If you are regularly scrolling through the SMCC app, you may have caught glimpses of the striking art of Sam Vermeer, a Communications and New Media major. With fanart, and original works, Sam’s art is always a pleasure to see amongst the plain white background and occasional meme images. I sat down with Sam Vermeer to ask their perspective on the SMCC artist experience.

What is your name and major at SMCC?

My name is Sam, and I’m a communications and new media major! More emphasis on the new media part.

Do you have formal art education or are you self taught?

I don’t have any formal art education. I learned everything from watching Youtube videos and filling hundreds of sketchbooks.

How long have you been making art? What mediums do you work in? What mediums do you hate or love?

The oldest thing I can remember making is a painting of a flower when I was two. I mostly work with digital art, but I also love doing stuff with watercolors. I have done a LOT of different mediums, but I have never done 3d modeling before, so I kinda wanna try it.

What themes do you explore most in your works? What is the feeling you want to convey with your style?

I don’t actually stick to a definitive theme when I make stuff. I mostly just draw things I enjoy like characters from movies and videogames. Each piece I make has its own feelings I want the audience to feel too.

In art, are the results more important than the process to you?

The result is more important to me to be very honest. I enjoy the process, but if the result isn’t what I wanted I will go back and redo everything if I have to. I spend a lot of time staring and altering the finished piece until it looks exactly how I want it, and if it doesn’t, I’ll keep messing with it.

How do you feel about the art program here at SMCC? Positives or Negatives.

The classes they provide here at SMCC for specifically communications and new media have been okay. I was expecting more from the few art related classes in the CNMS major, to be honest. They don’t go as much into making art and using different techniques, but rather how to use programs like Photoshop and Illustrator. Which is great for beginners who are just learning about digital media, but personally I already knew how to use those programs so I didn;t gain as much as other people may have and I spent more time repeating stuff I already knew than learning things I didn’t. But who knows, I haven’t taken all the classes the school has to offer yet, so I might learn something new!

I also want to add that it’s good to repeat things you already know in art. It helps with familiarity and advances your skills still. So even though I have been repeating things I already knew, it still helps me with remembering Photoshop shortcuts or the tools in the program. The teachers do also leave a lot of room for creativity so I am about to still make things I enjoy.

What role do you think an artist has in today’s society, especially as a college student?

I believe artists have an extremely important role in today’s society even if they are not given as much recognition. Art itself is in so many different mediums and forms. Literally everything in our lives can stem back to artists. An artist designs your clothes, comes up with the buildings we live in. They make the music we listen to, they create the websites we use, they make the items we buy, the posters we put up on our walls, the shows we watch. It’s all made by artists and their passion and creativity. Everything can be art as long as you put your life and love into what you’re making.

Do you think you see the world differently than non-artist?

For the most part, yes. I do think that a lot of people have the creativity and imagination to create art, even if they never end up doing so and I believe they can see the world from an artist’s perspective as well despite not making art. But people who don’t have that creative spark definitely don’t see the world the same way an artist does. It’s hard to explain in words, but I spend lots of time tracing things I’m looking at in my head, focusing on the lighting of the object, or staring at people because I am admiring their face shapes, the curls in their hair, the folds in their shirt, and thinking of how I can implement it into my art. I feel like people who don’t make art don’t focus on those details as much. 

But I do think anyone can create art. Even if you are a “non-artist”. However, you have to start creating art first to really unlock that artist’s view of the world.

Sam is a huge inspiration for my art, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the same was true for others at SMCC. If you’d like to see more of Sam’s work, their Instagram is @gloombunny._ where they post work not shared on the app and a place to request commissions!