Today we’d like to introduce you to Samantha Hawkins.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I studied fashion design in school, but after two internships I quickly discovered that was not the world for me. I was living in NYC at the time and I went to a screening of Rocky Horror Picture Show with the live cast down in front. I befriended some of the cast and one of them asked me to design a music video he was directing for friends. I made 40+ cardboard robot costumes in four days at his mom’s house in Queens. I barely slept and on the last day of shooting I cried in the shower for twenty minutes. But I was hooked. After that I got on craigslist (this used to be the way you got into the industry) and got two internships in the costume department, one on a indie feature, the other on a comedy central show. After that I started assisting the two designers I met on those jobs as well as continuing to costume PA. After a couple years I started designing my own features and realized that was where I excelled and I have been doing it since. Every couple years I’ll make the jump up a budget tier or into TV, it’s a lot of hustling, but I love it.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It’s definitely difficult to be freelance. The gaps of unemployment between jobs are difficult to manage when young. I also focused on designing right away at an indie level, so I didn’t make much money for seven years of my career. But I didn’t want to make more money as an ACD on bigger features and TV shows. t’s difficult to have to always maintain hope for yourself and constantly fight for yourself. I think another difficult aspect of costume design is the sort of trial by error nature, especially if you jump into designing right away. No one really showed me how to make design boards or do research. There’s a bit of freedom in that as well, you’re too naive to be scared. But you have to be a bit fearless and not rely on comparison at all.
It’s also been difficult to make the move into TV. For some reason, Producers are concerned that you won’t be able to hack the schedule if you haven’t done it before. My first TV show as a designer was a bit of a coup, I took over in the third episode of a first season with a crew of 60 that I hadn’t hired, including a full cutting room. Every episode had three musical numbers with fantasy elements. But it was an incredibly fulfilling job and all of those things become easy when you understand what the Showrunner wants and they trust your vision in return.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a costume designer. I work closely with the director in prep to flesh out the characters in the script. I read it several times and break it down by character and changes. I make look books for each character to visually describe who they are, they world they live in, and what their arc is within the story. I run a team of people that help me shop for each character, fit all the actors, return the options that aren’t used, track the filming schedule and continuity of the clothing so we’re ready for each day, sometimes build looks from scratch, dress all the background etc. It’s a huge amount of work with tons of moving pieces and is often taken for granted because everyone gets dressed in the morning. I love working on genre films like horror and I’m always looking for projects that allow for world building. I think the way I approach character design sets me apart. I like to find my “in” for each project. It’s a lens through which I make decisions. There are so many options out there it can be hard to land on one. Even if you know you want a yellow dress for a scene, there are a million styles out there. So if I have a “way in” for a particular project it gives me style markers to look for. For example I’ve used the scientific concept of chaos theory as my way in for a sci-fi, I’ve used fractals for a horror film, I’ve used fairytale characters for another horror film. Other times it’s a bit more vague and I’ve used paintings that I feel embody each character to inform color and pattern choices. I came to this design practice on my own. I’m sure other designers do something similar, but it’s not something I was taught.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Comparison is the thief of joy. Everyone has their own career path in this business, it doesn’t do any good to covet someone else’s journey. You can only work hard and do what you can do. Bring the perspective and eye for design that you have and trust you’re the best person for the job when you get it. When I don’t get a job I try to remember that I just wasn’t the right fit, but that’s not a bad thing or a reflection of my talent.
Also, when working in a creative field, always find another creative outlet that is unrelated if you can. It helps with inspiration and broadens your mind. I oil paint among other things and I find it incredibly soothing. When I’ve hit a roadblock on inspiration rather than staying in the office or working a weekend I give my mind a break, with a hobby or a hike in nature. Every time I’ve done that inspiration comes immediately after.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.samhawkinsdesign.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samhawkinsdesign/
