Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sara Drescher. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Sara thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

I am very happy working as an artist. I think of myself as a small business owner which helps when I have to make spreadsheets, market for myself, update my website and send out newsletters. I don’t get to paint all day like most people assume. I wear a multitude of hats. I have worked from home for about 20 years, and I love it! Working from home allows me to take care of my life and my work in a balanced way while keeping my overhead low. I do sometimes wonder what it would be like to have a ‘regular job.’ Having a small business is very stressful for me since I don’t have dependable income. My income fluctuates widely depending on the time of year and many other variables. It is difficult to budget and plan for things like travel. I know I could be more financially stable and make more money in a different profession, but the benefits of doing what I love every day and the flexibility of working for myself has worked well for me.

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 back background and context?

Like many of you, I have loved being creative since I was a kid. I went to college to study art and earned my degree. When I graduated, I moved back to my home town so I could network and build my art business. I got the proper forms to start my business and jumped in. I knew I wanted to avoid any non-art related work for my business, so I taught after school art classes for children, painted custom portraits, painted murals for homes and businesses, and even faux finished furniture. When I had time, I painted my own art and sold that at local art fairs to build my brand and a collector base. Over the years, I have been able to focus on my own art and teaching adults watercolor online.

There are countless ways to make art a career and many aspects of the art world. I enjoy helping my adult students discover that they can accomplish more than they thought they could. I see myself as an ‘ambassador for art’ in this way. The art world is often exclusive and snobby. I prefer to encourage creativity and make the art world more inclusive by the way I explain art and invite everyone in to find their own voice.

In addition to being an ‘art ambassador,’ I see myself as an art activist. Over the last five years, I have created a body of work that uses still life objects paintings to talk about issues women face and environmental sustainability. The still life genre is a great opportunity to use symbolism to create a visual language that allows me to be ‘gently subversive’ and communicate multiple ideas at once.

Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?

For me, the most interesting thing about NFTs was using art as a way to interact in the digital world. That misunderstanding is one of the reasons they failed, for now. I think many people saw them as an extension of digital art, but I don’t think we are ready to legitimately collect art that is not tangible. Also, we are not yet interfacing with the internet in a way that makes NFTs fun and necessary. Unfortunately since we really are not ready for the ideas and services that NFTs could bring, they turned into a scam. I am interested to see if NFTs will make a comeback in my lifetime as we are more and more dependent on our online lives. By the way, I do not have any NFTs of my art and I have no intention of doing so at this time.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

There are so many wonderful resources for entrepreneurs and artists. Podcasts, blogs, and workshops are all worth looking into. One resource that has been very helpful for me over the years is Alyson Stanfield’s Art Biz podcast. She has online resources and offers courses on specific parts of marketing art.

I think many people don’t consider art a legitimate business. It can be difficult to get paid, taken seriously, and maintain the value of your work. There are people in the art world that are horrified that I make money off my art. However, I want to make money off my own art when I am a living artist, not wait to die for my work to generate income.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://saradrescher.com
• Instagram: @sdrescherart