In this episode of Sammy Unsolicited, Sammy sits down with Los Angeles-based artist, chef, and longtime friend Anahid Boghosian for her very first podcast appearance. The two dive deep into Anahid’s creative journey — from growing up surrounded by her sculptor father’s world in the 70s and 80s, to studying fashion design, discovering fine art in her late 20s, and making a defining life pivot in 2010 following a separation that led her to pursue painting full time.
Anahid opens up about her love of working on unconventional materials like reclaimed wood, pallets, and hand-cut magazine paper collages born during Covid lockdown — some containing over 2,000 individually cut pieces. She shares the story behind her signature large-eyed faces, a deeply personal shoe installation at the Brand Library honoring her father who was an amputee since age nine, and what it truly means to build a life around your art without compromise.
A deeply personal, honest, and inspiring conversation about creativity, resilience, identity, and what it takes to bet on yourself.
5. Chapter Timestamps
• 0:00 — Welcome & guest introduction
• 0:33 — Fun openers: walking song (Tainted Love), Sade & the cortado order
• 1:46 — Growing up surrounded by art: sculptor father, musicians & the creative household
• 3:22 — Early encouragement: art teachers and first creative memories
• 3:37 — Fashion school in 80s LA: Keith Haring, street art & the downtown scene
• 7:14 — Post-college career: pattern design, fashion industry disillusionment & quitting
• 9:10 — Interning with fine artists, furniture design & finding a new creative direction
• 9:19 — Moving to Boston, pregnancy & painting as the one thing that made her happy
• 10:16 — Hobby vs. life pursuit: the moment everything shifted
• 12:35 — 2010: divorce, selling the house & committing to art full time
• 14:05 — Being a Taurus: stubbornness, determination & detaching from ego
• 18:54 — How imperfection shows up in her work: reclaimed materials & finding beauty in the broken
• 21:39 — Scoliosis at 13, wearing a brace & the philosophy of imperfection
• 22:39 — When did the unconventional material work start? All the way back to fourth grade
• 24:14 — No favorite between canvas and reclaimed material — heart goes into both
• 24:44 — The Covid magazine collage collection: 2,000+ hand-cut pieces on wood panels
• 28:18 — Magazines dating back to the early 80s gifted by designer friends
• 28:39 — The signature Anahid face: origin story and the book page doodle project
• 30:24 — “Broadway” — Sammy reveals the gifted artwork & the Glendale street series
• 33:36 — The shoe installation at Brand Library: honoring her amputee father
• 36:39 — Assembling 200+ painted shoes & what it felt like when it came together
• 38:12 — Her father’s sculptures, legacy & wanting to cast bronze versions for her sisters
• 39:14 — Trusting the process: why things tend to fall into place organically
Show Notes & Resources
• Bergamot Station Art Center — Santa Monica, CA — site of Anahid’s upcoming residency starting April 2025: bergamotstation.com
• Brand Library & Art Center — Glendale, CA — site of
SAMMY
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OMNITHEREAL PRODUCTIONS
Recorded and Produced by: George Purtseladze
Instagram: @omnitherealproductions
