Woodchuck 30th Anniversary Artist Spotlight – Samantha Segalas-Shaw
September 15, 2021
Bio
Name: Samantha Segalas-Shaw
Age: 25
Location: Portland, Maine soon to be based in Salt Lake City, Utah
Profession or specified field: Graphic design
How long have you been participating in your specified field: 8 years
Welcome to our Woodchuck 30th Anniversary blog series where we will be highlighting hand-selected creatives every week through the Fall. This year marks our 30th Anniversary and we have asked 25 creatives from across the country to help celebrate 30 years of creativity and innovation by sharing with us what creativity means to them. We sat down with each creative to hear more about how they use creativity on a daily basis and what influences their work. See below for our conversation with Samantha!
W- Hey Samantha! Thanks for taking the time to sit down and chat with us today. Sounds like you’ve been at this whole digital design thing for quite some time now. How did you get your start?
S- I have been surrounded by photography and design for as long as I can remember. Although my greatest influence was seeing my mother design the logo and menus for the brewery my family owned in Southern Vermont. While she worked on the designs she would ask me how something looked as if my opinion mattered. So I was in awe as a young child seeing something my mom designed at home, as a finished product on the giant sign out front and the menus in every customers’ hands. It was the spark that guided me further towards graphic design.
I decided to study Graphic Design and Digital Media at Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont. Once I started in the program, I knew this was exactly what I needed to be doing. My advisor, Suzanne Snyder, took me under her wing and within four years she taught me how to harness my creativity, refine all of my ideas and helped build my confidence as a designer. She was my inspiration to go out on my own and create my own business, Align Design Company.
W- What an awesome story! It sounds like you’ve had a number of creative people in your life that have rubbed off on you in a positive way. Creativity is something that is quite difficult to harness, especially at a young age, but it seems like you were able to do it pretty easily, just with a little bit of guidance. What tends to influence your creativity and the work you put out? Is it more-so derived intrinsically, or are you more heavily influenced by external factors and the people viewing your work?
S- I think it’s all connected. I have the internal inspiration and the drive to create, but I am constantly being inspired by external experiences. I honor the influence of design and its ability to create community. My goal when I create is to leave a positive impact on every viewer. Whether it’s a product, a label or a post on Instagram. It gives people a feeling and it invites them to be part of the community.
W- Experiences are ultimately what shape us as people, so it’s easy to understand how your experiences are what provide with a creative framework of sorts. With that said, what exactly does creativity mean to you?
S- Creativity, to me, is freedom; it facilitates the expression of one’s true self by breaking down the barriers of the conscious and subconscious mind.
W- That’s some deep stuff right there, Samantha! Surely, a lot of people find creativity, in some sense, to be this outlet for liberation and freedom similar to the way you do. Even us, as cider makers can relate to this. Creativity allows us to not be tied down to certain norms and it has ultimately allowed us to share new and innovative cider styles with the world. If some don’t work, oh well… back to the drawing board!
W-Before joining us in celebrating our 30th anniversary, what was your relationship or connection to Woodchuck? Through your involvement with us, has there been anything you learned about us that resonated with you or that you can connect with personally?
S-Woodchuck holds a special place in my heart. From swimming in the Black River with my family, to skiing with my friends at Sugarbush, Woodchuck was a part of making those memories that have shaped me to who I am today. Any time I am drinking a Woodchuck Cider it’s more than just drinking a cider.
W- We’re flattered that you associate our brand and our cider with certain special experiences you’ve had in your lifetime. For us that is simply the highest praise we could ask for, and we thank you for that. Thanks again for joining us in our celebration of 30 years. We couldn’t be more excited to share your creativity with our fans!
Samantha’s contribution to our 30th Anniversary celebration came by way of digital illustration. She depicted a scene very reminiscent of some of the memories she described in her interview. Check out her piece over on at our Instagram.
If you decide to pay us a visit over on Instagram, don’t forget to check out the contest we’re running! You could be one of five lucky winners who will be featured amongst 25 hand-selected creatives like Ian to showcase your talent and help us celebrate our 30th anniversary. Oh yeah, you could win a pretty awesome Woodchuck-branded cooler out if it as well! Check out the contest page on our website for more info on how to enter.
Cheers, and happy cider sippin’!
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