Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sarah Larsen. 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?
I wasn’t where I needed to be to truly harness my potential until life allowed me to be. I recall quite vividly my high school art teacher’s frustration as I had all the talent, but was more concerned with shenanigans than I was taking art seriously. As a teenager discovering who I was in the middle of Nebraska, it would take enduring an 18 year hiatus from art, and the loss of my parents before I finally did.
Starting sooner, I’m certain I’d been fed the same criticism that I wasn’t prepared to receive. Because my lack of life’s seasoning, I fear I may have given up the dream entirely. Starting later, I fear I’d miss my golden opportunity. I most certainly wouldn’t have moved to the east coast to grow my practice; and, I’d never have allowed art to give me the necessary healing I needed to grieve the loss of my parents.
Art found me exactly when I’d needed. There’s no looking back, or what if’s. There’s only now.
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?
I’m Sarah Larsen, a professional artist originally from the heartland. Now, I share love with lines on the east coast, just outside Baltimore, Maryland. Though my story originates with loss, it continues with motivation, passion, and love.
What I’m most proud of is my ability to pivot. There’s no room for being rigid in this industry, and it is constantly evolving. In order to keep moving forward, you have to keep up; and, you have to be willing to take risks and swallow losses.
There’s no such thing as giving up.
There’s no such thing as failure unless you believe it exists.
So long as you learn from what you’re given, you’ll get to where you’re going. Even if you don’t know where that is. You’ve got to trust in yourself and surround yourself with people that believe in you, too.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
In addition to being an artist, I’m also a therapist. A lot of what influences my work involves the evidence-based training behind the clinical work that I have offered. I consider the healing benefits from expressive art, mindfulness, and reflect constantly on my own mental health and well-being. Enough, we published “Colorful Musings: an Intuitive Journey Made with Love” earlier this year because we know the healing that comes with art creating.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
I would love to continue to experiment with different mediums and other ways to share love with you. There’s something about how art speaks to us. It’s kind of like the ham between a nature-and-music sandwich, in some ways. Immersing yourself in either can create such an intimate experience no matter how many times you see, or hear it. When you subject yourself to art, it speaks to you in the way you’ll hear it, and catch you in a way that you’ll see it. Some pieces are much louder visually and emotionally than others.
Contact Info:
Image Credits
Image 1: Artistry Subscription; Patrick Jones Gallery
Image 7: “Tree of Life” commission