Hi, my name is Sam. I’m a creative person and right now I’m really enjoying game design.
After attending art school for photography and animation, I messed around with video for a while. during that time I was in a band, hosted a late-night talk show, went on tour with a super Asian cocktail pop-up, and found out my career goals were not at all what I wanted.
After all that (and some help from working in publishing for a few years), I discovered my talent and passion lies in two things: making art for myself and helping others make art for whoever.
Right now, my art manifests in game design: writing deep lore for my Dungeons and Dragons homebrew, designing a ‘kids on bikes’-style roguelike board game, making a ttrpg zine about the futility of action in the face of anxiety. Maybe one day this can be a full-part-time gig. But for now, I love the escape it provides and the way creating all the rules and intricate stories makes my brain relax.
Professionally, I know all the software, I know all the tricks and the trends and the standards etc etc but I get nothing out of creating the work myself. Instead, I find immense joy in supporting those that design. I want to help them get what they need to create what they want and, through that, I get the satisfaction of being part of a creative team and the pride of shepherding true artistic talent towards their goals.
Very recently can I call Santa Monica my home. I hope to learn to surf, turn my bus into a tiny bookstore, and teach my daughter the pleasure of rolling around in the dirt.
