We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sarah Blankenbaker a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Sarah, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
The mission for my art and business was birthed from deep belief in the power of creative connections and collaboration. Over the last couple of years, I have had the privileges of getting to know a community of artists, small business owners and creators, and along with my own creative exploration, I was privy to a lot of the success and struggles that come along with being a creative in our capitalist society. There are so many platforms and voices telling people that they need to work hard and own their own business and grind, but when you are just starting out, the financial blow can be staggering. It was then that I realized that creatives have to work together and build each other up so that we can succeed together.
My photography journey started as a quarantine hobby in 2020, but it truly took off after my first trip to New Orleans in October 2021. There, I wandered and photographed the city, unlocking my artistic passion for stylized and candid photography. The experience ignited a fire in me to continue pursuing my art and sharing it with others.
In addition to photography, I also became an online business manager almost by chance. While watching a content creator’s livestream, I offered to help with her financial spreadsheets and ended up becoming her go-to person for managing her online businesses. This experience reinforced my belief that connections and collaboration can lead to amazing opportunities and growth, both personally and professionally. With my passion for art and experience in online business management, I aim to help others realize their creative potential and achieve their goals through collaborative partnerships and supportive connections, as well as offering my personal photography, administrative and social media management.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Sarah Blankenbaker. I am a poet, photographer and online business & social media manager, owner and founder of Blank Space Creative Connections. I hail from the rural hills of southern Indiana. I am a wifey and mama of one beautiful daughter.
I started my journey with photographer in 2020, but as my community of creatives and fellow small business owners grew, so did my network and desire to collaborate with their genius and give it some much needed administrative support. My first client, Savy Leiser of Savy Writes Books (YouTube), took a chance on a random girl in her livestream comments that said she was great with a color-coded spreadsheet, and from that point, She also doubled-down on her fabulousness and gave me the opportunity to be the photographer and creative director for her latest non-fiction book cover, Conversations with my Puppet, releasing on July 25 ,2023. Blank Space Creative connections was born, with multiple clients touching varying industries and services including talent management, booking, branding/marketing photography, timeline and goal planning, etc.
What sets me apart from other online business managers is that I comfortable sit in two professional “worlds,” corporate America and the creative, entrepreneurial spirit. I spent the majority of my professional career in positions of high level business management, from medical office coordinator to department head for a major historic resort. If you would have asked me if I was a creative person, let alone an artist, 3 years ago, I would have responded with a RESOUNDING, “No!” I was a corporate girl ready to conquer every position and climb the later…. Then… the pandemic happened, I was spending way too much time on YouTube, like everyone, and I found my creative muses, a beautiful community of creatives, that unlocked an internal passion, giving it release to combine with my corporate experience, thus birthing Blank Space Creative Connections and Sarah the photographer…the artist.
If I can’t put anything else into the world, I want to give this: capitalism is not kind to the creative, the small business owner, the wide-eyed dreamer without the financial backing of generational wealth. I want to be able to offer the professional caliber of services that are crucial when you are getting your work, product and or art into the world at truly affordable prices. We’re all in this together, which is why Blank Space Creative Connections’ tagline is “Connect, Conspire, Create”
MISSION STATEMENT: Blank Space Creative Connections is your personally tailored partner in crime, assisting small business owners, artists, and content creators in leveling up by handling the administrative nitty-gritty behind-the-scenes. My freelance writing, photography, and project management services are intentionally affordable because I believe that small business budgets should not limit access to high-caliber professional support. Let’s connect, conspire, and create together to elevate your genius!
VISION STATEMENT: My vision for Blank Space Creative Connections is to connect and conspire with small business owners, artists, and content creators to help them pursue their passions and achieve their dreams, while inspiring them to reach for even greater heights. I envision a world where entrepreneurship and creativity are accessible and inclusive, and where behind-the-scenes support is readily available to help bring their visions to life. Through my affordable and personalized services, I aim to build lasting connections with my clients, creating a collaborative community where we can all thrive and succeed together.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
This pivot is one that has occurred very recently. As a black, bisexual woman living in a very small, traditional town it proved difficult to build a consistent clientele. Now, while I’m not making the argument that because I’m black and queer, people weren’t with it. People living in a small town love tradition…the traditional way of doing things…the “standard” professional photography “look,” the traditional mainstream version of art and businesss…every single thing that is everything my photographic and business aesthetic are NOT. So, while it was very discouraging and frustrating to feel like I and my business were being rejected by the community, if I wanted to continue doing what I love and be able too a full time photographer and online business manager, I had to pivot, and thanks to the advancements required for content creators to stay connected during the pandemic, I was able to take a virtual approach. I had to realize that I was being held back by my hurt feelings about things not going well in my community, not because of a lack of ability to connect with people that need access to my talent and services.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
Truthfully, it goes back to the tagline: Connect, Conspire, Create. All of my clients were gained through personal engagement with their art, content, music, business, etc, and offering assistance. Connecting via social media, common interests, platforms, chats…find common interests and truly learning one another as artists and humans and then offering my service from a genuine, informed place. Through thru connection, I can get an authentic view and evaluate where I can be of service to a potential client, and then we work together to help you reach your goals. I am an introvert to my core. I generally don’t go out seeking new humans to interact with, but the more I immersed myself not the art and businesses that called to me as a person, the more potential clients I encountered. 
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/blankspace_kreativekween?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blankspacekreativekween/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-blankenbaker-84b1a1b7/
Image Credits
All images were shot and edited by me