Meet Sam Qavah John

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sam Qavah John and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sam Qavah, how do you think about risk?
I believe that risk has been what has defined my very existence. Every step of my journey involved some level of risk. Whether it was moving to this country on my own at 19, self-publishing my written works, or betting everything on myself in pursuit of my art and craft. Risk is everything to me. It is what drove me to take a shot on myself when no one else would and reach levels of greatness far beyond anything anyone had for me.

I have bet on myself more times than I can count. More often than not, that is born out of the reality that I simply didn’t have the backing of institutions, people, or systems. In hindsight, I am thankful for it. It allowed me to step back and understand that oftentimes in this life, I won’t be the best or the smartest or the most gifted… however, what I can be is the hardest worker in any room and oftentimes, that doesn’t guarantee success. In fact, it contributes to the mindset of taking a large number of risks and failing often but the other by-product of that is the ability to take on any project and situation with the awareness and understanding that failure itself gets a bad rep. In failing, I have learned to always try something new and to always give it my all, regardless of if that results in me losing everything I tried to build. Taking risks is somewhat aligned with breathing, for me.

If I’m not taking risks, I’m getting familiar and as the old adage goes, that breeds nothing but contempt. And please don’t hear what I’m not saying. I give each endeavor my all and do everything in my power to master each of those pursuits but at the same time, I begin the process of adding more skills and tools to my toolkit and that can’t happen without first understanding why a spoon can’t cut through a good cut of steak. Each task requires new tools and each situation can only demand it’s new tool once the current tooling simply fails to meet the purpose of the present goal. Every tool I have picked up and honed over the past couple of decades is a result of taking an exponential number of risks and failing just as many times.

There is a commonly used risk-reward formula and although I have experienced those idealized rewards on occasion, the true prize came in the lessons learned, the journeys traversed, the amazing people met along the way, and the tools that have been acquired and honed that have helped me scale unimaginable heights. In everything I do, from business to education to writing and performing, if I’m not taking risks, I’m dead on arrival and I can’t see myself doing that while pursuing the things and goals that made me feel so alive in the first place.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Every part of my artistic process is deliberate and has a level of intentionality to it. The thing that sets my work apart is the rawness of it and the invitation to partake in a book, performance, or strategy that is so distinctly separate from what came before it. I pride myself on never creating the same thing, twice. Of course, I work tirelessly to refine a work, if needed but if not, we are always on to the next. The bar I set for myself with every piece I put out is perfection. Or whatever that looks like to me in that season. I am enamored by the imperfections of art but consistently strive to take the art born out of those imperfections and then apply that varnish of perfection to it.

My goal as an artist is to invite people in. Draw them in to the stories and realities that I hope to immerse them in. From there, they have free reign to take what they want to from it. I don’t create a work with the goal of eliciting something specific from my audience. I step back, create based on the vision I have for the piece, go at it with precision tools to create the final piece and finally, embrace the creative free-fall of opening night or publish day. I want people to feel seen, heard, and loved. My goal has always been to evolve the art forms I participate in and in doing so, service the very thing that saved my life. Films, Plays, Books, Music. I owe so much of who I am to these art forms and my art will always be an act of humble servitude grounded in gratitude to the arts.

I am most excited about my next book! The Invisible Thread will be releasing sometime this Fall and I am so excited to share it with the world. In an attempt to call myself out, I explore the core elements of pain, pride, and purpose and attempt to elevate the binding thread that connects all three of them. I am most proud of my one-man show that I put up on the 30th of April, 2024 for an amazing audience of over 213 people at the SCAD Museum of Art. The edit of this show is currently underway and we hope to have a streaming partner when we do eventually launch the film! It takes us on a journey of self-discovery, addiction, anger, trauma, rejection, and the back and forth between man and God in his effort to justify the plan that God has had for him, so far.

I got to where I am today by scratching, clawing, and betting on myself. Not a second of this journey was easy. It was beautiful and that made it something to work towards… but the journey itself was not ideal. I left my homeland on my own when I was 19 to a land I had never visited before. I pursued a career in acting and writing. Not an ideal path for most Indian immigrants. And with each step, I had to adapt. I had to pivot and evolve. I created a pathway out of nothing. I found steps and built them onto the darkened path that lay ahead. I continued to build upon the life God had set apart for me. And through the aches and breaks, I fought with everything in me. My life continued to evolve and changed forever on August 29th, 2020. With the realization that I hated myself finally becoming something I came face to face with, those next 9 months were the epitome of make or break. I lost 130 pounds, committed to therapy, and a stronger relationship with my God. I can’t say that I completely love myself, yet, but I know I’m almost there. My professional journey mirrored this journey. With each step forward, I started growing in recognition and success. Nothing came easy and the things and institutions I loved and bled for simply did not love me back. I could have stopped. Some could argue I should have but I didn’t. I self-published, self-produced and continued to bet on myself. Somewhere along the road, I came to terms with the realization that it is going to take about another decade before I become a citizen of this beautiful country but I know why I’m here and I know what it’s going to take for me to call this place home and I will do it for me and for the family I will build. I find myself working a 9 to 5 that I absolutely adore, and having a full-time job while having my creativity be my main focus. That right there, is a dream. A challenging dream but a dream nonetheless. It hasn’t been easy, not for a moment, but it has been worth every drop of sweat, blood, and tears.

I’ve learned to love myself, first. I’ve loved to learn and care for people with a sense of intentionality and altruism and I’ve learned that what is meant for me will not pass me even if it feels like they have. I’ve learned that not one act of love is wasted and that my joy and hope are not meant for this world but for the one to come, singing and praising my Savior forever.

I want the world to know that I am still here. Against all odds, I am still here. Against every type of trauma you can imagine, I am still here. I have endured and survived. I want them to know that their story matters and that they are here for a reason. My story and my brand begins with leading with love and ends with reminding you that you are not alone and you matter, so freaking much! Deep breath. You got this!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
This is an awesome question!

I’m not much of an itinerary person but I do know that I will throw all these options on the table and we can pick and choose whatever we would like to do that week!

Restaurants: ZUNZI’s (THE GOAT), Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room, The Public, Green Truck Neighborhood Pub, The Vault, My Kitchen, Vinnie Van Go Go’s Pizza, Namaste Savannah, The Grey, Hitch on Liberty.

Coffee Shops: Franklin’s, Origin Coffee Bar, TAD at the SCAD Museum of Art, The Gryphon Tea Room, PERC Coffee, Gallery Espresso.

Fun Things: Tybee Island, Oatland Wildlife Center, Skidaway Trail, Jekyll Island, SCAD Museum of Art, SCAD Story, Ghost Tour, Mini-Golf and Rita’s Frozen Custard, River Street, Forsyth Park.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My God and Savior, Jesus Christ. First and foremost. My Story doesn’t exist without his wondrous hand and his beautiful plan that he had for me right from the start. My therapists, Cathy and Allie have been a huge part of my journey and have been pivotal to my growth and evolution as a person and as a creative professional.
My story doesn’t exist without the sacrifices of those that came before me and in a lot of ways, my story also ceases to exist without the mistakes of those that came before and those people that hurt me, consciously or unconsciously.

Every tragedy I witnessed, every traumatic event I experienced, and every heartbreak I endured led me to become the man, educator, author, performer, business strategist, and creative professional that I am, today.
So, thank you all.

Website: https://thecreativearray.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/qavahcreates/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-johnvg/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100081940939679

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@samjohncreates

Other: LinkTree for full Portfolio: https://linktr.ee/thecreativearray LinkTree for Book 1: 60 < I: https://linktr.ee/60islesserthan1 LinkTree for Book 2: Fragments of Hope: https://linktr.ee/fragmentsofhope