Meet Sam Chatham | Designer & Illustrator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sam Chatham and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sam, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Ever since I was a little kid I loved to draw letters and doodle on napkins or really whatever was available, even the ground. There was always something in the back of my head telling me that drawing would lead my career choices. To support my artistic career I’ve taken jobs at construction sites and as a computer repair tech. What I learned from these seemingly odd jobs was this analytical and hands on approach to problem solving and creation; it has served me well. As I developed skills along the way I realized that graphic design was a perfect pairing of what I have always loved; drawing, working with my hands and computers of course. So this love of drawing has driven me to expand my toolset but also to challenge myself to think about how I can help others with my skills. Today I’m working with small businesses a majority of the time, it’s so rewarding and such a joy to collaborate with someone to visually tell their story and connect with others. I couldn’t imagine working in a different field now; creativity gives me an outlet for expression and fills me with purpose as I help others to bring their projects into the visual world.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’d like to think that what sets me apart from other artists is my background and how I approach art with an infusion of my life experiences. Everyone has a different past and future so it’s easy to see that everyone is unique but I believe that there is a special energy that holds us all together. My art is really just me thinking out loud and expressing my opinions, my interests, and all that I have been through. I love to create a feeling of tangibility in my personal work leaving warm textures and mistakes clearly visible for others to connect to. I think it really boils down to that right there, I want to connect with others and have them understand and step into whatever world or view I create. I’m feeling really proud and blessed that I have been able to create my own design studio and for my clients I want to be able to help them bring their vision to life and connect with others. At the moment I’m proud to be working with micro brands as well as world-renowned brands such as O’Neill Wetsuits, stoked to surf and design suits! Blood, sweat, tears, lots of lost sleep and the occasional kick in the ass from God to move forward is how I got here. Overcoming the many challenges that arose on my path was no easy feat; I often felt overwhelmed and burnt out. The thing that always kept my head on straight was thinking this: I am alive; I can do this if I try, I have energy to create, I have talents that need sharpening, and I need to learn all I can from anyone, keep going! Some of the many impactful lessons I have learned along the way aren’t always art related. A lot of what I learned that I still use every day was things like, focus on what you can handle, write down the rest to do later. Invest your most valuable resource, time, on things you can truly change including yourself. Another was to stop over-thinking and just do it, move forward and don’t get stuck in analysis-paralysis. By far the most impactful for me was to not fear failure, but to learn from it and to take action to improve from the lesson learned. What I would love for people to know about me and my design brand is that I listen; I work with you to bring your vision to life. I want to connect with others and to communicate through design at a deeper level of understanding!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
When my best friend comes to visit the area the first thing I would do is to take them to lunch to get Mexican food, our favorite, at the best food truck in the area. Get bomb food and support a local business at the same time. After that we would cruise through the city on our skateboards until we found a brewery. The next day we would surf half the day away at a half-way decent beach break and then get food before seeing a movie. Day three would be a hike trip all day with packs full of stuff along with hammocks to find a chill spot to Zen out. Day four would be surf just for the morning and then get food and hit up a couple shops and a brew pub for dinner. Day five is chill all day at the beach and skate the boardwalk, play some arcade games and go to a night club after dinner to get drinks and dance it up before ending the week.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are so many people that have helped support me in my artistic and personal journey so it’s tough to narrow it down to one. My mom would take me to these art classes as a kid and I really enjoyed those but it didn’t challenge me to think about the reason behind the art. I only began to answer that question when I left for college. Now throughout school there were so many bright and inspirational teachers at Cuesta Community College and CSU Channel Islands. To name a few that had a big impact on the way I approach art and life had to be David Prochaska and Luke Matjas. These teachers, each in their own right opened my mind to the possibilities of art. Luke Matjas really inspired me to just try something out, even if I didn’t like it, at least I tried it. It wasn’t until I met Tim Melgoza that I was inspired to really push my artistic expression and simply make more art. Before that I was so content with getting by, making the art I needed for whatever class I was taking. Now, by far my biggest fan, inspiration, and supporter has to be my better half; the amazing word smith, detective, and brilliant journalist, Karen Garcia.

Website: https://www.chathamworksart.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chathamworksart/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-chatham/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sam.chatham1/

Other: Email me at: hello@chathamworksart.com

Image Credits
Candy Nordquist- Nordquist Notary Matthew Chatham- Yautja Brewing Company Louis Camassa- EMPATH Wendy Clarke- Calicoastal Boutique