Meet Samarra “Sammi” Togonon | Illustrator, Merch Artist, and Pattern Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Samarra “Sammi” Togonon and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Samarra “Sammi”, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I’ve always been a creative kid growing up. One of my earliest projects involved crayon forts filled with glue, paper scraps, and zoo animals I outlined from stencils. I couldn’t be more proud of the many crayons who sacrificed their lives for me back then.

Jumping to 5th grade, I began haphazardly stapling comics together drawn from comedy skits I’d find on Youtube and a little known site called Flipnote Hatena, where people from all over the globe posted their art and animations using the Nintendo DSi. With the limited software users had, pixelated lines became the embodiment of a young artists’ hopes, dreams, and childhood angst. It was amazing. This online space, along with positive encouragement from family and friends, helped me take my drawing skills much more seriously.

However, being one of the few Asians living in the Northeast Ohio suburbs made it difficult to truly connect with someone similar to me. For a while, it felt like everyone was out to get me because I was simply too different from my surrounding environment. As a result, I depended on art as an escape from my problems. Creating characters and the vast worlds they inhabit helped with that. Stories where heroes save the day, find peace with their troubled pasts, and are celebrated as legends are just a few of my favorite narratives to bring to life. Seeing others tell their stories and find success through them also inspired me to discover what it means to be an artist. To this day, I can’t help but feel just as invested in the creative process as much as the creator themself. I hope in the future I can give people that same relatable spark I had growing up.

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.
I’m a Filipino Illustrator, Merch Artist, and Pattern Designer. My work is greatly inspired by anime and cartoons, video games, cityscape views, and modern streetwear. A lot of people like to describe my art as “cute, spunky, and gritty” due to my use of sharp lines and textures. As of right now, I plan to open my online art store for the first time during the summer. I’m one step closer to carving my own path as the best artist I can be, and I cannot wait to see where this will take me in the future. Along with this, I hope to participate in conventions within the next year. Just have to keep applying!

I still have a ways to go in my hero’s journey, but my family, friends, and unique life experiences all helped in the process of that. While I’m thankful for being surrounded with the amazing culture (and food!) of the Philippines brought to me by my family, I gained a unique perspective by being around many different people of all backgrounds growing up. Once I reached college, my connections only expanded further, with some of my classmates becoming good friends of mine even after graduation. I like to believe meeting all these people influenced how I create my stories. By taking inspiration from the most minute details, I gained a better understanding of what I wanted out of my art and, eventually, myself.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
As much as we joke about it, my best friend from Canada has offered to visit Ohio in the past. I have several places in mind if he ever commits to the bit, starting with:

Columbus Museum of Art: The galleries display many local artists to be inspired by, with each visit always showcasing something new and exciting. Every once in a while, they open a special exhibit dedicated to more international artists like Maurice Sendak, American author and illustrator of “Where The Wild Things Are”. I remember the rooms dedicated to him were filled to the brim with toys and plushies based off his creatures.

Matt and Tony’s Kitchen and Tavern: This place was within walking distance of my old living space, and the food was always great quality! My go to order was the Chimi Burger and fries. Their appetizers were also pretty good such as their House-Made Tots.

Kinney Centre Mall: This area consists of local shops that offer a little bit of everything. Tensuke Market is the place to find Asian grocery items, Belle’s Bread has the best treats I’ve ever tasted (strawberry bear bread and melon soda, you will always be famous), and J Avenue holds a wide selection of Japanese home and general goods.

Gata Magica Cafe and Lounge: This is one of the more recent places I visited with friends. Aside from the great selection of sweet drinks, pastries, and breakfast items, the cafe has a unique aesthetic that I don’t see in many other places. The mascot, Nox, is so cute! She reminds me of magical pets I would see in early 2000’s cartoons.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Way too many people come to mind for a shout out. It’s hard to choose just a special few when all of them have inspired me in some way.

I’ll start with the family and friends who continued to support my art career through the best and worst times of my life. I would not be the same person without them. As long as I have their support, I will never back down from pursuing my goals.

I dedicate my education to the amazing faculty of Columbus College of Art and Design. I thank the professors who were so patient with me during those four years. Not only did they see my potential, but they gave me enough direction to unlock new skills I would have never discovered otherwise.

Lastly, I want every Filipino artist who reads this article to know that there is a place for all of us in the art community. If no one else will hear you now, then at least know that your voice will echo for miles and eventually find its way to grip people’s attention. It’s more important than ever to support each other, and I want my hand to reach out to all of them. Keep going! Keep creating!

Website: https://fori.io/OKBayani

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

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/sammitogonon

Other: Business Email: [email protected]

Image Credits
Rawpixel.com