Today we’d like to introduce you to Samuel Leger.
Samuel, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
“WAKE UP! We have to pack and move to HOUSTON for MINISTRY!” The words of my mother, anxiously screamed to my father in 1986 while in Miami-Dade. They came to the states as Ministers from Haiti. I was two years old when we came to Houston and I’m the youngest of five boys.
Having to spend the majority of my time sitting pews quietly, my imagination found all the open pasture it could desire to roam free. Drawing contests would often arise between myself and the other bored boys to see who could draw the best ninja turtle. Although, art was something of a gift that my mother passed to four of her five children. We all would assist her in making floral arrangements she created with varying sized pottery vases and synthetic silk flowers. Yeah, she was breaking child labor laws but we had bills to pay.
Throughout grade school and up to high school, I simply used my art as an escape to enjoy a world beyond this, or as a hustle to get some lunch money. The girls wouldn’t talk to guys who ate free lunch, you had to have bought from the A-La-Cart menu to have the “Juice.” By my junior year, I was making personal projects like the “SPAWN” and “Dragon Ball Z” posters below. I had good grades, played JV football, and was singing in the Varsity Choir. Life was looking much brighter than before. Then life, as it does, threw in a huge wrench into things in the form of our home being foreclosed on in April of 2001.
I spent my senior year living with my best friend’s family (thanks again Anthony), and upon graduation in 2002 I was accepted in U of H. My first semester there, I walked on to the football team under Coach Briles and earned a 4.0 GPA. I found a job at the recreation center, and in my second semester I joined Alpha Phi Alpha, Fraternity Inc. I spread myself out thinner than the solitary mayo on a “Wish Sandwich”. I wasn’t able to keep up with the demand I put upon myself. So after eventually failing off the football team that I worked so hard to join as a walk-on, I failed out of the University of Houston Psych program altogether. A total of seven years would pass before I would pick up a pencil to draw anything seriously.
I left U of H to work in call centers and corporate settings, losing job after job until 2008 when I had an intense lucid experience. Feeling lost and worthless as I laid in my bed staring at the ceiling, the images of cartoon characters running and jumping through a scene appeared as clear as if it were a mounted flat-screen. Although it wasn’t any show or movie that I had previously seen, and so I immediately interpreted it as something I would create one day. The call was answered and the path was set.
Within two years time, I was enrolled in the Media Arts & Animation program at the local art institute. I graduated in December 2012, (Side note: I never took painting classes there because the elective filled up too fast) with one simple plan. “Work whatever job necessary and build up your crafts. Connect with whomever you need to connect with. With that plan, one day, you will be creating your own stories.” Once again life began looking brighter. I was a hopeful creative who lived in a city that mainly thrived on the Oil & Gas, Industrial, and Medical field. However yet again, I found myself going from job to job. Some of those jobs were creative and some were technical, but none would truly lead me to my goal.
March 7th, 2015. My depression reached a climax and as a means to self-medicate, I began to paint. Five months later, I began constructing a piece that was initially intended to help myself heal and as a means to give insight to who I was should my children ever wonder. It had the portraits of all my favorite musical artists at the time who in their own way had shown that they understand the meaning of love. Bob Marley, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Andre 3000, Erykah Badu, Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, and Janelle Monae. (I did have Tupac on the piece initially, although the piece took its own form where it showed me he wasn’t fully fit for it). I would post my updates on Instagram.
February 5th, 2016. Ten days before my 32nd birthday, three words in a comment drastically changed everything for me. “I appreciate you” were the words Erykah Badu commented with on my post. I knew something special was taking place. Around the same time, there many news reports of Haitians being deported from the Dominican Republic to Haiti with extreme prejudice and without any means of support. Unknown to me at the time, a soon to be good friend (author and philanthropist, Nikala Asante), would enlist my help for a rogue volunteering trip to bring food, medicine, and school supplies to the deported Haitians who resided in what became known as the Parc Cadeau Settlements.
The first night that I laid to rest on Haitian soil under the gorgeous unfiltered night sky, I dreamed more lucidly than ever before. In my dream, I found myself sitting in the audience of the same auditorium I performed on in high school… -”On and ooon, and on and ooon”… the sweet vocals of Badu filled the room. -“My cipher keeps moving like a rolling stone”… she began walking down the stage and into the audience. “Oooh! On and ooon, and on and oon” she eventually made her way directly in front of me. As the instrumental and background vocals continue, she slowly bent over and looked me in my eyes and said “You think we wouldn’t notice you?!” she then smiled and softly kissed my forehead and returned to her performance. After successfully providing assistance to the Parc Cadeau residents and returning to the states I was determined to complete the piece.
April 30th, 2016. I was living with my parents at the time, not working any job with a consistent paycheck and my second child just four months old, I announced on Instagram that I would be selling the painting. “I’ll buy it …Badu”. Yet again, I was overwhelmed and completely in awe that I could not only attract the attention of one of the artists in my piece, but they offered to buy it without me even setting a price. I had already purchased a ticket for an upcoming show she had in Houston at the Arena Theatre on May 28th. It seemed like perfect fate.
May 28th, 2016. I had been feverishly completing the fine details of the piece and with the help of a good friend, local photographer Jamaal Ellis of J. Vince Photography, I got it over to Arena Theatre in time for the show. Euphorically, I enjoyed one song after another knowing in the back of my mind that my art would leave in her hands. The end of the concert neared. I rushed to get the piece and stood in front of the green room door. I watched and waited as Badu ever graciously gave thanks to everyone she could see to acknowledge, in true Queen like decorum. Finally, her eyes shifted to the art standing at my feet, she looked up to me and said: “I follow you on Instagram!”
Let me just say for anyone who might question the legitimacy of just how dope and down to earth Badu is, STOP IT! She’s 100 percent authentic and in a way shed light on how to find my own voice as an artist. Now I would love to say that everything from that point played out like magic and I lived happily ever after, but that just isn’t true. I’ve continued the fight through my own struggles and even went back to work in a corporate setting finding myself on the path to be an IT Manager for the same company who owned the Keystone pipeline. Yes, the money was good and it was a “secure paycheck” as I was advised to keep. BUT it wasn’t my purpose, and eventually, I found myself living a terribly depressed life.
February 15th, 2018. In the time since selling the original piece, many people were requesting a copy of the painting that I sold to Badu. However, in all my excitement about everything, I never made an actual copy. Instead of trying to chase down an extremely busy music artist, I decided to create a remix of the piece. It’s a bit smaller than the original, although I decided to do it in oil instead of acrylic. It took a year to simultaneously learn how to work with oil while recreating the vision. I left my job against the advice of nearly everyone I knew, gained an LLC title for my company and decided to never look back.
Although this year, hasn’t been as financially rewarding as I would have hoped, I regret nothing. I was able to put together my first curated art show with the help of local business owner Elbert Sharp of the So Sharp Salon & Barbershop in Pearland. That is the show where I was able to work with other great local artists such as Brionya James, Mathieu Jn Baptiste, an Atlanta based artist Joseph Th3 Dreamer. I was also fortunate enough to be called upon to do some live painting at the 2nd Annual BSFN (Bobsled & Skeleton Federation of Nigeria) Fundraising Gala just this past August.
I now look forward to October 13th, 2018, when the Houston Haitians United organization will host “Ekspresyon D’Ayiti”. I also look forward to having my parents come to see my art displayed in a show for the first time and in appreciation to the hard-working culture that has led me to be whom I am today.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Since making the decision to take my art seriously, I have had my fair share of struggles. It’s been difficult to be taken seriously as an artist in Houston. Given the more industrious nature of the city, it often feels like people take what I do extremely lightly. As if it’s nothing more than an expensive hobby with way too many sacrifices and not enough rewards.
I’ve also struggled with having to manage everything on my own for the most part. For example, I still don’t have a site up. I’ve been able to get help from an old art school classmate, Kassim Powel, who built a great base level site but without the proper funds to build it up and manage it, it’s currently on hold. And don’t get me started on workspace. I recognize that I will need my own studio space to effectively continue to create. Working from home is not a problem at all as a starting point, but there’s no way I could continue to grow if I stay where I am. Eventually, I’ll have to move on.
Sam Night Art – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
As it stands, I mostly produce paintings in the realm of hip-hop music, nerd culture, and animation with elements of self-help and spiritual healing. I also illustrate for books and storyboards and create logos. I am most known for and definitely most proud of my “Rebel Music” paintings which have affectionately been deemed the “Badu pieces.”
I believe what sets my work apart from others is my perspective. I’ve gone through many pains and struggles in life, which make me far more appreciative of the joyous times, much like anyone else. Only I’ve been fortunate enough to not just survive those hardships, but I have been able to thrive beyond them after finding my own peace. That experience has allowed me to connect more easily with clients and comprehend their vision clearly enough to bring it to life with my own unique style and flair.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I measure my success based on the impact my work has on its intended audience. I’m not particularly worried if anyone is deciding to pay whatever amount for my work. I am more concerned with how much they can relate to the nature of the piece or how much of a conversation starter it is. Word of mouth still goes a very long way, and I believe eventually, my work will find itself in front of those who will appreciate every element, nuance, and stroke. When that happens, I’ll know that I have achieved my success.
Contact Info:
- Email: samnightart@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samnightart
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/samnightartllc
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/samnightart
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