Kam Sigman shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Kam, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
After waking up and getting my life together (brushing teeth, taking care of 4 cats, etc.) I immediately begin sketching something as a warm up. Whatever I lucid dreamt the night before I try to sketch it out; I do this every morning to guarantee I’ll never run out of inspiration.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Kam and I consider myself to be an independent concept artist. I create digital works in many different styles that conceptualize a story or a message. I think my work stands out in the way I stylize it. I’m always drawing something surreal or whimsical, but there’s always a laid back vibe to my work. Lately I’ve dove into character design and it’s been extremely liberating.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
My earliest memory of feeling powerful was in the first grade. I was at recess with all of my classmates, and a girl had stood at the top of the jungle gym and stated that she was starting a kingdom as queen and needed a king to help her rule. No one had really been paying attention to her except me, so I walked up to volunteer. To my surprise, she’d told me that I wasn’t allowed to be king because I was black. Now, at this point in my life my parents had already instilled a sense of being proud of who I was and what I looked like so the girl’s remark didn’t bother me. Instead I decided to go start my own kingdom where everyone was welcome, and it was one of the best feelings ever being surrounded by friends, new and old. I even invited the girl to join my kingdom as well to which she apologized and accepted. I felt so strong that day.
What fear has held you back the most in your life?
My biggest fear in life, and this is probably the same for a lot of artists, is simply putting my work out there for thousands of people to see. Even though I’m proud of my work, there’s always that feeling in the back of my head that gives me anxiety right before I show a new art piece. Maybe it’s jitters, who knows, but no other fear compares for me!
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Is the public version of you the real you?
The public version of me is absolutely the real me. I can be transparent, even with strangers. I’m very open about mental health, my emotions, and I can be blunt overall sometimes; but I’ve always felt that being geniune is FAR easier than putting on a mask for people. Like, what’s the point if I’m not unapologetically myself?
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I’m most definitely doing what I was born to do. The universe has always seemed to lead me right back to creating, and some of the happiest moments in my life were when I was struggling in life but I was still creating. I broke free from the notion that I had to do what I was told with no question a long time ago, and I think it’s made me a much stronger person now.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/phreshprints_
