We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sara Stites. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sara below.
Sara , appreciate you joining us today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?
My husband has often said that, had I put this kind of devotion toward real estate, I’d be rolling in dough. I have wondered whether I could have sold art or been a museum professional since I jump at the chance to hang out “behind the scenes” in both places. Recently, I had the opportunity to participate in the hanging of a show of my work at the Orlando Museum of Art. Of course, that was honoring me and my work: would I care so much about someone else’s?
Like nurses in hospitals, art handlers and curators do a job that requires coddling and caring. Once, working at a hotel, I understood the pleasure of helping people have a great vacation.
The idea of being an artist can seem grandiose. And we can suffer the lowest of lows when we’re not appreciated. But I’m on that train and I don’t (often) look back.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
When you see my work, you might wonder why I include uncomfortable or awkward imagery next to beautiful, vibrant color and pleasing form. Why don’t I just use my facility to make people visually happy? The reason is that I don’t see my work as a “product” as much as a portal to self-exploration. I do care about the viewer! But my work offers a view, a visual portal that can be more tasing but may be more rewarding.
It can be hard to put in words since it enters through the eyes and hopefully travels to the heart and gut. Shared personal experience can be magical and rewarding. I am not painting a scene with background and foreground. I am painting a sensation (or two) that can resemble a memory. Yet it requires a lot of hard work as well as pleasure from the painter and from the viewer.
Art can be hard to quantify if we see it outside of the market. The human urge to make marks that can be understood is with us no matter how sophisticated we become in other ways. It is basic and fabulous at the same time!
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
We should honor and respect all teachers more than we do. But art teachers need support. Visual acuity is so important in many fields and we short change our society if we don’t educate our children about color and form, design, and art history. These are areas that bring pleasure outside of the marketplace. They are waiting in each individual to be nurtured, even if just for observation of our world and respect for other cultures.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I have been making art for a long time and that, in itself, shows resilience. Most people an artist knows in college or graduate school or in the studio down the hall have given up at some point.
The artist risks dying a pauper and a failure in the eyes of society. Stories of artists who are now being honored after death abound. Sometimes luck plays a big role in one’s career, I’m told. Ultimately, being able to live an artist’s life, with no boss but one’s self and a great reason to get up each morning is a great gift!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sarastites.com
- Instagram: sarastitesartist
- Facebook: sarastitesartist
Image Credits
photo by Bill Stites