We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sara Wilkes. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sara below.

Alright, Sara thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I first encountered calligraphy as a child when my mother bought me a basic calligraphy set. I loved poring over the instruction booklet and trying to recreate the letterforms. As I got busier with schooling, I remained interested in art, but didn’t prioritize it. Calligraphy found me again after college, and I began teaching myself brush lettering. A lot of calligraphy is building muscle memory and I think I did a good job of that through self-study. My skills expanded exponentially, though, when I joined a calligraphy guild. There are guilds around the US and the world full of dedicated calligraphers and calligraphy students. I’ve been able to take classes from leading calligraphers and learn from those already in the business. The classes and the connections are so worth the membership fee. I currently serve on the board for my local guild, The Society for Calligraphy and Handwriting, based in the Seattle area, and I’m happy to be able to contribute to the group and help keep calligraphy alive.

In 2021, I added digital art to my repertoire through the purchase of an iPad and the Procreate app. Again, I found resources and worked at teaching myself how to use the functions and create art just as fluidly as I do on paper. I love the convenience of working digitally and it still remains the foundation of a lot of my physical work. I created art challenges for myself to keep me accountable and to work on building my skills. In 2021 I did the “Year of Beautiful Writing” where I worked in digital calligraphy in Procreate each day for the entire year. 2022 was the year of “Sara Reads and Letters,” in which I lettered a quote from each book I read for the year (and I read a lot!). 2023 was a Make and Sell challenge to boost my shop offerings, and this year I’ve been creating a greeting card each week. It’s helpful to create with a framework and some limitations, and the accountability of sharing my progress online helps keep me on task.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m a Seattle-based artist and calligrapher. I’ve been running my business, Bright Lexicon, for three years now. I’ve always loved reading and words, and calligraphy is a way that I can highlight those words that I love and provide encouragement for others. My business name is actually from a book – Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery. The full quote is “There’s no such word as fail in my bright lexicon.” When I read that, I knew I wanted to use it for my business. It captures everything I’m trying to do – illuminate and encourage (bright) with words (lexicon). My art is full of affirming messages and vibrant colors. I hope it makes you smile and cheers you in what can sometimes be a bleak existence.

I grew up thinking art was something I couldn’t do, but always looked longingly at artists and loved learning about it and going to museums. A few life changes later, I realized I could decide to do what I wanted, and here we are. Life is short and we only have so much time, so I’m going to do what I enjoy. I hope my art helps express that, too. A lot of the art I make is to remind me of that more than for my audience, but I think that vulnerability really resonates with others.

I run an online shop stocked with stationery goods and sell at markets locally. I do custom commissions as well as event calligraphy – envelopes, signage, and the like. I teach classes locally and online. I specialize in brush lettering and pointed pen calligraphy, but I love trying out new styles and learning new things. My self-made art challenges keep me busy and I want to keep improving and growing.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

In 2021 I was able to create a public art piece for Redmond Lights in Redmond, WA. I had never done anything like this before, and I am still amazed at myself looking back on it now. It was a huge undertaking, but I was able to make things work by relying on my community and reaching out for help from those around me. The goal of Redmond Lights is to highlight local artists and involve the community during the winter holiday celebrations. I came up with the idea of collecting community members’ wishes for the new year, and displaying them on a tower, entitling the work Dear New Year. With the help of a local woodworker, I created a three sided tower with small windows cut into them. I covered the windows with translucent window film, and each window had a hand lettered wish that I wrote on it. I was so touched by the wishes and really felt like I added my own hopes for all of them to come true as I worked on the project. One interesting part of the project is that it had to be illuminated, while also being displayed outdoors. I learned quickly about weatherproof lighting options and was able to install LED strip lighting inside. I am so glad I was able to do this public art piece and I’m so grateful to the community and friends who helped me complete it. It also led me to connect with a local art group so that I could collect more wishes. I still attend this art meetup group to this day and I credit it for a lot of my success. Building a network of support is so helpful, and being around other artists keeps me working even when things get tough.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Like I said, art was something I felt like I couldn’t do growing up. I was a really great student academically, and it felt like art was at odds with that identity. I was also raised in a high-demand religion, and felt like it was my job to please those around me and do what was expected. Leaving that religion really was a catalyst for living a life more true to myself. It’s hard to go from a life where everything is planned out for you to one where all the options are open, and realizing the world is more grey than the black and white I was taught has its own challenges. It’s definitely something I’m still working through, but I’ve had the opportunity to really get to know myself and try to intentionally create a life that I love. Leaning into a full-time art career has come with its own challenges as I worried that I was wasting my potential or could be doing something better with my time. I think ultimately, the best thing we can do with our life is the thing that brings us the most joy.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.brightlexicon.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightlexicon/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brightlexicon/
• Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/brightlexicon/