Tell us a bit about yourself and what kind of art you do
I work as a graphic designer during the day for a company called Jeanmarie Creations-we design gift bags for all occassions, so I spend most of my days drawing disgustingly cute critters, santas, hearts, things of that nature. I chose graphic design as a profession, because I thought it was the only way I could make a living as an artist…which I don’t necessarily believe to be true anymore.
But the art I truly love to do, is what you see on my site – expressive, pop inspired pieces of things that I enjoy-music, monsters, guns, and so on
How long have you been creating art/have you always been a creative person?
I think I’ve always been a creative type…remembering back to kindergarten when I stole a classmates crayons to go write on the school doors. Haha, I guess that was my first attempt at graffiti. I think I started thinking of art as something more serious to pursue in high school, so that’s when I think I started creating more seriously.
Are you working on anything at the moment?
Of course! Always have to be working on something. Right now I’m terribly terribly behind on commission work…so definitely looking forward to finishing those up, so I can move on to some other projects!
Where do you create?
I work in the basement of my home – pretty much the whole space is for creating artwork – with the exception of a room for my inventory or prints and shipping supplies, and a room for my cats litter boxes haha. The biggest room is primarily where I work, and I usually work on the floor, I’ve never been good at working on an easel. I move around a lot, for some reason, so I’ll usually start off working on one side of the room, and by the end of the project I’m usually on the opposite side of the room.
What is the biggest challenge you face as an artist?
I think one of my biggest challenges is getting past the feeling of pressure (that I put on myself to be better, sell more, etc etc. One of the things I mentions learning through creating art was that you should never compare yourself to others and let it get you down…but that’s definitely a challenge for me. But I do try to take it, and turn it into inspiration instead. There is so much brilliant artwork out there, and so many talented people, it’s just really not a good idea to try and compare yourself!
It’s also somewhat of a challenge to continue progressing sometimes…like, you have your thing down the way you do it and people like it, so it’s tempting to just not change things up…but that’s boring. I think pushing myself to try new things is important, but there’s always that sense of fear, like, if I try something new, will the people who like my art now, not like this new thing? But I’m learning that the most important thing is to do what I love, and not worry about the rest.
What are the most important lessons you have learned through creating art?
Never compare yourself/your work to anybody else. You aren’t them. You won’t ever be them. Be you. Do what you do. Let other people inspire you to do different things, to be a better artist , etc, but don’t try and compare yourself. Also, never think you’re better than another artist--art is subjective. What’s crap to you, is a masterpiece to someone else, and vice versa.
How do you deal with criticism?
I’d say, probably not very well. I don’t know many artists that DO deal with it well, really, haha. Someone told me once that they thought most artists are just insecure %^$#@ who just want you to say “I love it”, and they’re really just looking for praise when they ask you what you think of something.. haha..well, I can laugh at that because, there’s an element of it that rings true for ME. Of course I want to show my work, and just have people say “I love it!” But that’s not always the case. And It’s difficult NOT to take a criticism personally when you’ve spent so much time with a piece of art, and you have a relationship with it. criticism , however, comes with the territory, so what can you do? Learning to deal with it better, is definitely something I’m working on.
What kind of creative routines or rituals do you have, if any?
I guess I do…I like to clean my house and studio before I start a new project. For an artist, I’m a pretty organized person, so having everything in it’s place before I make a giant mess, helps me get started.
Once I start a project I’m never without music. Music is a key motivator while I’m working on a painting.
Is there any medium, other than your own, that you would love to try?
I’d love to try oil paints and watercolors - two things that I’ve never really had a chance to experiment with.
Where do you get your inspiration from?/What inspires you?
I’m inspired mostly by music, and other art, and I’ve drawn plenty of influence and inspiration from Warhol, Shepard Fairey, Banksy, Ralph teadman…I’d say those guys play a huge part in the style I’ve developed.
Nope, I think I pretty much covered it ! Thanks for this opportunity to share about myself and my art!
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Thanks for sharing with us Sara. Your work is so expressive and colourful!! Also, you might need to give me some cleaning/organisation tips, I am a very messy artist it has to be said. It is definitely something I am going to be working on in the New Year.
Don't forget to check back on Sunday, Dec 1, when the Twelve Makes of Christmas will be starting! Eek I'm so excited.
Take care
Ciara
xoxo
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