Today we’d like to introduce you to Samantha Cruess.
Hi Samantha, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I have been a creative for as long as I can remember. As a kid I was always building things, designing structures, and sketching ideas. In elementary school, art was my favorite resource class. In secondary, I honed in on mediums such as painting and ceramics, got in trouble often for doodling on my homework, and graduated with an AP Ceramics course under my belt. When I went to college, I truly had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I assumed I would figure it out along the way, but after two years in and 4 major changes later, I was feeling very lost. I was torn between what I felt society had deemed I “should” be doing and the thing my soul truly wanted to pursue, which was art.
When push came to shove with a career plan, I found myself in the University of North Florida’s College of Education, inquiring about their K-12 Art Education degree program. I thought to myself, if I wanted to pursue art I needed a job lined up with it, which led me to teaching. Teaching was never something I thought I would lean into, but after a few courses, I felt like I had stumbled upon a new passion and loved sharing my creativity and artistic knowledge with others.
I graduated from UNF in 2018 with a BA in K-12 Fine Art Education, and a minor in Ceramics. I stayed an extra year to spend time in the studios, learning everything I could about painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, and of course clay. It was a very unique degree program; not only did I fulfill a full time student teaching internship, but I spent countless hours making work of all mediums, volunteering as a Ceramics Lab Tech, firing kilns, participating in sculpture events, and supporting the UNF Art community.
Upon leaving UNF, I quickly filled a role teaching art at the elementary level. The following year, I was lucky enough to be hired into the high-school level as a 3D Sculpture teacher. Since then, I have built the Sculpture program to what it is today: over 200 students, and teaching 5 levels of classes, including Portfolio Development and AP 3D Art. Many of my students over the years have won prestigious art awards, including Scholastic Gold Keys, have gone to art colleges such as SCAD, and have chosen creative career paths such as architecture and interior design. I have sponsored many clubs, planned many charity events, and have supported my school on many levels. In my personal life, I had purchased a home, got married, and had spent much time traveling abroad.
I have always felt proud that I was able to turn my passions into a career and be a safe place for my creative students. Even though everything had seemed to have fallen into place, it was not until recently I noticed one major thing had slipped through the cracks over the last 8 years… my personal work. Here is the thing– when you are spreading every ounce of your creativity with others, helping young artists problem solve, while constantly having your hands in art materials all day long, the urge to make more artwork and push yourself creatively on nights and weekends slowly seems to fall away. Life gets busy and hectic, and work can be draining. Creatively, as an educator, I had all the answers; as Sam, I was at a standstill.
Between what felt like a rock and a hard place, telling myself I’d eventually get back to things, I realized that it was now or never for me to reclaim my personal artistry. This is how Samantha Ann Art was born. It did not start off as that, though. It started with a girls trip to Savannah, Georgia, which gave me inspiration for my cowgirl boot vase. I decided to make one for each of my friends, as a personal project, but also to soft launch my new work with the people closest to me. Naturally, my friends were shocked that I had produced such a clay structure, and encouraged me to share this piece with people outside of my immediate community. In late 2024, I launched my Etsy page, with the ceramic boot being my only item. A few very validating orders later, I posted a Tik-Tok showcasing my listing in 2025. I was truly unaware of the power of social media, as not even 48 hours later, that video had gotten almost 60,000 views, and I had over 30 orders to fill. I worked through my entire Spring Break that year, sun up to sun down, and somehow I built and sent them all out in a timely manner. Fast-forward to 2026, I had developed some new forms, such as my current best seller, the shell-print travel mug. Quickly, I hit a 100 sales milestone and star-seller status on Etsy. I have also placed and sold out my mugs in a few local boutiques. When I started getting messages from local businesses asking to collaborate and participate in events as a market vendor, I knew it was time to take my business to the next level. Samantha Ann Art was developed with full branding, and is slowly but surely taking off as its own entity.
Lately, I have had the opportunity to complete some other creative projects, such as a large 80 sq. ft flower patterned mural, which was a commission piece for a nursery. With clay, I am working on developing a new series of work that I am calling my “Summer Series”. These items will be a continuation of my shell print mug design, and will include sets such as bottles, various vessels, cup-holder-approved mugs, large organic-form vases, and a few other forms I am still developing. I am very grateful for the success I have had thus far and cannot wait to see what becomes of this passion of mine.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Nothing good comes easy, right? Of course I have had some struggles along the way, whether it was internally struggling with my own self doubt or finding motivation to pick up my tools when I’m tired. Sometimes it was managing external factors like making sacrifices to purchase necessary equipment, not gaining traction on certain marketing initiatives, or fulfilling unique customer requests. Another challenge has been the time management of teaching full time and working my business in my pockets of free time. I have had countless late nights, seeing the clock hit 2:00 AM while I still have clay on my hands more times than I’d like to admit. The only thing that has truly come easy to me is the art. Developing the artwork, creating new pieces, honing in on my craft, expanding my creativity– that is the only thing that has been a consistent smooth road.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
As far as my work goes, I am a little bit of a jack of all trades, which is what sets me apart as a creative. Between balancing multiple 3D mediums, to painting murals, throwing mugs on my pottery wheel, and hand building slab styled forms, I dabble in multiple levels of art making, and am known for a few different things. My ultimate material of choice is clay, as that is where the majority of my education and personal work comes from. As I work to rebuild my personal brand, I am seeking to solidify my style, and doing so by continuing to create things that stick with my community, while still expounding upon new forms. I do believe style can change, ebb, and flow over time, but my long term goal is for viewers to see my work and know that the piece is mine before they see my mark.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Risk is what makes life fun, in my opinion. As a creative person, I often ask myself– am I exploring, comfortable, or am I stagnant? If I am comfortable, is it because I am meeting my potential, or just because I have been settled in a rhythm for too long? I would not say I am a major risk taker, or live life on the edge, but I am also not scared to try new things and reinvent myself, even when it may seem bold to others. I would say the biggest risk I have taken with my artistic endeavors was just putting myself out there to my community as an artist, and not just an art teacher. I have let others watch as I explored the jounery of getting back to my craft, which involved a lot of vulnerability. We can be our own worst critics, and feelings of self doubt can be very real, but pushing through that is what I would consider to be my risk in all of this. However, no risk, no reward, and I am definitely starting to see some reward!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samanthaannart
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@samannthaannn
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