Used with permission from BJ Samuel

Along with painting, Samuel also enjoys playing basketball, and is a member of the WHHS team.

BJ Samuel, ‘25,  first started experimenting with art when he was just two years old. Since then, what started as just doodles of racecars and superheroes, has turned into a budding business and source of happiness.

Growing up, Samuel always had a strong connection with art and was heavily influenced by the people around him. 

“It [making art] was just something that I really liked, and my dad was really good at art, and I wanted to be like my dad when I was young,” Samuel said.

Along with this, Samuel was also able to fuel his imagination by attending SCPA (School for Creative and Performing Arts). There, he studied art more in-depth and become more familiar with it. 

“I would say I realized art was my passion somewhere between fourth through sixth grade because [at SCPA] that’s when you got to pick your majors, and that’s definitely the thing that I wanted to do most because I felt like I was best at it,” Samuel said.

Over time, as his skills developed his passion for art also grew. It soon became an outlet for him to express himself and show his creativity by painting vivid human emotions.

“I paint facial expressions mostly, so I usually use the people around me or people that mean a lot to me,” Samuel said.

Eventually, Samuel was able to start sharing his passion with others by doing things such as presenting at art events and even selling several of his pieces. 

“I really didn’t have that much of a reaction [about selling pieces],” Samuel said. “After that first piece, I was just like ‘okay, I’m gonna just keep going and keep making more and more until I get to this point again.’”

By selling some of his paintings, Samuel was able to make a name for himself and start getting noticed by larger, more well-known people and businesses.

“Earlier this year, I designed a jacket for Black Owned,” Samuel said. “I think that actually meant a lot to me because Black Owned is one of the biggest, black-owned companies in the city, so I think it was  great to get that recognition.” 

Samuel has devoted a countless amount of hours to perfecting his craft. When he does not know what to do, Samuel has a trusted process.

“[When at a loss for inspiration] I usually see something on the internet or I just use one of my family members and I start to paint and then I just let God take it from there,” Samuel said.