Sam Williams: 5 Things I’ve Learned Since Graduating

Introduction

Since graduating, Sam Williams has spent more than ten years shaping the public realm as an artist, curator, producer, and public art specialist. Now, as the owner of Sam Williams Studio, she reflects on her journey and shares the five most important things she’s learned along the way.

Image of Sam in front of big screen credit: Brighter Future, Art of London 2022

You are not finished, and you are most certainly not perfect and that’s a good thing

When I walked away from my degree with a 1st class honours, I fully expected the job offers to roll in. I’d ‘built an entire theme park’ for my degree show. Surely someone would see I was hardworking, worthy… BRILLIANT, right? Wrong. Like many of you, I had no idea what came next. When I couldn’t see how I’d fit into the creative industries, I was terrified. That feeling is normal, just don’t let it take over. Start small: what’s the next project you could join? Could you volunteer at a festival, studio or gallery? Right after uni, you’re raw energy - no one expects you to be polished. Pretending to be will get you more rejections than wins. Be honest about where you’re at - still learning, still growing (because even 10 years in, you’ll still be doing just that!) and you’ll be surprised how many doors that authenticity opens.

The conditions for being creative will never be any better than now

“I need a studio to make something. Actually, I make big things, so I need a workshop, and storage. And my work only makes sense with an audience, so I’ll have to organise events. BUT I need money to buy materials, so I’ll work long hours, and then have no time to make things. AND I don’t have the uni workshops anymore…”

If you’re always chasing the perfect setup, that will become your life’s work. Get busy creating anyway. Do what you can with what you have, and I promise, the conditions will create themselves.

Pausing to rest, reflect or just make some money is OK

It can feel soul‑destroying to work a low‑income job after the freedom of your degree, but this is not failure. You’re still a creative, you’re just finding a new rhythm to make space for it.

The structure you’re seeking doesn’t exist, and that doesn’t mean you need to build it

The arts, especially visual arts, lack the career ladders other industries have. As creative problem‑solvers we imagine ways to fix that. I did too, and it took me years to realise I was pouring more energy into creating space for others than into my own work. Worthy, yes, but do it for the right reasons, or it will burn you out. If you want to be a creative professional, get busy making creative work, not inventing conditions for others to make theirs.

It’s all made up. No seriously, it really is

The world now is nothing like the one I graduated into 12 years ago. Wow, 12 years! Am I past my relevance? Maybe, but it goes fast, and at 36, I’m only considered ‘mid‑career’. This fickle thing we call industry runs on buzzwords and shifting trends (I still think the word emerging makes it seem like all artists are unevolved creatures that creep out of the sea in the still of night). The world today is faster - our daily feed is filled with unfiltered fascism and war, our daily lives are strained by the increasing cost of living and the tangible impacts of climate change. Remember: the work of the creative matters. But if it’s stressful, reclaim it…because it really is all made up.

Image of Sam talking to Wayne Hemmingway credit: Robin Zahler, National Festival of Making, 2024