We were lucky to catch up with Miha Sarani recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Miha thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Do you wish you had started sooner?

As a child I spent a lot of my time drawing. This made me very content and even helped me make sense of the world that surrounded me. I had zero interest in sports, or playing with the other kids in the neighborhood. And once I bought a small cassette player, and you couldn’t get me to leave my drawing desk. I became completely absorbed by the music and soon began incorporating it into my imaginary world-building. I wanted to make a living as an artist – preferably an illustrator or a cartoonist – going as far back as I can remember. I took a placement exam at 14 to apply to an art academy in my hometown Ljubljana, but was rejected due to lack of talent. This early failure defined the next 20+ years of my life. I would sometimes doodle; but it never went beyond that.
After moving permanently to the US in 2007, I decided to get a degree and started taking classes at a community college in Santa Clara, CA. A chance elective class – introduction to drawing – changed my life, and I subsequently graduated with a BFA in Drawing and Painting from the University of Washington – a year shy of my 40th birthday. I have been very fortunate since then to be able to make art daily, even though I have a daytime job(s) working as a gallery director & chief curator in Kirkland, as well as teaching art making at the Seattle University.
I truly believe that returning to my art practice happened exactly when it was meant to. Had it been sooner, I might not have respected the process as much.

Miha, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

As mentioned previously, I was born in Ljubljana, Slovenia and moved permanently to the US in 2007. I am an art maker by vocation, but I also work as a curator and an art educator in Seattle. I embarked on this career later in life and try daily to take advantage of all it has to offer. I feel that my lived experiences greatly inform my work as an educator and as a maker. My work tends to tackle complex issues, and often leans towards conceptual. My practice oscillates between representational (figurative) and non-representational (abstract) work, which I find allows me the freedom to unapologetically focus on the subject matter I wish to explore – rather than having to worry how the aesthetic fits the narrative. Having additional jobs allows me to pick exactly what subjects I wish to explore, without having to worry that a mass audience appeal is priority number one.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I am always profoundly grateful when people share with me the ways in which my work has affected them. It’s a strange feeling knowing that a piece of paper, or a canvas – which was just another blank surface previously – has been transformed by manipulation of lines, marks, or color into something impactful and meaningful to others. When I listen to musical compositions by my favorite composers, or read prose by my favorite authors, I’m in awe of their abilities to arrange notes, sounds, silence or words in ways that move me. At the end of the day it’s humbling to think someone feels that way about my own work.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Authenticity. This word seems to best demonstrate what drives my practice. When I think of the works in my oeuvre that best stand the test of time, they all share the highest degree of authenticity to the original concept, intention and originality. I also believe if I follow this work, my work will never fall prey to trends. Authenticity steers my work true.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mihasarani.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slovenemachine/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100010355377589
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/miha-sarani/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-K75YWZN6klr8qM5xDAc_g