Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sarah Kraning. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Sarah, appreciate you joining us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?
This is such a tricky question to answer! While I do wish that I had believed in myself creatively sooner, my journey to becoming a professional artist made me the artist I am today. Growing up, I was a creative kid and involved in both theatre and visual arts, but a series of major medical problems led me to switch into a more “traditional” college path after my first semester of school. I went on to become a speech pathologist with an emphasis on cognitive rehabilitation and psychology. While I didn’t stay in this discipline, it taught me a lot about how the human mind works — including my own — in a way that was integral to my artistic journey.
In school, I learned a lot about neurodiversity. I was born with a particular form of neurodiversity called synesthesia — which is a crossing of senses. There are many different types of this trait, but my particular form is called “chromesthesia” or sound to color synesthesia. I grew up without understanding this trait and wondering if there were something wrong with my over-sensitivity to sound. After learning more about the trait in college, I felt empowered to share my art and my story more widely.
Sarah, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I’m an abstract artist and content creator. All of my paintings are depictions of music and sound, and are based on my experiences as a synesthete. To me, music is comprised of colors, patterns, and textures. I do my best to show these experiences in my paintings.
I’ve been creating artwork since I was a kid, but over the 2020 pandemic I began posting here and there on social media (specifically TikTok). I don’t really have a background in social media so wasn’t expecting much attention on these posts, but a few of them took off and became quite viral, reaching millions around the world. At the time, I worked a traditional 9-5 in marketing, and was doing artwork on the side. But after posting my artwork, I began to be contacted by musicians who wanted their creations painted, as well as people from around the world who wanted their favorite song or sound turned into a piece of artwork.
My dream has always been to work closely with musicians and within the music industry, so I feel incredibly lucky to have an opportunity to share the visual beauty of music with others.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
My own personal journey as an artist was heavily impacted by the power of organic social media reach. But so many of my favorite artists began as relatively obscure creatives who took to social media for the purpose of self-expression, not necessarily to grow a following. This has enabled incredible artists from around the world to have their work discovered, and to connect.
I think the censorship of social media poses a serious risk to this creative blossoming. In the past decade, we’ve seen sustained periods of rapid creative momentum among creatives across these platforms. However, the continued momentum of creatives is at risk every time regulations are put into place by governments to severely restrict these platforms and the ways in which creators use them.
It is my hope that these tools for human connection are allowed to continue to operate in adhering to the American principles of free speech.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
My favorite part of being an artist is the inherent freedom of self-expression in the role. After having lived a lot of my life feeling like I had to hide parts of myself (a feeling I think many can relate to), the freedom and joy I found in finally living openly as an artist with synesthesia brought color and joy to my life that I didn’t know was possible.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sarahkraning.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahkraning/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahkraning.art/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-kraning/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@sarahkraningart
- Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sarahkraning?_t=8cM2C6ZEJn1&_r=1
Image Credits
Justin Mark