Today we’d like to introduce you to Elease Samms.
Hi Elease, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
Originally, a Louisiana native, I moved to Central Florida a year before Hurricane Katrina tore through my hometown. A bittersweet ending to what I thought would be a happily ever after, I had to begin the challenging journey of rewriting my own history book. As a new local to a state I knew only housed Disney World and beaches that didn’t exist in Louisiana, I set my focus on school. It was one aspect of my life that I knew I could take full control of.
So, that I did. I told myself not only would I be at the top of my class, but I will also go to the best school in the nation for undergraduate architectural studies. And, well, as God intended and my desire to achieve nothing less than best, I graduated as Valedictorian of my 2008 class at Jones High School and got into my dream university: Cornell University – an Ivy League in upstate New York that was home to the number one undergraduate architectural program in the nation. My early successes and talents paved the way for a full scholarship to Cornell University’s Architecture, Art and Planning College, or AAP, for short.
It also paved the way for countless mentors and sponsors from organizations such as 100 Black Men of Orlando as well as Orlando’s Support Our Scholars program – programs that sponsored me all 5.5 years of my undergraduate studies – to lend a helping hand in my NEW journey to obtaining a degree in architecture. Having accepted this new journey, I graduated, successfully, in December 2013 with a Bachelor’s of Architecture degree.
Through my time at Cornell University, I was given the grand opportunity to work, travel, and study abroad in Rome, Italy for half a year as well as pick up my photography hobby (which is now my own personal side business). My many experiences have taught me a great deal about the management of time and people. They have also taught that there is so much more to life than just the everyday hustle and bustle. It was by far the most transformative time in life and I am so grateful for it. It nurtured a passion for travel that has always been ingrained in me.
From that point on, my first job post-graduation wasn’t in my field of study. It was with the Orlando Museum of Art. I was hired on as an Assistant Preparator. Among numerous other tasks, my main task was photographing some of the museums’ most prized works as well as setting up numerous exhibitions. I was able to lend my skills as an Assistant Preparator at the Orlando Museum of Art for the preparation and opening of the world’s most renowned artist, Maya Lin’s A History of Water art and education exhibition. It was shortly after this exhibition that I was hired on with KTH Architects Inc, where I worked with their team for six and half years designing primarily healthcare architecture.
A number of the projects I’ve worked on can be seen throughout the Orlando and surrounding areas. Now, as a Graduate Architect at C4 Architecture, my primary focus in the field of architecture and design is commercial-based. Among numerous clients, one notable client is Universal Studios! So, it has been quite the adventure going from designing mostly medical office buildings/hospitals to commercial and more hospitality facilities.
**As a quick note: As a Graduate Architect, I assist with all areas of Design, including Concept Design, Interiors, Architecture, Outdoor Environment Design, FF&E Services, and 3D Modeling.**
My next chapter in this beautiful life is beginning the process of studying for my licensure in architecture, so I can one day become a Registered Architect. I also regularly mentor students of Orlando’s Support Our Scholars Program as well as students through COMPACT at Jones High School.
On days I am not working at my main job or studying for my licensure, I am honing and growing my side business, EAS Photography and Design. My services include not only photography but interior design consultations and decoration. And when I am not doing that, I am constantly feeding my creative side through the documentation of my own personal travels with photography and videography.
As the quote goes, I am a “masterpiece and a work in progress.” Though in constant flux, I am also standing in bountiful gratitude. Though I have yet to reach my next chapter as a licensed architect, I know, in due time, I will with God’s grace. In the meantime, I will continue to be the work in the progress that I am while also accepting and cherishing the beautiful masterpiece that my life already is.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Greg Child once penned, “Somewhere between the bottom of the climb and the summit is the answer to the mystery why we climb.” I believe with any great journey to whatever form of success one seeks, there will always be obstacles. It’s in that journey, in those moments in that chapter that seems the darkest and most unsure, where one can start to decipher the TRUE meaning in the journey. And like many before and after me, I have faced numerous struggles to get to where I am today.
After moving from my hometown in Louisiana to Central Florida (Orlando), it was the beginning of a new chapter I didn’t know an ending to. My parents had just separated after years of turmoil and brokenness, and I was in denial about being a statistic: a product of a single-parent home in a disadvantageous socio-economic climate. Having to spend almost the better part of my first year in Central Florida with no running water or electricity – my mom’s nursing license in Florida took some time to be approved before she could start working in the State of Florida – it was a rude and humbling awakening of what life would be like with one parent struggling to make ends meet.
Even through all of it, I still didn’t stop my educational goals because, as I noted in my bio, it was the one aspect of my life I could control. Working odd jobs, as she awaited her licensing in the state of Florida to be reinstated, my mom would tell us, my brother and myself, the only thing she wanted us to worry about was school. She would figure everything else out. And though it took almost a year to do so, she did. And I am so grateful for her resilience because she taught me, even though there are dark times, it’s the moments in the light, no matter how brief, that make it all worthwhile.
Once that dark period ended and I finally got into Cornell, a different dark period started: the challenges of obtaining a degree at a prestigious PWI, like an Ivy League. Never having to navigate through rich waters, I knew nothing of dealing with people that come from money so long and deep that you question why you could not have been blessed with such riches. I’d never know the feeling of waking up and never having to want or need anything because you could afford it always. I’d never know what it was like to just live without money constantly being an issue for why you could and could not do something. It was uncharted territory.
Among some of the things I dealt with, I had to learn to cope with being told by legacy kids I only got into an Ivy League because of affirmative action, or that I stole the spot of some more deserving white kid. It was a mental dagger unlike any other I’ve ever dealt with. The constant reminder that my race was the “elephant” in the room, wasn’t an easy pill to swallow. I struggled with that constantly. Though I survived, through many tearful phone calls pleading with my mom to be okay with me dropping out and going to UF or someplace closer to home, I made it.
Not having the skills many of my peers came into architecture school with, I made it. Not having the money and being forced into working all 5.5 years at Cornell to just keep up with expenses at an Ivy League, I made it. Not having the best GPA or straight A’s (like I was used to in my secondary schooling years), I still made it. It was hard, but I made it and I give it all to God’s grace and the belief I had to keep feeding into myself and my worth. I deserved that opportunity as much as any student there that could afford to pay for it without a thought in the world.
Though Cornell helped make my mind sharper and stronger, it also left me with crippling anxiety, imposter syndrome that leaves this whispering doubt in my mind, and bouts of depression that I still work through each day. As a work in progress and a masterpiece, I am not perfect, but I am working on being GREAT for me! It’s a slow journey, but it is MINE and so far, even despite the tougher times, it is a journey that has made me into the woman I am today.
I am still rising and one day, my light will be brighter than I’d ever imagined it to be!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My primary career is in the field of architecture. The firm I work with, C4 Architecture is a mid-size architectural office that focuses on all types of design, from Commercial, Mixed-Use, Healthcare, and the list goes on.
Though my personal interests in architecture started with residential design, they have since evolved into a love for Healthcare design. It is a far more rigid area of design, but, like any design, it is so rewarding. I have over 10 projects in the state of Florida within driving distance that I can proudly say I worked on. It’s something I must pinch myself for to remind myself that I am LIVING my dream in the NOW. As of now, I am working on becoming a registered/licensed architect, so that’s been my next major goal as far as my career goes.
As I mentioned earlier, my background in the field of architecture is primarily healthcare design. Having worked in that industry for six and half years, there are numerous projects in and around the Orlando area that are built and in use every day that I am very proud of. Some of those projects include:
– Orlando Health Medical Pavilion – Spring Lake
– Olympia Pharmacy
– Women’s Care Florida (Lucerne)
– Dr. Kapil Saigal, MD, FACS (MOB)
– Orlando Health Women’s Pavilion – Winter Park
– Orlando Health – Health Central Hospital Outpatient Rehabilitation
– Dr. Gopal Kunta (Cleremont)
Among numerous others! During that time span, I was an employee with KTH Architects Inc. It was a wonderful six and half years of growing and learning in an area of architecture I would have never guessed I’d love as much as I do.
Also, growing up as a daughter of a Pediatric Level 2 and Level 3 Nurse, my desires in the field stemmed from working primarily with local communities. Realizing how spaces can truly make or break someone’s mood, I wanted to design spaces, like medical facilities, to feel like places of respite and not despair and fear. I also wanted to design spaces that are notorious for helping people and what better spaces to design than medical facilities – where lives are saved every single day. It was a form of poetic justice.
Fast-forward to today, I am now a Graduate Architect with C4 Architecture. My duties, as prior, still range from composing project presentations, full-spectrum design work (Concept Design, Interiors, Architecture, Outdoor Environment Design, FF&E Services), and any general office work. Though I no longer work primarily in the healthcare design realm, now that I am mostly commercial, my focus on design has shifted. It was a necessary shift to grow and expand not only my portfolio but my skills as a designer. I wanted to be more well-rounded and get more areas of expertise in the design world under my belt.
The qualities that I will say have always set me apart are my kindness and humility. Though those qualities in the corporate world can be viewed negatively, I’ve always found that to be the opposite in my case. So, much of my most genuine connections with my clients and teammates have been because of my easy temperament and understanding nature. I allow my work to speak for itself and remain kind and humble in the process. A great quote goes: “Act the way you’d like to be and soon you’ll be the way you act.” So, I do my best to always fall on the side of kindness.
Outside of my primary career, I also have a small side business called EAS Photography and Design. I offer photoshoots for events of all occasions, ranging from Birthdays, Showers (i.e. baby, wedding, etc.), Parties, Product shoots, Corporate Headshots, and the list goes on. I also, offer interior design consultation alongside interior and exterior decorating services – which includes 3D modeling, space layout, plans, shopping assistance, etc. Though my design is not limited to interior and exterior services as it relates to architecture, I also offer graphic design services of any nature, from banners, logos, cards, photo books, etc. Just about anything design-related, I am more than pleased to offer my services to assist anyone looking to elevate their spaces or just brand themselves.
The major aspect that sets my personal side business apart, is affordable pricing. Design, as many know, can get very expensive. However, good design doesn’t have to break your budget. It’s just a matter of knowing where to look and what areas of your overall program to seek out savings. Sometimes, just having an eye trained for that can be the difference between you following through with that design goal or not. This is also applicable to my photography services. I strive to make the things some may deem out-of-reach as affordable as possible because we all deserve the best life has to offer us.
What matters most to you?
My pursuit of peace of mind and joy knows no bounds. Life is hard. That’s not news to any of us.
And far too often we get caught up in the daily back and forth, zooming through moments without ever truly taking a breath. I want LIVE and not just exist. I want to get to a point in my life where there is ease. Ease in my mind, my soul, and my body. And like it says in the great American dream, I am also in pursuit of happiness. Happiness without terms and conditions. Just pure and utter joy.
That’s what matters most.
As a favorite poet, Nayyirah Waheed, of mine once penned, “I want to live so densely, lush and slow in the next few years, that a year becomes ten years and my past becomes a page in the book of my life.”
Pricing:
- Personal Photoshoots – $75.00 per hour
- Business / Corporate Shoots – $75.00 per hour
- Parties – $75.00 per hour
- Design Consultation – $35.00 (30 mins)
**All other pricing can be found on my website.
Contact Info:
- Email: esamms08@gmail.com
- Website: www.easamms.com
- Instagram: @LC4508 | @Photography_
- Twitter: @LC4508 | @PhotographyEAS
