Today we’d like to introduce you to Sami Martasian.
Sami, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I started making zines and focusing on music illustration when I was in High School. I stayed home a lot because of some debilitating anxiety and subsequent health challenges. I spent my time listening to music and making zines about my favorite songs and doing email interviews with bands I wanted to share my love of. I went to art school in Boston and have stayed put since. I started playing DIY shows and making art for bands (shirts/album artwork/flyers and tour posters). Right now I’m a freelance Illustrator and writer, I play in a band called puppy problems and I work in an afterschool program/substitute teach and teach art at the Atrium School in Watertown and at the Mosesian Art Center. I also make zines and comics on my own and in collaboration with others.
Has it been a smooth road?
I’m not a woman! I am a non-binary person.
It absolutely is not a “smooth road”. Many artists and musicians are experiencing the same challenges that have made thing tough for me. Boston, like most cities right now, is experiencing rapid gentrification as large condos take over space and rent climbs rapidly. It’s not possible to make rent as an artist alone so we end up working more and more extra jobs until we don’t have the time or energy to participate in the community we are fighting to be close to. Women surely have been historically underrepresented in the art world, but representation for queer people, people who aren’t white, and people living with disabilities is even more scarce.
As much as gentrification is making my life a living hell, I know and feel it’s important to focus on the way others are threatened even more by rising cost of living and lack of affordable housing- particularly people who do not have the privilege of citizenship, people living with disabilities, and transpeople who often struggle to find employment. For these folks, the promise of an art/music/queer community means safety in a world that is often violent and unaccepting.
In short, it’s becoming harder and harder to participate in the art and music community as rent grows and there is little to no affordable housing options. There are fewer and fewer venues for musicians to play and artists to show their work. My advice to other struggling artists is to listen to the needs of others and advocate against new condo developments in their neighborhoods. Think about ways to make spaces more inclusive to people who are often excluded from them because of their economic status or identity.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into your business story. Tell us more about the business.
I try to incorporate lessons from DIY music and art into my work with kids- thinking about the needs of others, self-expression, and using art as a connective community tool. Likewise I find myself thinking about my work with kids in my life as an artist and musician- responsibility, clear communication and team work. Right now I’ve been thinking about zine-making and how wonderful it can be for children, as it gives them a voice and a platform to share their feelings and thoughts that they can share with people around them.
As an artist I focus on fragmented narrative and abstract comic making, and creating a bridge between the art and music community as well as sharing personal experiences.
It would be great to hear about any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve used and would recommend to others.
One of my favorite friends, Jamie Loftus has a podcast called “The Bechdel Cast” that discusses representation of women, queer folks and PoC in film. I listen to it every day! It’s funny as all hell but is also a reminder to me about ways I need to work to be more inclusive in the things that I make and spaces I organize. Another one of my close and well-loved pals recently published a book of poems called “Peluda” that I encourage everyone and anyone to read. I’ve been off and on involved with a music blog called “Allston Pudding” that is incredible. I don’t have as much time as I’d like to have to be contributing to it right now, but my friend Christine who does a lot of the work over there is a strong voice for affordable housing and ways we all can work together to preserve the Boston art community.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://puppyproblems.bandcamp.com/
- Email: samanthamartasian@gmail.com
- Instagram: spookysami
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Puppyprobs/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/puppypproblems
Image Credit:
Pic of me playin guitar is by Alex Melagrano
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