We recently connected with Sarah Chapin/Sarah Marie Spectrum and have shared our conversation below.

Sarah, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

Hi! Thank you for having me. When I realized that preserving stories and creating stories are essential to the core of our being, I knew that I wanted to go down this path. I grew up with stories like Black Widow, Lord of the Rings, and Wonder Woman. Books and comics captivated me from the moment I could read them. Once the concept of story solidified itself in my soul, then came the writing, painting, drawing, and photography. I could craft my own stories!

Picking the arts for a career choice gets a bad rep. You always hear about the starving artist trope. I won’t sugarcoat it and say the arts are an easy path, but if you truly love them and are willing to pour your soul into it, it is a rewarding one.

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?

Known professionally as Sarah Marie Spectrum, I help people tell their stories, unleash their imagination, and embrace their dreams. I am a woman with glitter in my heart and adventure in my veins. I grew up with stories of strong women like Black Widow and epic adventures such as The Lord of the Rings which inspired me to fight for justice and myself. I am an advocate for embracing art to tell stories, break barriers, and create community. I hold a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Digital Photography from Arizona State University.

Storytelling keeps cultures alive, dares us to dream, and keeps records of our past when all else has ended. To see where imagination fits into the mix. Storytelling is limitless in its borders.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

You’re allowed to make bad art and be okay with that. Art isn’t linear. Creation isn’t linear. In fact, make something that absolutely sucks! When I let go of the imposter syndrome and stepped out of my own way, I’ve found that my relationship with my art has become deeper. I’ve felt like I’ve learned so much about myself, my process, and what I want to create. I feel my creativity flow and have less run-ins with burnout. We are our own worst enemies. When we let that go of our own expectations there is a sense of true freedom to create and just be.

I’ve had burnout before but in 2019 when I lost my little sister unexpectedly and then got thrown into the Pandemic and my very extroverted life came to a crashing halt, I felt like all of my creativity had left me. All of the oxygen had gone out of the room. It was terrifying. Creativity is core to my being. It is the heartstrings on my heart and it felt like all of them had been snapped. I kept finding myself frustrated and depressed that I couldn’t create. That my art wasn’t good enough. My photos weren’t good enough. Then when I let myself be okay with the “bad” art (art is subjective), I began to heal.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I was born with Erbs Palsy (Brachial Plexus Injury Since Birth) so I did not have any movement in my right arm. After several surgeries, where they took nerves out of my leg and put them into my arm, I regained limited movement. This unique start in life had me thinking out of the box since birth, problem solving in my own way. I joke that I have a “lucky fin’ like Nemo from Finding Nemo. Me and my lucky fin photograph my own way. It’s become my superpower.

I was obsessed with superheroes and adventure growing up. When I was 19 I got to go to my first convention, A-kon, in Dallas, Texas. It was like my entire concept of story and the world completely opened. I had found my people. I was hooked.

Many years and conventions later, my photography has focused on fantasy and cosplay. I have a deep respect for cosplayers. They come from all walks of life and dare to dream. Cosplay isn’t just a form of escape, it is a way to empower yourself. To empower your impact on the world, if you want it. Our imagination is our superpower. To dare to say no to the fear the world throws at us and find ourselves being willing us to be brave to possibility.

I love seeing someone find their superpower.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sarahmariespectrum.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahmariespectrum/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahmariespectrumofficial

Image Credits
Photography: @sarahmariespectrum (self)