“I’m done compromising or shrinking myself to make anybody comfortable,” Michael Sam declared. Sam is a creative artist, who has a keen interest in various artforms including fashion, modelling, music and acting. The idea of not shrinking himself for anyone was cultivated after he left a five-year relationship.
“I was in a really dark place after a break-up. I fell in love really early and when you get to experience that at an early age and it is real and pure it puts you at a disadvantage because you feel like that was literally everything you were existing for,” Sam said. “So when it ended, you’re now on a road where you exist solo and single without having someone to share that with; it put me in a place where I literally did not know who I was.”
Sam said he looked in the mirror and didn’t recognise himself after the relationship. He realised that in the relationship he was being performative for his partner. “It could be as simple as the way I walk, the way I talk or the way I pour milk into a bowl of cereal,” he said. “I spent time putting everyone else’s dreams before mine. I needed to find a way to freely express my emotions healthily and so I channelled them through my art.”
Once he had this epiphany, he went on a journey to find himself. “I had to accept my flaws. I had to be able to know my own boundaries. I had to reassess my own level of thinking. I used to drink a lot of alcohol and then I realised I didn’t really like alcohol,” Sam said. “It changed me because now I make decisions for myself and feel in control of my own life. I had to heal internally and learn to love myself.”
Creating boundaries has allowed Sam to choose people in his personal and professional life who can have a positive impact on his development. He explained that if someone enters his life and they are constantly negative about his goals and dreams, he would create distance between them and this protects his peace of mind. The creatives who enter to support his creativity have been a benefit to his life. Recently, Sam’s photography concept, “Essence of a Rose” was featured twice on the brand Osengwa’s instagram. Sam’s artistic statement said, “In the life of a rose, he always knew the risk it took to bloom and show his true colours in this cruel world, he always knew people loved to take the most beautiful blossom in the garden so he protected himself by growing thorns. He soon realised how painful it was to remain tightly closed in a bud unable to blossom and see light, so he watered himself and risked everything for the chance to be his true self everyday. This is the element of freedom.”
Being featured on Osengwa is a major achievement because it is a global brand that connects African creatives and its diaspora. Osengwa describes itself as a retail enterprise trading in contemporary African artwork, clothing, home decor and music. Through its online platform (Osengwa.Com) and curated events, the collective provides an opportunity for immersion and participation in the Neo-African movement. A visit to Osengwa is an occasion to see, hear and feel voices of the new generation of artists birthed from the continent but influenced by the continuously evolving spectrum of global culture. The shared virtual space gives talented black creatives a chance for millions of people from around the world to interact with the world. Connectivity is one of the driving forces behind Sam’s creativity.
“A lot of people don’t really realise how every single thing is connected in the universe. We are here on this floating ball (earth) in the middle of nowhere and we are worried about bills and people that are not liking each other,” Sam said. “And the fact that everything is so fragile. Everything is held together so naturally. We have to get heat from the sun, we have to get water, we have to get air that we breathe, we need the earth that we are standing on and everything just collectively just exists in harmony.” The idea of harmony and connection has led Sam to believe that his purpose on earth is to be a teacher and he hopes that people who interact with his art can find a catharsis from it.
“For me to be an artist is to reach and touch so many people through my art and let go of pent up emotions,” he said. This goal has already begun to reach fruition. Sam explained that through his online feature in Osengwa many people reached out to him and said they were inspired by his art. The piece was a collaboration with photographers Daniel Idal, Joshua Tujay Macey, Ambokilè Newton and graphics designer, Akeem King. Sam said the piece will soon be published in internationally recognised magazines.
Currently, Sam has been creating in multiple mediums. He writes poetry (which sometimes inspire his creative concepts) and has been working on an upcoming music album for the past two years. Sam is taking his time with his music because he wants to be intentional about its release. He wants his visual storytelling and fashion to work together with it. He does not see these artforms as separate, but as an interconnected story.
There are some constraints faced by Sam as regards his creative vision for himself. “A common problem I face is people telling me what I should and shouldn’t do. We live in a society that is literally prone to telling people that they should do this and shouldn’t do that,” Sam said. However, this barrier set by society has largely been blunted once Sam found himself after leaving his relationship and by supportive parents. Sam said he was destined to be an artist and neither of his parents tried to stop this side of him.
“I had the best childhood a child can ask for. Me and my siblings grew up in a creative environment surrounded by nature. I was given a free environment where love was always abundant to be as creative as I want,” Sam said, while adding that his parents believed in him and never tried to negate his dreams. This positive attitude from his parents and his journey towards self-actualisation has allowed him to dismiss doubts about his path as a creative; he knows that it is beneficial to have a positive and supporting creative network.
“We don’t get as much local support as we need as a creative network. We have a lot of people within the creative industries right now and I feel the creatives have been supportive of themselves,” he said. “You see the same people at the same events because they are attending and supporting and cheering each other on. As creatives we need to support each other and tell ourselves that we are worth it. It shouldn’t need to be competitive, just pay attention to perfecting your craft in your own element, be strong enough to break negative cycles, always show up as your most authentic self and most of all show love in everything you do and good things will always gravitate to you.”
