Meet Samantha Jacobs | Diverse Artist

I’ve always been fairly level headed about my finances, even as a little kid. I would save my money to buy whatever it was I wanted at the time. That being said, I don’t have a strict personal budget but I keep an eye on my overall financial health. I know where my credit scores lies and I work towards long term financial goals like retirement. I also keep a detailed log of expenses and profit for my artist income. For larger purchases I do my research on product reviews and testing to make sure I’m buying the best item for my money.

I’m grateful for where I am today. I am currently a fulltime artist funded under the Creatives ReBuild New York at the Stanley “Sully” Huff Heritage Center on the Seneca Nation of Indians Cattaraugus Territory. I am one of four artists in the Sully Cohort for the grant. Previously I was a community educator for the Sully, providing cultural arts classes open to the public. These past two years have given me the chance to explore and experience opportunities with a variety of organizations and institutions. I have researched museum collections, taken classes to expand and hone my artistic skills and shared my art in a broader range of the Eastern United States. Making the leap to fulltime artist was a natural progression of what I was doing at the Sully. I’m still a teaching artist and plan on continuing to share my acquired knowledge with those willing to learn. I share because I’ve come across others who don’t and instead hoard knowledge, which doesn’t help anyone. I’d rather be supportive and create a positive environment where people can feel safe enough to ask for help and learn. I always tell the folks who take my classes, that everyone starts somewhere, and to share what they’ve learned. You never know if the person you’re teaching is going to be the next great artist in that field, and you provided the spark that lit their passion.

I’ve had many mentors and role models in my life. The ones that have made the most impact in my life are two women. The late Beverly Porter, the director of the Buffalo Creek Dancers, a dance troupe that performed Haudenosaunee social dance shows around the country. Bev instilled in me the concept of sharing, educating the public on who we were as a People, all while creating a fun and safe environment to learn. Once we learned anything, it became our responsibility to share that knowledge with others. As an artist, I’ve taken on a role of a teacher, sharing all the skills and techniques I’ve learned with both my community and the public at large.

My mother, Mary Jacobs, is also a role model I grew up seeing as a vital part of my community. Her selfless and tireless role in helping others and sharing her skills as a little league softball coach, EMT, and beadwork artist really drove home the concept of helping others. I learned how to do beadwork from her. We started out with easy projects and I slowly made my way to making my own outfits for the shows with the Buffalo Creek Dancers.

Without the foundation that these two women had in my life, I don’t think I would be where I am today. I am thankful for all that they have shared and taught me.