We recently connected with Sarah NK and have shared our conversation below.
Sarah , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you wish you had started sooner?
This is a complicated question because, in my opinion, I have not yet started the path toward a/my creative career. And I often oscillate between feeling that I needed to start it sooner (years ago, back when I was still in art school) to get anywhere successful, and that it is never too late to start. I am also unsure if I even desire a career rooted in my creativity. I think that question has been the biggest hurdle for me. To accept that my job and how I earn a living – financially – might not come from the art I make, with my hands and with my body. And if so, how does that make me feel?
I have a personal, somewhat shy relationship with art-making, and so much of a ‘creative career’ is about outward-facing presentation. That may not be for me now or later. Only time will tell. For now, it’s simply to create.
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?
Well, the main thing to know about me is that I am a lover of the arts. I am both an appreciator and creator. To be less vague, I am an Illustrator (and a Dancer, but that’s a creative share for another day).
I am a Printmaker most of all.
I do Editorial Illustration as my top freelance job, but sell prints when it feels right to do so with my personal work.
I would love to work on posters, covers, and longer form projects that really allow me to utilize the process of carving and printing.
I am also a Collage artist.
Overall, I am in love with mediums that are tactile, slow & multi-step process-oriented.
I’m not much into pushing myself as a brand. I truly believe in making what I make, and the right people, worlds, needs, and creative projects will connect with me – as a person making. (That is probably why I havent gotten myself a ‘creative career’ yet.)
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
Being true to myself. Taking my time. Not pushing or rushing because of external pressure or forces.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
It requires education, financial support, and a cultural shift. At a baseline, most people are incompetent about the visual arts. They are not taught its value, the hard work it takes, the skills needed to make it, notice it, and appreciate it. And because of that, it has created a vacuum in which people who only care about selfish financial gain can abuse that lack of knowledge. It is how we end up in a world of crappy AI visuals, mass-produced art, and stolen art. None of which keeps artists present in the day-to-day of the average Western ecosystem of buying/selling. I am no lover of capitalism, but where we spend our money is where we place our attention and value, and the ‘Shop Small’ ideology is about highlighting that. Speaking to how society kicks artists out and making sure we make artists and creatives integral to our aesthetic and practical realities on Earth, not corporations.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sarahnkanu.com
- Instagram: @sazzyartist
Image Credits
Editorial Illustrations created by Sarah NK for The Republic (https://rpublc.com/)