Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sarah K. Benning. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Sarah K. , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s jump back to the first dollar you earned as a creative? What can you share with us about how it happened?

It may not exactly be the first dollar earned as a creative, but the story that comes to mind is the first time I sold a piece to a stranger online. It was the summer of 2013 and I was fresh out of art school working full time as a nanny while making one of a kind greeting cards and small artworks on paper–most of them hand stitched with short phrases or abstract patterns. A few months after I left school, I opened an Etsy shop and it was crickets for the first couple of months. Then, finally a sale came in! I happened to check on my shop before I walked out of the door for work and there is was: an order! To a stranger! All the way in New Zealand! Despite it being only 5 am, I couldn’t contain my excitement and rushed in to share the exciting news with my partner who was still solidly asleep at the time.

It was such an incredible rush to think that a random person on the other side of the world had come across my artwork online and liked it so much that they spent their money on it. What I didn’t have a good grasp of though is how expensive shipping something across the world is. I hadn’t set up a shipping profile for New Zealand, so sending the card cost twice as much as the card itself. Even though I technically lost money on the sale (and learned a series of lessons about pricing) I will forever be grateful to that person for investing in my work.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am an embroidery artist and DIY embroidery designer creating works inspired by houseplants and interior design. I create one of a kind embroidered and mixed media artworks, facilitate a monthly embroidery pattern program with a new digital pattern released each month exploring the theme of “growing towards the light” and occasionally create small bath kits and workshops. You can find my offerings at sarahkbenning.com and stay in the loop by joining my mailing list community.

I found my way to the craft in 2013 after graduating from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago where I earned my BFA (but definitely didn’t study stitching). I was very burned out after art school and feeling pretty discouraged and disillusioned about my prospects of finding work as an arts administrator in a museum or gallery, which is what I really wanted to do at the time (and honestly still something I would love to do at some point). So, after running out of money while I worked a full-time unpaid internship for a few months, I took a job working as a nanny. At the time, I felt that I really didn’t want to pursue a creative career or be an Artist with a capital. But making is intrinsic to my being, so I turned to craft. I settled on embroidery because the materials are relatively inexpensive, easily sourced, and portable. I pull out some stitching during quiet points in my day with the kids and found that I really love to embroider in the evenings as a way to slow down and unwind.

My earliest pieces were stitched on paper, but I quickly transitioned over to hooped fabric and after years of experimentation and exploration, developed a particular visual vocabulary and style that felt like my own. My approach to stitching has always been one of a drawing practice rather than a needle work practice. I use just a small handful of stitch techniques and rely on color and composition to create visual complexity and interest.

In 2016, I introduced a monthly Pattern Program as a way to share my one of a kind embroideries with fellow crafter’s through specifically designed do-it-yourself digital patterns. I had no idea if there would be much interest, but here we are years later and thousands of people have participated in my Pattern Program membership and stitched up 3SKBDIY designs for themselves. I didn’t expect to love writing patterns–I really love the making, after all–but it has been such a joy and privilege to share my love for this craft with so many. I always encourage folks to embrace what works for them in my instructions, while also being open to experimentation and personalization. Embroidery can have a somewhat rigid reputation, but there are no real rules in creativity and the real joy is in the process.

In 2019, Sara Barne’s, writer and accomplished embroidery artist herself, wrote the book ‘Embroidered Life: the Art of Sarah K. Benning” about my work and business up to that point. I still pinch myself at what a remarkable opportunity that was to share more of my story and encourage others to follow their own creativity.

Now, about 10 years into this journey, I am retiring from the DIY business and 2023 will be my final year of full-time creative self-employment. I will never stop being an artist of course, but the time has come for me to grant myself time to create outside of the cycle of bills and responsibilities. I’ll be looking for arts admin (or any admin, really) jobs starting in October and I can’t wait to see how my studio practice evolves when it is disconnected from my livelihood!

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

It took me many years to realize I don’t have to do everything myself. Asking for help and bringing in assistants was the greatest gift to my own wellbeing and the wellbeing of my business. There is a lot of romanticization about life as a working artist, and while there are some truly romantic parts of it, most of the job is pretty mundane: calendar organization, outreach, marketing, correspondence, packing and shipping, website maintenance, customer service, bookkeeping, etc. As a [recovering] perfectionist, it was very challenging for me to assess where I was lacking and outsource that work to someone better suited for it. It was tough to give up control and trust in others when it was my name and brand on the line, but it’s impossible to do it all all the time!

The first thing I outsourced was my book keeping and tax services. I’ve worked with the same CPA for the past 8 years and he has been such an incredible resource. Then in 2018, but partner Davey joined the team and took on a lot of the day to day customer service and fulfillment tasks, which freed up so much more of my time for the more creative aspects of my work. He was an essential part of the business for 5 years until I decided I wanted to wind things down and transition out of the business.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

There are way more than I could ever include, but a few favorites are the podcast ‘Beyond the Studio’ by Amanda Adams and Nicole Mueller, the book ‘Set Boundaries, Find Peace’ by Nedra Glover Tawwab, and ultimately the best, most valuable and precious resource, has been learning about other creatives and small business owners experiences through developing professional friendships and support networks. Entrepreneurship can be an incredibly isolating and lonely journey and making sure that I have a support system of folks in a similar field to bounce ideas of off, vet opportunities with, and sometimes just vent/listen has been so important throughout my 10 years of creative self employment.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sarahkbenning.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahkbenning/

Image Credits
Sarah K. Benning