Samantha Woj, then a Masters student in art therapy, had broken her ankle and felt cooped up. Looking at the home gym she’d set up in the basement of her family home, she joked with her sister that she might as well roll a soccer ball in a tub of paint since she wouldn’t be able to play the game for a while. “Do it!” her sister said, and out of a mixture of boredom and curiosity, Woj found an old canvas, dipped the ball in the paint, and started. 

“Straight away, I loved the texture,” Woj said. “It reminded me of being an athlete, of the traces and marks you make while playing sports.” She had experimented with various art forms during her studies, but this one felt right—like she could finally convey everything she wanted. 

Since childhood, Woj has turned to sports and the arts to express herself and fit in with her peers. At times, she felt different from other kids because she was born with ectrodactyly, a congenital disorder that affects the fingers and toes. She has “two fingers on each hand,” as her Insta bio reads, adding, “What’s your superpower?”