Sam Kirk (http://iamsamkirk.com/) was born and raised on the south side of Chicago and spent most of her childhood jumping from neighborhood to neighborhood with her family. While she loved exploring new communities and cultures with each move, she was also grappling with her identity as a biracial, queer woman, especially attending religious school. So, she turned to art as a way of both expressing herself and also processing her struggles and awakenings. She eventually found her way into the world of advertising, where she’d rise up the ladder, before the call to paint and create would begin to call her back to the world of being a full-time artist. Now, established with her work in galleries, permanent collections and large-scale public murals around the country and world, Sam creates artwork to celebrate people and to inspire pride and recognition for underrepresented communities that celebrates a wide blend of culture, identity, and speaks to the politics and issues that define so much of the public discourse today. Part autobiographical, and part fairytale, her vibrant color palette reveals profound stories laced with optimism and endowed with the fullness and complexity and joy of all parts of who she is. -------------Have you discovered your Sparketype yet? Take the Sparketype Assessment™ now. IT’S FREE (https://sparketype.com/) and takes about 7-minutes to complete. At a minimum, it’ll open your eyes in a big way. It also just might change your life.If you enjoyed the show, please share it with a friend. Thank you to our super cool brand partners. If you like the show, please support them - they help make the podcast possible. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.