My name is
Sam Dakart

Growing up, I was the poster child for conservative Christianity. I was completely dedicated, studying the Bible and praying more than anyone I knew. I eagerly pursued every Christian leadership opportunity and was on a clear path to becoming a pastor.

However, toward the end of high school, my life took an unexpected turn. I suffered two severe concussions that completely rewrote my personality and introduced me to a deep, debilitating depression. In my first semester of college, I was miserable and utterly lost. I no longer knew who I was, and the passions that had once defined me, no longer kept me going.

Desperate to escape the numbness and apathy I was experiencing, I discovered graphic design and threw myself headfirst into it. I found a new sense of purpose and community, quickly rising to be among the top designers in my classes. (Caitlyn, Gabi & Torin, I hope you are well, I cherish our past summer adventures.) I enjoyed working myself to the bone, and through this, had many amazing opportunities that were pivotal to my professional development. At the end of college I planned to move to Los Angeles to pursue my dream of becoming the best motion designer in the US.

However, I listened to my gut and moved to Richmond, VA in 2029. It was here that I finally decided to face my mental health struggles head-on. As I began this process, I started to wonder why, if I was pursuing God with all my being, I still felt so empty. This led me down a long and painful road of deconstructing my faith until there was nothing left to hold on to. For a while, I had a lot of resentment towards Christianity. I turned full-fledged naturalist atheist, becoming very politically progressive.

By early 2024, I was falling apart, physically and mentally. I couldn't focus, my joints would hurt from just 30 minutes sitting or drawing, and I was genuinely losing my grip on reality. I was losing hope. This low point, however, was the beginning of probably the most important change of my life. It was time to truly look within and discover who I am and what I really need.

The journey has required a lot of honest self-reflection, humility, and self-discipline. Through therapy, a focus on sleep, diet, and exercise, and a newfound practice of self-love, I've begun to heal and have reunited with the romantically spiritual part of my being. 

This has transformed the way I understand everything and brought me the peace and joy I was always promised from Christianity growing up. I'm not a Christian, I see the function of religion for an individual or society, but for me, it put the divine in a box and stripped away the life and love that exist in the mystery of the spiritual. I don't really know how to put what I believe into words, but I call it The Flow: the infinite and ever-changing fractal of everything.

Today, I am living a life I could have only dreamed of. I have the honor of working for one of the most influential tattoo artists in the world, Jesse Smith. He has taught me more than I could ever put into words and has taken my design and art skills to the next level. 

These days I am leading the marketing and design for the world-famous Richmond Tattoo & Arts Convention, and I couldn't ask for a cooler job. Because of the convention, I've met so many incredible artists and tattooers, many of whom I'm lucky to call good friends. These friends have inspired and nurtured my artistic journey in ways I can only hope to one day do for others.

I am on a journey to be the most whole human being I can be, and I hope to help others along the way. While there are tough days, I am beyond grateful for the life I have and am excited for whatever the universe brings me next. I welcome you to join this journey with me, so one day we can help the whole world heal.