We recently connected with Sarah J. Hull and have shared our conversation below.

Sarah J., thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

There’s always the technical side of learning and that is so much easier to quantify. For that, since 2018 I’ve been working though the Certificate and Diploma program in technical embroidery with the Royal School of Needlework which is based in the UK. Also seeking out and studying with teachers and mentors both in person and through virtual access within whatever technique/media my artwork draws me to – from various textile techniques, to glass, to artist’s book creation – there are so many talented people who are willing to share the technical side of their work. The conceptual side of my work comes from reading, going to art exhibitions both in museums and local galleries, attending lectures, attending concerts in all different genres, and from my yoga and meditation practices.

The technical and the conceptual sides come together in the process of creating my artwork. So much of my work is informed by the materials and their properties.

I’m actually not sure that I would have sped up my learning process. For me, as an artist there will always be something more to learn, refine, and/or discover. Every experience, from my time playing the oboe in middle and high schools, to my time in the Chemistry labs in college, to working in large law firms first as a Legal Assistant and then as an Executive Assistant, to becoming a Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher – all of those come together to make me who I am and the work that comes from me. There is a lot of trust that is placed in experience and the process.

In terms of skills that are essential to being an artist, in my opinion chief among them would be being administratively organized – especially if you are your own business manager like many artists are. Knowing and having access to what you need at a moment’s notice can be the difference between meeting a last minute deadline that you just learned about or responding promptly to a curator or consultant and missing the opportunity. I recently migrated everything to the cloud because while traveling internationally last year for some embroidery studies, a friend forwarded me an opportunity with a quick turnaround. My partner located files on my computer at home in DC and sent them to me so I could work on my application and get it submitted. Unfortunately the opportunity didn’t pan out, but it did show me where I could make the admin side of my art practice even more effective and efficient.

The biggest obstacles in general for me are always time and money. There’s only so much time that can be devoted to learning something and learning something from a teacher does cost money as do supplies and then it all circles back to time. Further and straying a bit from your question but still related – time is not only the time to physically create the work once the skills are learned, but on top of that is the research, the marketing, the applications, the grant writing, the networking, and the admin. There’s so much more to an artwork than just the final piece of artwork that resides on the wall or plinth in a gallery. I think a lot of people outside of the art world (inclusive of all media and genres) forget that in the art they are experiencing and enjoying, there is so much other stuff that goes into a sustainable artistic practice.

When it comes to the time to create the work, working with hand embroidery and lacemaking, by the nature of the materials, the work is slow, meditative and reflective. Have you ever heard a meditation teacher ask you to meditate faster? While I typically only work on one artwork at a time, I’m thinking about other upcoming works as I’m working and deciding what pots can be put on the back burner and what needs to come to the front.

My second obstacle is money, constantly juggling the income from my artwork and it being supplemented by three side hustles (which also consume time). I’m very lucky to have a partner who appreciates the needs of my practice and assists me with the fees for my studio rental – this alleviates a fair amount of the burden. I started a Patreon last year and recently a Substack as a way to start to monetize some of the more generative portions of my process. Eventually, I hope these continue to grow to allow me to be able to allocate more time and funds to my studio practices.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

As a 5yo, I told everyone I wanted to be an Artist. Then while growing up, there were so many other occupations that I always wanted to be, but one of the through lines was that I was always doing something based in Art. I went into college with the firm idea that I wanted to be a forensic anthropologist. But hiking in the SW desert before my junior year, I realized I wasn’t happy. I used the time to consider my skills and desires. Architecture presented itself as a good choice for me because as a discipline it encompasses so many different others and I got to spend a lot of time in the art studio. I’ve dabbled in lots of different media over the years, but I finally discovered that I was able to best express myself through thread and textiles – hand embroidery, lace making, sewing, etc…and it has branched off to other media. But at it’s foundation is my work with thread.

There are two main branches to my art practice – commissions and series work. What I love about working on commissions is the collaboration with a client. We start by looking at my portfolio and talking about some of the ideas and concepts that are important to them for this piece of artwork. From there I start sketching and working out some preliminary ideas and we go back and forth a few times honing in on the aesthetics of the final piece. I love the opportunity to learn about things that I wouldn’t necessarily have encountered. For example, I’m currently working on a commission inspired by the first transcontinental flight from St. John’s, Newfoundland to Clifden, County Galway by Alcock and Brown in the Vickers Vimy airplane in 1919.

There’s always a bit of back and forth and I like to develop at least three aesthetic options for a client to consider. In the final piece, try to push my technical skills and ultimately bring something unexpected to the final work. There are always interesting things that come up in the translation from drawn work to the final piece due to the nature of the materials.

Because the majority of my work is slow, there is a lot of time to think and observe. Usually in the process of working on a commissioned piece or in general technique sampling something will visually connect with some of the ideas that are swimming around in my head. This will spark a responsive work that then begins to evolve into a larger series.

Whether it’s a commissioned piece or a series, each piece takes on an organic quality creating a dialogue between the materials, “the hand,” and the underlying grid or repetition of a form that is systematically altered or disrupted. I use a modest vocabulary of shapes and personal materials, so that each becomes a meditation on space, surface and process. The repetition and natural variation of forms present then also become abstracted visual meditations on the traces of existence that emerge, that fade and that remain. In all my work, there is a quiet minimalism which creates stillness and demonstrates how a quiet form can be imbued with potential energy and presence.

An early artwork of mine was recently in an exhibition of a collector in Washington, DC. Seeing it again, within the context of other artists and considering the conceptual and technical expansions of my practice I’m quite proud of my development. I’m proud of the various chances I’ve taken – how I’ve allowed my work to grow through technique, materials, and concept and then the way the narratives have expanded in response.

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

There are so many ways that society can support artists. The most obvious thing to do is buy art from the artist if at all possible. I think people are generally nervous to wander into an art gallery and think that they need a trust fund and an overpriced degree to buy and appreciate a piece of art. Yes. There is some art that is like this – probably making up 1% of the art market. But, I would say that 75% of the art available out there is found in small local galleries, pop-ups, street fairs, coffee shops and similar venues. If you come across a piece of art created by a human you like or you think your friend would like – even if it’s $5.00 – and you can afford it, buy it! You get something that makes you happy and you help support an artist and help sustain their practice.

If you have an office space and find that your walls could use some artwork, reach out to some local artists whose art you like and see if they would be willing to let you rent their artwork to you for a few months. More and more artists are offering this as an option. If you don’t know any local artists, look for a local art consultant and they can help get you started.

Another way is to pledge your support to the artist/creator over a platform such as Patreon or Substack. This will give you access to different aspects of their work and offer sustained financial assistance to the artist.

If you can’t afford a piece of work or a pledge, that’s ok. There are other ways to support artists that don’t rely as heavily on consumerism. The easiest is to follow artists whose work you like on social media and when you see something you like, give it a like, forward it on to a friend and even better, drop a comment. Art and artists thrive on engagement.

If you live in a place that has local art galleries, see when the next exhibitions open or when the next artist talk will occur. More often than not, these events are free and generally open to the public. It’s a great chance to not only meet an artist, but more than likely there will be more artists there to meet and have some conversations with.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The creation of artwork is generally such a private endeavor. For me, the most rewarding aspects all come down to community and connection.

The communities I’ve become part of (and helped to cultivate) have enriched my art more than can easily be described. Not only does community demonstrate possibility and multiple perspectives, it has helped me refine my artistic voice and learn how to express myself more succinctly. Community also provides encouragement and perspective when working though the inevitable blocks in creative work. Community is best with connection.

Don’t get me wrong, there is satisfaction in looking at an artwork that I just completed. But, it’s when someone else outside of the process connects with the work. I recently completed a commission based on The Goldberg Variations and the final work is hung in a hallway that the owner walks down every day. Unsolicited, I heard from her that the piece brings her more joy than she would have expected from a piece of art and it acts as a reminder of the importance of playing and teaching piano in her life. When I completed my first 100 Cupforms and after they were distributed to the backers to my project, many sent me photos of their Cupforms being used or where they reside in their home. Almost six months later, I’m still receiving updates and queries about the glass part of my art practice. Both of these are analogous to having a conversation with someone about my work at an exhibition event or teaching a workshop and sharing my knowledge with others.

The final piece of artwork or the object or the technique become a conduit for connection.
This is when I feel I’ve truly done my job as an artist.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sarahjhull.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sj.hull
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sjhull
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-j-hull/
• Other: Patreon: https://bit.ly/3HaycUK
  Substack: https://sarahjhull.substack.com/

  Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/sarahjhull

Image Credits

Headshot Credit: Olivia Weise
Glass Photography Credit: Joshua Dunn
All other photography: Sarah J. Hull