Sammy thrashLife

Following a two-year stint of inpatient treatment for borderline personality disorder and heroin addiction, Sam North re-entered the world  with the moniker “Sammy thrashLife” and the resolve to build a life on the new passion he’d discovered while institutionalized. On Friday afternoons, patients had expressive art therapy group. Initially contemptuous, it was soon all he wanted to do.

A graduate of Georgetown Law, thrashLife has no formal arts training. “I like colors and funny faces. Itʼs more than that,” the artist concedes, “but Iʼm the first to admit Iʼve got zero technical ability.”

Bright colors, rotten smiles, and snarky captions in bold block-letters characterize his work but a closer look reveals intensely honest and reflective journals in small print. “I donʼt shoot heroin anymore but Iʼm still an emotional basketcase,” thrashLife says. “Paints and pens are the tools I use to balance myself out.”

For every piece of art that Sammy creates, he writes a statement to accompany the piece. They both tell the story of his life and reveal shockingly vulnerable (often embarrassingly personal) insight into his emotional state.

Recovery is not always a straight line. Three years into a fast-growing art career, Sammy endured the most traumatic episode of his life and succumbed to relapse. He lost nearly nine years before he was finally ready to get clean and face the world again.

Now, thrashLife is finally back, making art, and determined to never let anything defeat him ever again. In 2025, he’s exhibiting mostly across southwestern Florida, including at the John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art (April 4th through July 30th). For more details, visit sammythrashLife.com.