We were lucky to catch up with Sara Trumet recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Sara thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

My art career started after a bad breakup in my early 20s. I literally went to a craft store and bought paint and a 14×11 inch flat-panel canvas. At the time, I didn’t know the difference between using oil v. acrylic paint- I bought oil not anticipating the much longer dry time… Besides a couple of life/still life drawing courses in college (I was and still am awful at drawing:)), I had never painted. I ended up painting a very colorful “self-portrait” of myself, spent a small fortune getting it professionally framed, and it’s currently hanging in my studio to remind me where I started.

At that time, I was finishing college, waiting tables, and going out with my friends a lot. I didn’t have much interest in pursuing a job with my degree in advertising, so I started substitute teaching. I also began to paint small canvases with whimsical designs, like using a pair of boxer briefs from a magazine as the centerpiece, and I also started using geometric shapes. In my late 20s, I got my teaching certificate and began my career as an elementary school teacher, painting at night, on my breaks, and in the summer.

Art began as a hobby and a powerful tool to process the challenges in my life. I was mainly giving pieces away to friends and family in the beginning. Since I was self-taught, I didn’t have the confidence to pursue a full-time career as an artist, so my development was slow. As I practiced and experimented with different styles, my friends and family started to buy my art and I got my first commissioned pieces in my early 30s. After I sold some art, I gained more confidence in my ability. This allowed me to apply to some local art shows.

I don’t think I could have started my career any sooner- I was in college and focused on graduating. However, I had no idea that I was artistic, and I often wonder if I would have taken art classes as a teen or in high school what the outcome would have been. I do believe that starting earlier would have expedited the process, and perhaps shifted my career choice. I believe that starting my art career later would have led me to find different coping mechanisms, for better or worse.

I think that starting as a creative sooner or later is not as important as the time you dedicate to progressing your craft. All of the behind-the-scenes work like updating and posting on several social media accounts, marketing, open art call applications, searching for art calls, designing merchandise, art shows on the weekends and evenings, website updates, photographing and editing pieces, and creating art itself take a lot of time. Having another job makes it tough to progress as quickly as I’d like. So, I do what I can with the timeline I’m on.

Sara, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I started out painting with acrylics on canvas during my first 10 years as an artist. I then taught myself how to make large-scale wooden canvases using plywood, framing planks, a miter saw, and wood glue that I got at the hardware store. Making my own wood canvases allowed me to customize sizes, which was important for commissioned pieces. I’ve gone to clients’ homes, a luxury apartment clubhouse, and a condo penthouse common space and I’m able to measure the space they want a piece for, take pictures of their decor to color-match paint, then build a canvas to fit and paint. I believe any time you can customize your product to fit a client’s budget, space, and aesthetic, you become more marketable.

Collaboration has been a huge part of developing my artistic style and using new mediums. It can definitely feel uncomfortable the first time you collaborate with another creative. It was a risk that I’m glad I took. I’ve worked with other painters and a sculptor, and every experience has inspired a new form and a new look to my art.

A couple of years ago, I started to make coasters. I spray paint a base coat, then add a stencil and different colors of spray paint over that with a coat of resin on top. Each coaster is original, and they sold really well at holiday shows and local art markets around town. Selling original paintings or getting into galleries can be difficult, so I decided to start using print-on-demand companies like Printify, Redbubble, and Printful to put my art on merchandise. A lot of these companies make it easy to link to your Etsy page or Amazon. I’ve just recently set up my Amazon Seller account to start adding products like comforters, towels, and pillows!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, there are several rewarding aspects of being an artist. First is the ability to express myself using paint and color, without words. Creating pieces of art that people interpret in many ways and react to in different ways. I love when I sell my art to someone that feels comfort, joy, or solace from something I created. It’s an amazing feeling to make something that brings happiness to others. I am drawn to create, to paint, to colors. It’s both a passion and an obsession. My art is a diary of my life, with all of the positive and exciting events to the heartbreaking and frustrating experiences. And everything in between. A huge reward has been meeting all of the other artists at art shows. It’s led to many collaborations and opportunities, and I always walk away from a show learning about a new craft or style of art.

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

I think that advertising and marketing play a lucrative part in the success of artists. Part of this has to come from the artists-keeping yourself current on the latest social media platform and using them consistently. Finding open art calls and applying for as many as you can. On the other side, the venue and curators of art shows, exhibitions, and galleries should be marketing for upcoming events using as many channels as possible to create hype, and get bodies in the door! I believe promotion on both ends is key to a successful event.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.saratrumetart.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saratrumet/
• Other: Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/SaraTrumetArt