Bram’s definitely one of them.” Eventually, Samson decided to branch off on his own and created Samson Studios, working hard to develop a client base. While he enjoyed the work, he found the often-cyclical nature of the business to be problematic, especially as he was now a happily married father of two. So in 2014, when his clients at the Mennonite Brethren Church of Manitoba offered him the position of communications co-ordinator, he accepted, while continuing to provide services to his existing clients, including the Army’s College for Officer Training (CFOT) in 3 Winnipeg. Furthering the Mission Samson had stopped drawing after he became a graphic designer. “You’re working on a computer, with a mouse or a tablet 4 of some kind, rather than a pen,” he explains. “You stop using those muscles, the muscle memory deteriorates and you forget how to do it.” Then in March 2014, Samson’s father passed away unexpectedly. “I was trying to hold things together for the family, for my sister and mother, 5 and for me, too, but I needed some sort of therapy.” It just so happened that at about t he s a me t i me, Samson picked up a sketch book. He started small but was soon spending a couple of hours at a time creating masterpieces on paper. Now, not a week goes by where he is not drawing. Without planning it, returning to his artistic roots became part of his healing. Perhaps because of his newfound passion, Samson’s children—Caleb, 12, and Claire, eight—have also started to develop their own artistic skills. “They’re both incredible artists,” he says. “Donna Lee and I have always
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encouraged them to embrace their talents and take it at their own pace.” As for Donna Lee, she’s the songster leader at their corps and a program team manager at St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg. “What she does is worlds away from what I do,” Samson says. “But she’s my rock. Without her love and support, I could never have grown as a graphic designer, let alone as a husband and father. I wouldn’t be here if God hadn’t put her in my path. “A nd I k now that my talents are a God-given blessing,” Samson concludes. “I feel that I have a responsibility to turn my gifts into something practical. Whether I’m helping to raise money at Christmastime on the kettles or I’m working on a commissioning book for CFOT, I’m furthering the mission of The Salvation Army.”
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You can find more of Carson Samson’s art on Instagram: @carsonsamson 1 “My dad was fond of cardinals. This one served as a reference for a memorial tattoo I got this past December” 2 “I draw a lot of birds. This hummingbird was done with prismacolour and a gel pen”
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3 Samson designed the layout and photography for the cover of the 2014 Territorial Congress book 4-5 Back cover and spread of CFOT’s 2015 commissioning book, which Samson designed 6. “Probably my favourite chimpanzee sketch. The eyes are contemplative and wise” 7-8 “I did a two-piece series on my fathers, both of whom have passed away. This is my father, Pearce, when he was a boy. The other one is Donna Lee’s father, Mjr Don Maye, in his younger days”
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