Meet Sam Olsen | Experiential Designer, Art Director & Curator

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

Hi Sam, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I saw a poster recently that was a message to creatives saying, “You Don’t Choose Your Art Practice, Your Art Practice Chooses You”. As a post grad learning to embrace the career path I’ve chosen as an Interdisciplinary Computing and the Arts Major from the University of California San Diego, this brought me much needed clarity. Clarity in that my choices in going from pursuing engineering to architecture to a new major few have heard of, in the Visual Arts department, is exactly where I should be. It also brought clarity that the direction I choose with my art practice is simply what was meant to be, I just had to answer that call. My focus now in production design and storytelling through art direction has been present all my life. From doing photoshoots with my sister, to getting a thrill from creating a mood in my graphic design. I’ve always loved getting thrown nothing and finding a way to make things work; to find balance in chaos in a very physical sense —whether its in the framing of a picture or the set up of an exhibition in a gallery. It seems cliché to say a creative career chose me and after all that is only how it feels now. As I was avidly making decisions that led me here it felt like I was tripping every other week, unsure of what I’ve done until I looked back at my past projects and realize how rewarding the process was. Now I know I am meant to be a creative which makes this new era of my art that much more exciting; where I can just focus on the doing and not thinking if what I am doing is the right choice for my future.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Coming from an Interdisciplinary Art background my art varies from portraiture to installations to graphics and more. I have found I am quite an emotional person, as are many of us artists, so this is truly what leads my work: the form reflects the feeling. How I got here is owed to the Interdisciplinary Computing and the Arts (ICAM) Major at UCSD. I’ve always loved learning a bit about everything and that was my major in a nutshell. Life itself is an experience of many disciplines so it was great to see this recognized in my career path. I felt like I was a sponge soaking up knowledge of so many different worlds that I can now pull from and apply to the stories I want to tell. How I tell these stories may differ from other artists who may choose one medium in which to spread a message or feeling. For me, my art can exists in a form depending on its subject matter. I have found a lot of my portraiture work delves into my affinity for escapism, creating cinematic shots that are meant to transport the viewer into another world for them to explore further in their mind. More of my personal work which connects more directly to my own life and thoughts manifests in my installation work where owned or made objects play a vital role in the exhibition space. My graphic design work is my most indulgent where I can play with worlds created by other brands or entities and give my interpretations. There’s so many artistic disciplines that I can’t wait to explore and see what parts of myself will emerge.
Getting here wasn’t easy figuratively and literally. I grew up in San Diego until I moved to Riverside County. Little did I know I’d be commuting back down to San Diego in peak traffic hours to and fro to get to university. Having to transport installation pieces or to attend a 3 hour lecture about obscure films and technological feats at some points seemed like a waste of time and useless. And yet the experience of driving almost 3 hours a day has given me so much. There’s so much noise in the world and at our fingertips that sitting in a car where all there is to do is drive and think is transformative. The conversations with myself, and realizations I had challenged me to have uncomfortable conversations with my family and navigate more directly what I want from life. This also directly impacted the focus of my graduating Senior Project where I got to come face to face with my thoughts on the world of vehicles and what it means to be a cyborg.
Challenges regarding my art practice stem a lot in analysis paralysis and imposter syndrome. These coupled together led to rushed projects, many of which I was so passionate about but scared to start on if I wasn’t going to convey exactly what I wanted in full. I realize now though, that it is all a part of the process and the beginning stages of the iterative design process. It was from talking ideas through with my fellow peers and friends that I realized we all go through these similar feelings. Now as a post graduate floating through freelance-land my real challenge now is deciding where and how to apply my degree of being a jack of all trades. My passion is in the film and entertainment industry so finding how to curate my own portfolio to reflect my knowledge in these spaces means being in fun state of constant iteration and project making.
One thing I realized though, that has saved me from my own doubts, is how important delivery is. I’ve been surrounded by the most talented artists and even coders able to make beautiful computational art pieces and yet when it came to presenting the lack of ownership or passion can change the way an audience perceives a work. I think taking a public speaking class in community college, and even being a part of a peer mentorship organization in high school prepared me in owning my words. Life will always throw curve balls, you will at some point question if what you are doing is right but when it comes time to present or perform, please say what you mean and mean what you say. Be mindful and be intentional.

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.
-Greystone Mansion
-Schindler House
-Grammy Museum
-LACMA
-Hermosa Beach
-Venice Beach
-Glendale Galleria (food at Deluca’s Deli)
-Document Coffee in Koreatown
-Shows at the Pantages Theatre
-Conventions happening at the LACC

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to shoutout my siblings Da’Neil and Gabrielle. I got lucky in being the youngest because having your constant support and wisdom to lead and encourage me has allowed me to pursue my passions, many of which you had a direct impact in cultivating. Love you guys!

Website: https://sgolsen.framer.website/

Instagram: @by.sgo

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-olsen-0268712aa