Sami Sparrow

Tell us a little bit about yourself?

Hi, my name is Sami Sparrow and I'm an artist, author and designer. I have my fingers in many pies as my creative brain will not settle with mastering just one art form.

I'm a bit of an oddball, I love cute things, Halloween, vintage clothing, antiques and house plants. I like to express myself through my appearance as well as my creative endeavours, so I always receive a lot of extra attention. Which can be tough for an introvert like me.

I'm a visual person and love having lots of different and fun things around me to look at and feel the world should be filled with more amazing creations.

I love painting and illustration however I have recently taught myself how to make repeat patterns for products like fabric in a digital format.

I have a love for art that has flow, movement and repetition. These are the 3 key elements that really attract me to a piece of work and I hope that I too am able to reflect this within my own work.

What is your favourite drink?
I'm a tea drinker! I really enjoy a good Herbal Tea, Fruit or Floral Tisane. I also love to have my tea from a teapot with a proper tea cup and saucer! I have a bit of a collection and love to mix and match my tea flavour with the china that matches the mood. Mind you, sometimes that Tea in the tea cup may not really be tea but something a little harder.

What inspired you to start painting?
I was born with a crayon in my hand and the imagination to use it in a million ways. Well not really; but I have been creating since I was really young. I grew up in a very small country village and to keep me entertained and out of trouble my mum would find creative activities for me to do. At school, I thrived on art project and went on to do a degree in Fine and Visual Arts through Tafe (I wanted to do more of the practical instead of the theory you would get at Uni) After a few years of Artist block once I left tafe and got back into creating, drawing, painting, hand stitched illustrations, and more recently I have started creating digital works. I have always had a desire, an inner driving force to create and share my work with the world.

What advice would you give other artists/creatives starting out?
Create for yourself, Create what makes you happy. Don't follow trends, follow your heart. Do not let social media pressure you into creating for content. We are not machines that can pump out multiple pieces of work a day, every day consistently. Slow art is good and do not feel shamed into being more productive then you feel you can be.

Your audience may not always be where you expect them to be; so be open to exploring new and different avenues. The creative journey can become just as creative as you are. There will be highs and lows but at the end of the day, if you are loving what you are doing that is all that matters. Create what makes your heart happy.

You can read more about Sami Sparrow here.