"I want to be seen and heard. Growing up, I found myself incapable of thoroughly expressing my thoughts verbally and was afraid to be truly seen. I would even find myself frustrated over being unable to inspire others due to self-doubts and feeling not good enough—that was until I explored paper art and found my voice in it. It was like hitting two birds with one stone, sparking internal joy upon story-telling and at the same time, discovering myself more during the process.
Ever since I was a kid, I knew that my heart already beats for arts and crafts. I took an architecture degree in college, had my day job and became a licensed architect but then I longed for something more and decided to push myself to reach my full potential and ultimately meet my purpose. So, I took the leap of faith and probably that’s the best decision I’ve made because if I hadn’t done that, I wouldn’t have met the person I am today.
My works explores many themes including nature, culture, architecture, design and animation, which mainly pay attention to details, shadows, layers, symmetry, colors and texture. But my greatest inspiration in creating would be coming from my life experiences and the stories of other people. Being in a creative space is what fills me up. The endless possibilities of paper give me the opportunity to work with my hands and definitely more of my heart.
It’s a tough decision to leave a stable career and pursue another one that I may or may not thrive in. But pursuing this creative path made me realize that it’s not just about making money out of my passion. It’s not just about having the validation of being an artist and proving myself to others. It’s all about self-discovery and having the courage to explore unfamiliar things until you become familiar with it. That brings myself out of my comfort zone and allowing my mind to speak through the things I love to do. And pursuing this route is actually being vulnerable enough to let myself be seen and share a piece of myself so I could create, inspire and share more to the world.”
Elaine Samonte (@elainesamonte on Instagram)
Architect,Paper Artist, Founder of @kwentongpapel, Manila
Sabado Archives revisits the reflections of Filipino artists and creative entrepreneurs in different parts of the world shared to Sabado Studios in the past 2 years with the intention to spark hope and inspiration in our personal and creative pursuits.