Born and raised in the Quiet Corner of rural New England, Sam grew up with a pencil in hand and a song in her head. From tracing magazine pages taped to the sliding glass door to diving into every special art and music class she could take in school, creativity was always at the core of her life.

Though she once dreamed of studying vocal performance, she opted for a more “practical” path in journalism and criminal justice. Her college art professor urged her to reconsider, advising her to pursue art full-time, but she brushed it off, believing she couldn’t make a living as an artist.

Sam interned at a news magazine and was hired on as a reporter and copy editor after graduation. But a restless spirit and a love of change meant she moved often—new cities, new apartments, always seeking something different. Around 24 she got her first tattoo, despite a family member’s warning that she couldn’t handle the pain. It sparked a passion that grew quickly and led to a new tattoo nearly every month.

At 25, amid a quarter-life crisis, Sam made a bold move: she quit her job, packed her car, and drove south to hit reset. She eventually settled in Charlotte, North Carolina, and over the next five years worked a mix of jobs, building a community and forging friendships with tattooers in the Queen City. She began helping out in a local shop, cleaning tubes and absorbing everything she could about the craft.

Seeking a slower pace, Sam moved to South Carolina and landed an apprenticeship in Florence, where she stayed for six years. The heat was brutal, though, and she missed the snow and seasons she remembered from growing up in Connecticut.

Her search for a new home led her to New York, where she stumbled across Sink or Swim and realized she was already following artists Shannon and Keith. She saw an old Instagram post about them hiring, took a leap of faith, and reached out. The rest is inked into her story.