the more I do, the more,
00:46:30
Speaker
the more that becomes a part of it. And we, you know, it goes hand in hand. I mean, it definitely goes hand in hand. It does. And, but it's, you know, it's, it's amazing and encouraging that you've created this beautiful business and it's a creative business and it's, and it's blossomed in so many beautiful ways.
00:46:52
Speaker
It's wonderful. Wonderful. Yeah. I mean, I didn't think I would for so many years and, I just did a whole um video with Skillshare. They came and did a whole studio tour. It'll it'll air in July. I'm i'm excited.
00:47:05
Speaker
And a lot of it was talking to other people about making the leap to like have a designated space. um nete And it that was a big turning point in my career was like getting out of the apartment.
00:47:21
Speaker
Part of it was New York living for man you know, just our situation. But then part of it was like, I can do this. I make enough money. and the more, the more I like, once I do it, I'll make more money. I will live into it. I'll make it work. And yeah, so what you know, you, you, as long as you're responsible and it's not like completely out unreasonably, you know yeah yeah you know, but you know, you're going to make it work. Like we, we,
00:47:49
Speaker
yeah Yeah. We step up when we have to, you know, like. Yeah. When you have the passion, the drive, the commitment, all of that. Yeah. I had this space for seven, almost seven years. like Yeah. and it's It's a lovely space. I wish people could see it because it's gorgeous. It's bright light. studio Thank you. The studio tour will be.
00:48:09
Speaker
We'll all have to watch it on the wheelchair. You'll all be able to see all the details. i might be coming to New York in September again, I hope. So if you're around, maybe I can see you. I'll be there. I'll be there next week. I'm teaching at the New York Botanical Garden. I love to teach there. It's so fun. And um yeah, i mean, it's just such a, there's so much inspiration, but now I feel like I need to journal while I'm there. So I know now i'm I'm feeling inspired and, you know, I think you've given us so much to think about as far as just imprinting these moments on our life and, and pivoting and what a beautiful journey you've had.
00:48:50
Speaker
Thank you. And you're still having, you're saying, yeah, it's coming. It's incredible. Incredible. I'm honored to know you, miss. ah ah It's mutual, mutual Lori.
00:49:03
Speaker
Well, they thank you so much, Sam, for sharing your story with us. Thank for having me. It was great. So nice to talk to both of you. Oh, It's great. And I hope everybody takes a little bit of something away from this today. And if anything, it's please go buy yourself a beautiful journal and do your daily do some daily sketching. And I'm going to do it. I can tell you that.
00:49:27
Speaker
Or writing. yeah right Or maybe pictures that are combined with it. I don't yeah i did do i know. I'm like, how can I merge this? I don't know. But thank you so much for sharing your journey. I think it's just a beautiful one. and we appreciate you being here. Thank you. to To our can't wait to get the new book. I know. Get the new book, everyone. And to our to our listeners, peace, love, and ReBloom.
00:49:52
Speaker
Life is too short not to follow your passions. So go out there and let your heart plant you where you are meant to be and grow your joy. We will be right here sharing more incredible stories of reinvention with you.
00:50:06
Speaker
Make sure to subscribe to our podcast so you never miss an episode of ReBloom. Until next time, I'm Jamie Jameson. And I'm Lori Siebert. Peace, love and re-bloom, dear friends.