Artist Samme Snow on creative solutions

wearable art collab

Samme Snow x Arka (11)

London-based artist Samme Snow collabed with 11-year-old Arka from the SDN 004 Mentarang school in Pulau Sapi. Arka already thinks deeply about the big problems of the world. But instead of stopping there, he goes one step further and comes up with solutions for them.

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wearable art collabs

Arka (11)

Pulau Sapi, Indonesia

Arka is an 11-year-old pupil at SDN 004 Mentarang, living in the small town of Pulau Sapi in North Kalimantan. For him, one of the big problems of the world is pollution. But to Arka, problems are not just a negative circumstance. They’re an opportunity for us to create solutions and make the world a better place.

Samme Snow

London, United Kingdom

Samme is a London-based artist and illustrator most well-known for this character-based art style. Over the years, he has worked with companies like Holiday Inn, DLR, Citywire, and GQ Middle East. He is also an avid muralist, as he loves to bring his characters into public. You can spot his works on the streets of London, Oxford, Birmingham, and Manchester.

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Coupling problems with solutions

For his drawing, Arka (11) was given the theme of ‘problem’. With this theme, we wanted to get an idea of what problems look like from his perspective: are they always something negative? Or are they creative opportunities? Arka’s take is positive and action driven. He drew a personification of the earth throwing rubbish in a recycling container. This drawing made it clear to us that problems and solutions are connected for Arka.

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Making art together with Arka

“For the final illustration, I wanted to create something that was inspired by the world Arka had created while incorporating his original elements. My work has quite a distinctive character-led style, which allowed me to use Arka’s illustration as the focal point of the piece and then build a wider world around it. The aim was to make sure his original idea remained central while bringing it into my own visual language and creating a cohesive final illustration.”

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Tackling problems with positivity

“I think being able to come up with solutions when faced with problems, particularly from such a young age, shows a lot of character, confidence, and positivity. Rather than simply seeing the problem, Arka suggests that we look at what can be done about it, turning a challenge into an opportunity to take action.”

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Samme’s collab with Arka

“I think adults can learn a lot from children about creating without overthinking or worrying about judgement. For me, if I create something that makes me smile, I know there is a good chance that someone else somewhere in the world will connect with it too — and that is what makes creating worthwhile.”

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