Growing Pains captures the ebb and flow of emotions as life progresses. Each piece is a personal journey through moments of pure bliss and profound self-reflection. Starting with peaceful serenity, the series evolves to confront deep inner turmoil and eventual acceptance. Through this dynamic blend of works, the artist portrays the unpredictability of life—where joy and hardship often coexist, shaping our experiences. The vivid storytelling behind each artwork mirrors the intensity of the artist’s emotions, inviting the audience to reflect on their own internal battles and triumphs.

"This collection is about how fast life moves and shifts. When I first decided to make a body of work, I thought it would be a gloomy tale of a knight going to fight his inner demons. By the time I started the collection though I was in such a happy place I felt I had no inner demons. I then decided this would be a relaxing, peaceful series about the joys of life. Things rarely stay that peaceful though and the outcome was actually a mix of works about both blissful joy and painful self reflection. Through these pieces of work I hope the feelings I felt shine through, because they were many and all of them were intense."

"The first piece in this series called “A Perfect Day”. I felt so peaceful and the best way to express that was to lay in the grass. I wanted to show the joy of reconnecting with the earth and enjoying nature. The sun is beaming, the birds are out and I can feel the morning dew on the grass. This is the happiest I’ll be throughout the whole series."

"Next I felt freedom, the freedom to be anything I wanted to be and not what others expected of me. From this feeling came the second piece in this series, called “I Had Strings, But Now I’m Free, There Are No Strings On Me”. For a while I’d spent my time acting recklessly, because I thought that was true freedom. Upon reflection though I discovered freedom can also be peace and calmness. I would spend my time trying to balance these new understandings with my previous experiences."

"The third piece sees some of those inner demons I mentioned before start coming back up. I have a bit of an impulsive streak. Once I have a thought it’s a full speed ahead; even if I know it doesn’t make sense upon deeper thought. From this unsureness within myself came the third piece, “Two Sides Of The Same Coin”. This piece is meant to show the logical side of myself succumbing to the persistence of crazy."

"The fourth piece is a different area of the same part of the emotional spectrum, it is called “I’m Not A Violent Dog, I Don’t Know Why I Bite”. This was inspired by an overreaction to a small situation, sometimes things are bigger in your head than they are in real life. From this thought I have a man and a dog barking in a way where they resemble each other. They’re not barking because they want to, but because when they get scared they fight; it’s all they know. The last panel shows a shocked mouth covered in blood. The man realizes he has overreacted, but the deed is done and the blood has been spilled."

"The fifth piece is called “ And Now I Have Become Death, Destroyer of Worlds” and it is also tied into this same area of feeling. From these overreactions, an otherwise peaceful situation is torn to shreds and left ruined. That is what I was trying to depict showing a peaceful setting ravaged by a bomb, which is represented by my own body. After the explosion a landscape once teeming with life is reduced to a barren crater." 

"The next piece is called “The Fate of Destruction Is Also The Joy Of Rebirth” and in it I have to come to terms with myself. Despite feeling like I had nothing to face, the previous pieces show me having to deal with some uncomfortable truths about myself. It all comes to a culmination here where there are two of me at odds, one trying to strangle the other to put an end to the cycle of messing up. Partway through though, they arrive at the conclusion you can’t smother your problems but instead you must face them. After this realization they occupy the beach together and stare at the horizon. This does fix everything that was broken, but they at least accept the other’s existence at this point."

"The last piece in this collection is called “Throughout Heaven and Earth, I Alone Am The Honored One”. Originally the previous piece was going to be the final addition to the collection. When I reflected on what I’d experienced and where I was now, I didn’t feel as sad as I once did though. I wanted to end this chapter of my story on a hopeful note and I was proud of myself for not giving up. I truly do think things will start to get better for me. From these feelings came the true last piece of this collection. While drawing it I wanted the feeling of being resilient to shine through. I want this to be a testament that I survived and I’m going through life with my head held high."

Sammy's work focuses on sharing his experiences and inner feelings. He works in digital mediums and uses pop culture, created characters and himself in his art to express himself and build his vision. His artistic journey only started in the summer of 2020, but he is now invested for life and wants to see how far he can push himself in pursuit of creating greater artworks.