We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sarah Schroeder a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Sarah, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s been one of the most interesting investments you’ve made – and did you win or lose? (Note, these responses are only intended as entertainment and shouldn’t be construed as investment advice)

Two and half years ago, I was at a point of stagnation with my art practice. I didn’t feel the drive to draw or paint anymore but the lack of creative practice was hard on me. I need to make things to feel like myself. On a whim, I went to a local camera shop and bought a Pentax KM SLR film camera. I thought I was going to shoot a lot of black and white film. I shot with it a little. Through following film photographer accounts on Instagram, I started really getting intrigued by multiple exposures and I learned there was a camera that was very easy to take them with because unlike most cameras that lock the shutter button after a photo has been shot and will only unlock if you advance the film, this camera you could set to take up to 9 exposures before it advanced the film. I immediately picked one up on Ebay. I also switched primarily to color film. I still have the Pentax and while it’s not my main camera, it kicked off the journey to something that brought my creative drive back from the deep hibernation it was in.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I have always needed to create things as long as I can remember. For example, as a kid, I would randomly paint my bedroom furniture without permission, cover the coffee table with stickers (also without permission), and cover my bedroom walls in a collage of magazine clippings. My school’s art program was not very helpful in fostering this but I think in a way, I always have to teach myself things anyway. To this day, I tend to pickup another new medium on a whim and then teach myself how to do all the things. I think it’s helped develop problem solving skills and ideas that work across mediums. I get the most enjoyment out of creating if I’m challenged and learning something new at the same time.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I’m at a point in my life where I’m able to travel more than I ever had been before. Photography gives me an added excuse to travel and also causes me to explore the places I go in a way other than the typical tourist. My favorite way to see a new city is on foot. The film photography community is bigger than most think but still smaller and pretty tight knit from my experience. I’ve gone on multiple retreats specifically for film photographers and got to check off my biggest bucket list location (Cuba) and spend days exploring with my camera and others who like to travel the same way I do.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Create and foster more workspaces for artists. I have a studio in a large non-profit studio building in Des Moines, IA (Mainframe Studios). We have over 200 artists under one roof and have monthly open houses for the public. The combination of being surrounded by other creatives and have regular opportunities to show and interact with members of the public who appreciate art is great motivation to consistently create.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @sarahrosestudioart

Image Credits

Photo of me taken by Jonathan Canlas