Interviewing Creative Folk/ Sam Holt

Sam Holt is a creative slashie, which basically means he has lived 100 creative lives in the one body! He has the most exuberant personality and embeds his unique sam humour/perspective across his practice. I applaud his ability to swing from being a gallery-represented artist to living out his alter (art) ego with seeming ease! Thoughts I Wanted To See is his new e-commerce project where he crosses over from his analogue practice to the digital realm and makes absurd ideas come to life! He also lives by the amazing philosophy to fail passionately which I think is a unique perspective in our society that likes to promote the opposite.

I’m stoked to follow Sam’s career – the only thing I’m certain of is being utterly surprised along the way 🙂

Insignificantly Significant – Image Source

1/ Favourite places/people/sites to draw inspiration from?

It’s endless really isn’t it. Though I think more importantly I’ve come to realise that it’s more your own curiosity that determines the possibility and opportunity for inspiration. I know personally for me if I’m feeling the need to reset I always head to the ocean summer or winter, you just never regret a swim do you. But in regards to inspiration it’s on the bus, it’s stuck at traffic in a car, having a conversation with someone, boredom I think my ADHD has inherently forced me to always need to be interested in whatever I’m actually doing otherwise my mind will wander. I love experiences really and I guess that’s been the main component of my varied artistic career from creative advertising, to artist, author, illustrator creative slashie it’s been a wild international ride of different creative adventures and skills around the world. I know, it probably would have been good to just focus on the one career path but I’ve come to realise it was never going to happen like that for me and I’m genuinely so excited that anything can happen any day an idea, an opportunity etc. I’ve realised I would feel really stuck if I knew what my year looked right in regards to work. I really love the surprise of it all. Though in regards to people and places I’ve had amazing ‘art orgasm experiences’ at the Rothko chapel, naoshima, architect tadao and I , I love robin williams, urs Fischer, Alex de corte, cy twombly, taika waitiki , creature comforts is an amazing show, I think phoebe wallace bridges ‘fleabag’ is amazing, murakami is an amazing writer and Jim Henson changed the world. They are just the ones that popped up in my head.

CAUGHT BETWEEN SNORKELLING AND DROWNING, WE SWAM – Image Source

2/ Any advice for encountering the dread of ‘no more ideas’? (if that happens to you!)

I learnt early on in advertising in particular through doing award school a competitive advertising creative graduate program to not get attached to ideas and be prolific in making them. Because that was the nature of the business, finding creative solutions to new briefs having them rejected and then having to quickly come up with more in a couple of hours. Idea generation I think is my strongest asset as a creative and it’s meant I’m always confident to create a creative solution now no matter what the circumstances. But again this has been over years of putting myself out there, failing and succeeding and failing again. I’m no longer worried about failing now, I’m more worried about not chasing something or seeing an idea through, which is really the whole basis for why I created thoughtsIwantedtosee it was about making a platform for which would house all the ideas I wanted to create now and in the future that fit outside of my art practice.

Nagging Tea Towels- Image Source

3/ Where does this bold (heck I’ll change art styles!) attitude come from?

It comes from curiosity and years and years of creative exploration. I always want to create something with excitement to learn the result. The creative process is always changing as are the inputs of life around us that contribute to our decision making. I think personally I’ve noticed over the years the more and more I’ve created and put myself out there, I’ve become more confident in my intuition as well as cared less about fitting into any specific roles.

Bloody happy to be here – Image Source

4/ If you could be known for one thing in the art world what would it be?

Honestly, I’d just love for my work to be loved and loved with. Whether it’s a large painting or sculpture a public art installation or an existential door stop snake. I want people to appreciate the existence of them in the world. I think personally when I see something I love, I’m just grateful for someone’s weird creative vision and fascination to pursue something, execute it and share it with the world, I think it’s pretty amazing to have all these amazing interpretations observations of life.

Savour / The intricacies of a moment – Image Source

5/ Can you share your future vision (aka ‘the big dream’ view)?

I honestly don’t know to a degree and also don’t want to. But I know I want to create a lot of different creative projects that people fall in love with. So to that end, I’m interested in creating the network, funding and opportunities to realise what I’d like to realise for which il be as surprised as anyone to what they are. Though, I want to put positive smiles in the world and inspire curiosity always and I’m excited by the potential of what happens when you put yourself out in the world.
Finally, where can people find/follow you?