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

Sadie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I started college in Tennessee studying Entrepreneurship, having no clue what I wanted to do but knowing I wanted some sort of freedom. I ended college in Chicago studying Fashion Design and Business. A wise woman and professor, Beata Kania, opened my eyes to creativity and taught me how to see. She pointed me in the direction of leading an artful life. Since then, I’ve tried a lot of things.

I could have done several things differently to speed up my career as an artist. I could have studied Fine Art in college so I learned it more efficiently at a younger age and immediately met more people in the art world. However, I didn’t know I could be creative until I took a Fundamentals of Fashion Design course in college. If I hadn’t taken more design classes after that course, I wouldn’t have the knowledge of textiles and how to make clothes, which are elements I interplay in my work. I could have moved around less but I would have less understanding of how others live and what starting a new life in a new place feels like. I could have stuck with jobs or industries but I would have less understanding of how the world works today, which informs my art and how I want to move in the art world and my life. All of these learnings have impacted and added to my creativity, how I approach it, and how I live more confidently in myself now. As much as we want to expedite things, and I certainly have wanted to speed up my success or have followed a more direct path, I’m learning that art moves at its own pace. Rushing it tends to end with mediocrity. I feel like I’m just scratching the surface with my creativity and that’s great. I’ll never be bored or push out work like a machine for the rest of my life. I’ll be present and childlike seeking to learn and explore, living life along the way, soaking it all in to squeeze it out onto my creations.

From what I’ve learned so far, the most essential thing to do is to know people, which, if you’re like me, you don’t come from knowing the right people. Building a network and community is vital. I’ve always built strong friendships wherever I’ve lived and I’m just now building a community in the arts where I’m currently living. While coming from money puts you in the fast lane of finding the right people to help you succeed, putting in the grunt work yourself builds you a bedrock of peers on the same grind as you, giving you endurance and support when you need it most because you give it to them. We need each other to survive and stick it out. Sticking with it is another vital thing to do. From what I’ve gathered, the people who make a life of art, are the people who stick it out and continue creating, with a disciplined practice, and continue pushing themselves outside of their comfort zone, regardless of initial positive reception or success. I haven’t found that to be easy in any sense of the word, especially as I try to subsist in society. Financially subsisting as an artist is the biggest obstacle to overcome. People who don’t come from money have to be possessed to pursue art. Money gets you education, money gets you in the right places, money puts you in front of the right people, and money gives you time and space to create and improve your artistry. People who don’t come from money will constantly overcome obstacles and constantly pivot into new ways of living to find a way to continue creating. Many sacrifices are made but I’m not sure how to live without creating.

Sadie, 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?

I am an interdisciplinary artist based in Brooklyn, New York. I’ve previously worked in retail, moved into wholesale to sell apparel to retailers, styled guests for a national TV talk show, started a sustainable athletic apparel line, learned and managed how digital products are made, and have worked jobs like stocking inventory at a large hardware store, working as a remote customer service representative, as well as serving and bartending on and off for years to make ends meet as I pursued creative projects and slowly learned how to paint. I may not have the typical fine art background as others in my field but I think that’s what sets me apart. Leading an interdisciplinary life has led me to create in the same mode. I integrate multiple elements such as fabrics, collage, paint, poetry, and text to create art of a unique language. This manifests in nontraditional ways—wall hangings, wearables, installations, happenings, and paintings—exposing an internal dialogue through visual and dimensional layers, abstraction, and imaginative narratives. I draw from my experiences and real-world hustle to bring raw vulnerability and relatability to my art, writing, and poetry. My current body of artwork, which I’m exhibiting in Brooklyn in September (2024), feels like my own and I’m excited to see how people respond.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Pay artists. As a society, we deeply undervalue artists and what they bring into the world. Large companies take a ton of revenue from artists, many companies offer the ‘opportunity’ rather than pay an artist for their work, and many people think art is a ‘nice to have’ or enjoy it but don’t support it, not realizing how vital art is to improving our lived experience. Art is necessary to understand, communicate, and progress our livelihoods holistically. Attend the event, buy the print if you can’t afford the original version of something, purchase the album, read the book, and support art that you like in ways that you can. If you run or work at a business, pay the commissioned artist fairly. I’m not sure why we think artists should starve.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I’ve had to unlearn the modern American meaning of the word success. In leaving my southern hometown, I felt I had a lot to prove as a female, but really, I had a lot to learn. I initially strove to be a successful career woman in the apparel design industry. I thought I would be in a certain place by a certain time. Finding my way to art and figuring out how to sustain myself along the way has been a self-driven, bumpy road. My life currently doesn’t look like what was envisioned for me as a young girl. I’ve had to define my meaning of success, what drives me, and what makes me happy, regardless of what success traditionally means to others.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sadiemonroe.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sadie_monroe_
• Other: Monthly Newsletter: https://sadiemonroe.substack.com/

Image Credits

Kat Ryals
Adam Torkel