Ella Sams’ creative spark began as a curious child in her hometown of Athens, Georgia. Raised by a working artist mother and a salesman father, a combination of work ethic and passion was encouraged. She began selling custom portraits at the age of 12. She received a BFA in Studio Art and Educational Studies at Davidson College, where she kindled a fondness for the intersection of natural science and human perception. Combined with experience as an outdoor backpacking and canoeing instructor on the Appalachian Trail and the French Broad River, she moved to Long Creek, SC to work as an art teacher and direct care staff at a boys' therapeutic boarding school for three years. During that time, she explored the positive impact creation has on mental health and clarity. She believes that creation is an outlet for humans to explore, play, and process the world. Her freelance work expanded to full-time work in 2022.

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Today, she specializes in wildlife illustration, paying attention to the delicate behavior of fur, feathers, and water, and our human relationship with these characteristics. Her work primarily displays in a sacred place: the home. However, she has also exhibited in various public settings such as the Dallas Safari Club Convention in Atlanta, Georgia, in “Covey Rise Magazine,” at Creekside Arts in Eureka, California, the Beechwood Shopping Center in Athens, Georgia, as well as the Villa Degli Artisti in Florence, Italy. She hopes that in a more-is-more world, her work can encourage others to fan a creative flame inside themselves.