about sam
After many years of all sorts of freelance art pursuits, I discovered graphic recording in 2012. My solo practice, based in Calgary, Alberta, is called The 23rd Story (see below for more on that).
I don't have any formal training in this field - I've just always taken notes this way. I studied literature and art, so that's part of my background in the creation of visual stories. I also worked as a flight attendant for a long time, which helped me to master the ability to do a lot of fast-paced work in a very limited space while a lot of people watch.
I'm a member of the International Forum of Visual Practitioners, and I'm quite interested in learning from others who do this kind of work. There don't seem to be too many of us in Western Canada!
I do know that I have had dozens of successful collaborations with happy clients from all sorts of different organizations. You can take a look at a list of some of my clients, here.
Just to clarify, I'm not a graphic facilitator who leads an event with the help of visuals, but rather a visual scribe who will take illustrated meeting minutes at your event. I have noticed that my work is a bit "busier" than other graphic recording charts I've seen. I'm learning as I go... and that is what makes this work so fascinatingly fun for me!
Thanks to the inspiring Paul Saltzman for this picture, taken in 2017 at Edmonton's Action Lab!
I don't have any formal training in this field - I've just always taken notes this way. I studied literature and art, so that's part of my background in the creation of visual stories. I also worked as a flight attendant for a long time, which helped me to master the ability to do a lot of fast-paced work in a very limited space while a lot of people watch.
I'm a member of the International Forum of Visual Practitioners, and I'm quite interested in learning from others who do this kind of work. There don't seem to be too many of us in Western Canada!
I do know that I have had dozens of successful collaborations with happy clients from all sorts of different organizations. You can take a look at a list of some of my clients, here.
Just to clarify, I'm not a graphic facilitator who leads an event with the help of visuals, but rather a visual scribe who will take illustrated meeting minutes at your event. I have noticed that my work is a bit "busier" than other graphic recording charts I've seen. I'm learning as I go... and that is what makes this work so fascinatingly fun for me!
Thanks to the inspiring Paul Saltzman for this picture, taken in 2017 at Edmonton's Action Lab!
about the 23rd story
After about a decade of freelance work doing art and writing in a few different capacities (and during which time, I had a "real" job), I started the 23rd story in 2012.
Why "The 23rd Story"?
Because my work is always inspired by the real-life stories around me. And for the last 12 years or so, I've lived on 23rd Avenue in the Calgary neighbourhood of Ramsay. I think the story of 23rd Avenue is part of my story. Living on this street has definitely shaped me as an artist and as a person.
And, it's a joke about how there are always so many more stories to tell... a great name for a blog. Funny, right?
What does the 23rd Story have to do with the "23rd Avenue Artwalk & Street Celebration"?
I organized the 23rd Avenue Artwalk in September 2012. We needed a website for our event, and I had just purchased this domain, which wasn't being used yet. So I used it for our event website. You can still see all the event info here, and if we ever decide to have another artwalk, we might just use this site again. But now there are a few other things on this site as well, such as links to my (old! clunky!) portfolio site (thedrawingbook.com) & to another awesome local arts initiative I have contributed to (finditcalgary.ca).
Why "The 23rd Story"?
Because my work is always inspired by the real-life stories around me. And for the last 12 years or so, I've lived on 23rd Avenue in the Calgary neighbourhood of Ramsay. I think the story of 23rd Avenue is part of my story. Living on this street has definitely shaped me as an artist and as a person.
And, it's a joke about how there are always so many more stories to tell... a great name for a blog. Funny, right?
What does the 23rd Story have to do with the "23rd Avenue Artwalk & Street Celebration"?
I organized the 23rd Avenue Artwalk in September 2012. We needed a website for our event, and I had just purchased this domain, which wasn't being used yet. So I used it for our event website. You can still see all the event info here, and if we ever decide to have another artwalk, we might just use this site again. But now there are a few other things on this site as well, such as links to my (old! clunky!) portfolio site (thedrawingbook.com) & to another awesome local arts initiative I have contributed to (finditcalgary.ca).
a few more notes, in case you're interested
comics I write and draw autobiographical comics. They have been published in a few places. Between about 2002-2010, I tried to accumulate most of them (kinda sporadically) on my portfolio website, thedrawingbook.com. You can also find comics on my blog, the 23rd story: an indie comics creator's tales of life in Calgary. I've been an exhibitor at the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo for the past 5 years or so. Since graphic recording has become my full-time practice, though, comics have had to move to the back burner. However, writing comics is still my favourite way to make art, and I'm sure I will keep on writing comics whenever I can. These days I am still writing a monthly strip for my community newsletter, which I try to remember to post here on my blog. I'm also part of a group of local comics creators called Panel One. |
writing
I used to do a lot of proofreading and a bit of copyediting for various corporate, government, academic and private clients. I've also published a couple of peer-reviewed academic essays & articles about Young Adult Fiction, one of my favourite subjects in the world. You can read one of those essays here (with pictures too!) |
painting Between 1999 and 2012 I did a lot of portraiture and mural painting. In 2006 I was a "top finalist" in the Portrait Society of Canada's annual international portrait competition at the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto. You can see some of my art here, on my old portfolio website. |
