We were lucky to catch up with Sarah Jack recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Sarah thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

Recently I co-produced an experimental dance film: Promise.

“Promise is an experimental dance film exploring an individual’s abuse of their opioid prescription following the death of their husband and their eventual attempt to find recovery.”

The process leading to this film began in 2018. I was taking 92Y’s Dance Education Laboratory – Summer Dance Program in NYC. We had a week on social justice. I picked a topic that was near to me: the opioid crisis. A dear friend (Isaac Iskra) and I made a duet that stuck with the audience. It was unrefined, real and honest. Later that same year I met Lane Michael Stanley and I asked them to help me write a script to go with a dance theatre work on the same topic. 3 years later Lane approached me with a grant application looking for inspirational stories on grief or substance abuse.

For me, this work is a way to heal from deeply seeded experiences. It is also a way for others to feel seen and heard. Movement allows for a raw expression of emotions that words often fall short on. There is an ambiguity in it’s interpretation that allows for audiences to identify the core of what it is they need to express. We see in the performers’ experience what it is we are trying so desperately to say.

Read more about the project and process here: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/promise–7#/

Sarah, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

If you’re reading this you may be a creative looking for inspiration. Perhaps you’re a local wanting to know more about the artists in your city. Or maybe you’re taking a glorious shit and the Facebook algorithms fed you this article. Whatever the case I hope you get that sweet hit of dopamine a quick read can provide.

What does it mean to be an artist? In the simplest words: be true to yourself.

You can spend all your life trying to be what you think others want to see. The harsh reality is that you won’t ever truly know and the most efficient way to be content is by being genuine.

My name is Sarah Jack and I am a Performer & Producer.

I enjoy bringing ideas to life – whether the creation is my own or I am helping coordinate the chaos of another’s. I am invested in curating immersive spaces to inspire, educate, advocate and entertain.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The resilience it builds. Being an artist is asking to be judged. You are putting yourself and your expressions in front of an audience with no guarantee of affirmations or support. Whatever your artistry, it is a craft, a practice. Your skills are soil. If you neglect the nourishment and cultivation of them, don’t expect anything to grow.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Understand that having an occupation you enjoy does not disqualify the authenticity of the work. We each have bills to pay and mouths to feed. With artists/performers you are paying for a skill that has taken thousands of hours to cultivate and refine. I am a B- cook, but I will gladly pay for an A++ meal.

Commission the art you wish to see. Patron the creatives who inspire you. Take classes, express yourself and help fund programs for accessible arts education. Dismantle the idea of art as and affluent luxury or something you only do for love. In reality, aesthetic presentation leads to sales. Efficient, eloquent and passionate prose closes deals and ignites movements. Art has value, otherwise we wouldn’t choose to spend our free time creating and/or consuming content.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sarahjack.me
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahjack.me/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahjack.me
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahjack_me
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/sarahjack
• Other: tiktok.com/@sarahjack.me https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=49ZEU9NUC25TY

Image Credits
Doc List Eric Atticus Danny Matson Douglas Marquez Kelly Riot Soulification Woody Almazan