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

Sara, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

Every project I have the honor of working on, is not just a project but a story behind what I get to paint. When doing a painting for a client it is important to get an understanding of who they are, what inspires them, what has lead them to where they are currently and more. Learning this not only helps me with the painting or project I am completing for the client but, it helps create new meaningful relationships and experiences. I enjoy getting to hear about the vehicle I am painting and the inspiration behind it, who all worked on it, etc.

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

I got into the industry of being a creative when I was 19, began creating when I was little, but didn’t fully start getting into it seriously until I was 17. I have been creating automotive paintings since 2020. When creating a piece, I get to know the owner of the car, truck, or bike and I get to know all the work and time they put into the vehicle. This helps me get a better understanding of what they are looking for because it can be hard to find the right words to describe what outcome the client is wanting. A lot of people think I got lucky with my skill level, but the truth is I spent most days in high school staying up until 2 or 3 in the morning teaching myself new painting techniques. Once I graduated I spent my summer between high school and college working, painting, and going to as many car meets as possible. I didn’t enjoy school so I dropped out and spent all my time outside of work creating paintings. I recently went back to school for AutoCAD and an AS in Engineering. Seems weird to be adding that information in but, school has helped me get a better technical understanding of my paintings.

I am proud that I have been able to make a name for myself and my art and not get discouraged by the amount of people that disagree with the subject matter I paint. I’m loving this world and getting to learn more about vehicles and the evolution of where we started with them and how they have improved.

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

The most rewarding part about being an artist is seeing the reaction from my clients when they see the finished piece. It is the most stressful part but the most rewarding part of the process. Seeing the joy and the memories being brought back is definitely the best part of being an artist.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I am having to unlearn that everything needing to be perfect. I know, kind of crazy seeing as I paint structured things, but honestly, having to unlearn “perfection” has helped me become a better artist. Yes, I still get to use my analytical skills to accurately represent the vehicles I paint but, being free with the rest of the painting has improved my backgrounds and understanding of painting as a whole.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: drahos.designs
• Facebook: drahos.designs
• Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/sara-drahos-b19591247