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

Sarah, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What do you think it takes to be successful?

I think there are many cultural archetypes of success-the overnight success, the dreamer who gets discovered, the intuitive pioneer who always knows what they want. These are the stories that make sense in a way. If we just keep going, then something will catch on and light the fire and our success will burn brightly for all to see. I have been, in many ways, a student of success for about 5 years since I started my art practice up again after many years, thinking that if I follow a trajectory as an artist that I will then arrive in this brave new online world.

How strange it was for me that when I hit certain milestones, I felt nothing. It was never quite enough to make me feel happy. I was constantly striving for the next hit of recognition-the likes on my posts, the shares, the magazine features. I remember that it had always been a dream of mine to be in magazine, and then when it finally happened, it didn’t even feel like opening the big white envelope with all the glossy copies inside. I realized that living for external validation in this artistic career would never be enough. In a way, thank goodness I never had anything gain popularity before I was ready because I would have been completely bound to whatever I had made that people liked and replicating it a thousand times over. The important thing for artists is to remember that it is a way of life, a way of seeing and expressing oneself, and that it should be very separate from people’s reactions to it. Finding a grounding practice that nourishes me is my new measure of success. My goals are now process oriented and not motivated by sales or popularity.

I have been quite relieved to discover though many years of making art in complete anonymity, that my own personal sense of success lies very much in have a grounded life that I love. This means having a life that is in balance, that has the right priorities, and that doesn’t force me to push myself beyond the boundaries of what my financial resources or time resources while raising a family allow in search of recognition.

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

I grew up in Chester Springs Pennsylvania which is, I believe, the most beautiful place in the world. It is full of lush green forests carpeted with woodland flowers, rolling hills full of dancing grass, singing birds, cunning foxes and endless inspiration.

As a child, I was always outside, finding crystals, collecting moss and acorns and making magical enchanted worlds for myself and my dolls. My parents fostered my creativity and allowed me to pursue art, dance, literature through school and college. I studied in Vermont at Bennington which was a completely enlightening experience for me. I went there to study with beloved nature poet Mary Oliver who is still to this day one of my greatest inspirations and influences in life and art.

After college, I got my Masters in Teaching but struggled to find a job in that field. As a sensitive person, I think I was overwhelmed by the chaos of the classroom and the needs of so many students. I tried working as an artist, but no one wanted my work in galleries at the time in 2002 before the age of the internet. They said I didn’t have a recognizable style. I retreated somewhat at that time, feeling I had failed as an artist. I then suffered a personal loss in my family. I was a new wife and mother and I felt completely adrift. I left my job. We sold our big house, moved to a cottage. For years my husband supported us and I focused on my children. I grounded myself in my senses by cooking for my family, and I started gardening with a fervor boarding on insanity. Apparently, I had some big feelings. My neighbors teased me about how much I threw myself into the work noon and night, rain or shine. I even hurt my knee and ended up in the hospital! Somewhere during this period, about 20 years after college, I heard a voice inside that reminded me I needed to be brave and make art again even if no one ever saw it.

When I started painting again, I started seeing again…the way I did as a child–with awe and magic. My work shows the things I deeply care about. I am passionate about the beauty of the natural world around me, about animals and birds and conservation. Much of my work comes from my sketching and photography that I capture in my day to day life around the Brandywine Valley, and in my local travels to Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay. The world I see is one of purity, beauty and one that’s worth preserving and caring for. My love of art and literature also comes through because I love to read, and I think we all need a way to hide away from life’s troubles and to escape to a world where things are poetic. Last year I had so much fun making oil paintings inspired by The Secret Garden. I visited gardens, listened to music and watched films while I made the collection.

I have been motivated to sell my originals and fine art prints this year in the hopes that soon I will be able to give back to local organizations I care about. It’s my goal next year to do collections that will benefit urban gardening initiatives, land preservation and the Audubon society. I want my community to know that I care about the quality of the materials I use, that I strive to make heirlooms for their spaces, and that I care about my impact on the environment.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I really wish I had known how important it was to surround yourself with people in your industry who are successful. I spent a lot of time putting people on a pedestal and thinking they were unapproachable. I’m not sure when this melted away for me. I think it was when I started to really believe in my worthiness as a person and in my own resilience.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I think that the emphasis that creative people have to put on their mental wellness and their connection with themselves, particularly when it comes to integrity, is something that everyone could learn from. Artists are our brand so everything we do or say or feel is really coming out in our product in a way. This is why it’s so important to connect to your work over your metrics. Just because sales ebb and flow, it doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you as a person. It helps to take the approach of a scientist and step back objectively to look at what is happening based on conditions, timing etc. because otherwise, your self esteem can get tangled up in your monetary success.       

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sarahtudorart.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/sarahtudorart
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/sarahtudorart
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahcourtneytudor/

Image Credits
Missy O’Malley