We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sara Lynn Green. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sara Lynn below.
Hi Sara Lynn, thanks for joining us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?
As long as I can remember I have always had a big love for art. I still remember the days when I would draw the Powerpuff Girls and little stick figures for my aunt’s co workers. It was a great feeling seeing something I created hung up. I took AP Art classes in high school, and even submitted a portfolio for college credit but I already had this idea in my head that “my art wasn’t going to take me places”. Because of this ideal I made up in my head, I didn’t even major in Art while in college. It wasn’t until 2019 that I started to take my creative career serious. I had just graduated college in 2018 and moved to Houston. I knew I was going to go back for Grad school but I took a year off to get my mind straight. At that time, my life consisted of working at Walmart, going to the gym and traveling. Maybe if I took my creative career more serious sooner I may be farther than where I am at now. But then again if I did start sooner I honestly don’t think I would have been able to meet the same people that has helped me along the way. Looking back I trust that God did everything for a reason and there was a reason why he made me wait till 2019. In my eyes his timing was perfect. I met so many people that has helped me through this journey wether it was artistic advice, networking, finding shows or just getting in the circle of the art community here in Houston. I am very grateful for the way God is fixing this path for me. I honestly wouldn’t change anything.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?
My name is Sara Lynn. I am 26 years old. I was born and raised in Newfield New Jersey. When I was growing up I would come every other summer to visit family here so Houston was always like a second home to me. I used to be extremely shy and would stay to myself a lot. One thing I absolutely loved was being outdoors. Being in tune with nature was and has always been my safe place, a place where you can be free. I think as a kid playing outside and exploring my backyard is where my creativity and having an eye for beauty started. I remember I would collect these rocks and shells on the side of my Grandma’s house. Some would have different textures, colors or patterns. I remember thinking how cool it was to find these things. I also would build things out of the mud, make forts, and climb trees. I really was in my own world when I would play outdoors. Everything outside was like an art piece to me. God truly made a beautiful world. Fast forward to 2019, getting myself back into my art world it was a challenge. I didn’t know where to start. I would doodle here and there in college but about 4 years had passed since I really sat down; started an art piece and actually finished it. I didn’t know much about the business side of being a creative either. I just knew I wanted to create art no matter what it was. I started uploading my artwork from high school and uploading doodles from my notebooks. I began doing cartoons of people for $5 and that is where it started to take off. I started building my Instagram page and trying to get my art out there so people could notice. That first year was exciting to get back into my creativity. October of 2019 I had my first art show and that was when I realized that “wow I’m kinda talented”. That second year I had people hit me up to do paintings, then logos and even design graphics for clothing brands. Things were looking up. As of right now my brand is called Designzbylinkz. I offer services such as paintings, cartoons, logo designs, websites design, graphic design, and printing services. I know today the ideal is to stick to one “niche” or one style but i dont like to box in my creativity. I believe that is what sets me apart because I can create a lot of different things or dive into different styles. I am most proud of myself for not giving up. The first year I took my art serious it was a good year but there were also drawbacks where I didn’t know how to get more people to support or even buy my artwork. It was and sometimes still is defeating but I just don’t let the numbers stop me. I kept trying to do shows and network with other creatives. There are moments when I get into art blocks or I get into these episodes where I lose motivation. I just keep reminding myself that it’s okay to feel that way just as long as I don’t get stuck there. I think the key is to try to stay consistent so that it can build up that motivation.
How did you build your audience on social media?
I made my Instagram in 2019 for my artwork. Creating a new page from scratch was difficult. The way I started to gain followers was from doing promotion on my personal page. I sent my new page to friends, family and active followers so that they could follow and repost. I had to learn and figure out how to properly use the Instagram/Facebook advertisements. When I started using the advertisements I was trying to focus on what was trending or what was mainstream in the media. That way my ad would come up on random peoples pages. Yes, I would get likes and maybe a new follower here or there but I realized I was just wasting money. I wasn’t getting the results I wanted because I wasn’t targeting the right audience. I needed to target an audience that actually had an interest in art. I have tried to reach out to people who help creatives build their social media presence but it would personally just be too expensive. I do remember a consultation I had, the person said that my number one issue with my brand was not having a niche or 1 certain style. Building an audience on Instagram is still hard for me because of the fact that I’m not consistent with my style. Recently in the past year I have taken advantage of the reels option. I’ll use mainstream or popular songs on my videos which have been working a lot better for me. I try to go to networking events and make sure I exchange social medias with other people. My advice to people just starting is to not be afraid of putting yourself out there. You never know who you might meet or who someone else might know. I have had random interactions with people where I did mention I was an artist and then they were interested in getting some type of artwork or service done or would know someone that was looking for an artist. In the beginning I wasn’t too confident in telling strangers that I was an artist. But now with any interaction I try to fit in somewhere that I am an artist. Networking and word of mouth is still very powerful in my opinion.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being an creative is seeing your work come to life. When I create a painting or design it feels generally great to see your art in someone’s home or on someone’s shirt. I think some people who are not artist or a creative don’t fully understand the process of making an art piece or design. It really takes time. Granted there are some artist who are fast or it may just come easier to them. For me I overthink with my artwork. I know I do and sometimes I’m my own worst critic. But I see it as I try to make sure I take my time. I want to make sure with any piece or design I put out in the world that this final was my best efforts.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.Designzbylinkz.com
- Instagram: Designzbylinkz
- Twitter: Designzbyl
- Other: Tik tok : as_toldby_linky Gmail: designzbylinkz@gmail.com