Samara Reid’s winding path toward artistic fulfillment

When Samara Reid was a kid, classmates would say they wanted to be the president or a veterinarian. Reid had a different answer. They wanted to be an artist. 

Reid started drawing when they could “hold a crayon in my little fist,” but a direct path seemed murky. 

“Even when I knew I wanted to be an artist, everyone asked if I wanted to be a painter or a sculptor, and those didn’t fit right either,” Reid told The Acton Bridge. 

But it wasn’t just about career paths. As a person of color and a member of the LGBTQ+ community, Reid said they often felt isolated from other Concordians.

They recalled experiencing “these little, itty-bitty microaggressions.”

“People would do that and then be like, ‘Oh, I’m not being racist,’ but it was uncomfortable,” Reid said.

But art was a way to connect, and now at 21, they have made a name sketching joyful, quirky caricatures at local events. 

Marie Foley, the owner of Revolutionary Acton and former president of the Acton Chamber of Commerce, would let Reid set up in her shop for events like the chamber’s sidewalk sales. 

“People loved it,” Foley said. “They would come by and get their drawing done by Samara. Then later, they would walk in with friends to get more drawings done.” 

“A butterfly with a human nose” is what one girl told Reid to draw when Reid asked her to imagine the funniest thing she could. It was a trick they use to make kids laugh so they can capture an authentic smile. 

Reid is still pursuing a career in art, not in caricatures but in animation, and says the tough critics of Acton’s street fairs — children — have made them a better artist. 

“They motivate me, because I’m like, ‘I need to draw these kids properly so that they don’t say it’s bad,’” Reid said. “The worst critics in the world will always be honest, upfront, and brutal. The kids will not hesitate to tell you, ‘This sucks.’”

Finding their niche

Their mom, Pam Reid, who suggested that Reid draw caricatures at Acton events, is an artist herself. She’d help Reid improve by offering notes and little suggestions. 

In middle school, before they settled on animation, Reid thought they had their sights on becoming a graphic novelist. 

It was at that time that Reid began to develop original characters — more self-reflective than they initially thought. “I explored a lot of what was going on with my identity through my characters,” they said. “A lot of my characters were queer before I realized that I was.”

Take Reid’s character Ian, who’s confident, cheerful, full of life, and “mercilessly enthusiastic,” Reid said. 

“I wish I was like that,” they added. “He’s so sure of who he is and what he wants to do.”

It wasn’t until Reid found new influences like Steven Universe, a show on Cartoon Network, that a path became clearer. The show’s creator, Rebecca Sugar, the first openly nonbinary person to create a cartoon for kids, inspired them.

“I realized, ‘Oh, I can make my characters move.’ And that made it a lot more exciting and interesting to me,” Reid said.

An RIT senior 

Reid is a rising senior at Rochester Institute of Technology. The upstate New York university is ranked among the top programs in the country by Animation Career Review.

Christine Banna, an assistant professor at RIT, had Reid in two classes: principles of animation and history, and aesthetics of animation. She remembers being impressed by Reid from the beginning. 

“They would always do one step more, push it just a little bit more,” Banna told The Bridge in an interview. “They wanted me to rip their animation apart just so they can make it the best that it could be.”

Alexis Deprey, a visiting lecturer at RIT, had a similar take. Deprey had Reid in her concept and character design and her junior film classes. 

“There’s just this craftsmanship and the skill level. That’s not something you just develop overnight, and it’s kind of rare,” she told The Bridge, “especially in someone so young.” 

To Reid, that dedication is necessary. They explained that the animation industry is turbulent, with major animation studios closing or downsizing. Beyond that, artificial intelligence is being propped up as a way to cheaply handle character design, the job Reid loves most. 

Through the turmoil, Reid says they’re going to keep drawing. They know it’s a tough path forward, but they’re committed to it, no matter what. 

“I think as long as I’m able to just make art, even if I can’t make a career out of it — which I would absolutely hate — I’ll be OK,” Reid said. “It’s the only thing that I get really, really happy from.”