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

Hi Sarah, thanks for joining us today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

On those days where I’ve had one too many espressos, and the rejections are coming in hot and fast I wonder about what it’s like to have a more traditional job. Or when I’m trying to create a photography direction that’s creative and inspired while simultaneously cold-emailing agencies to introduce myself and following up on overdue invoices from my phone because I’m on my way to dinner, I wonder what it’s like to focus on one task or have clear work-life boundaries. Sometimes when I want to treat myself to a dentist appointment I’ll dream about a fancy insurance plan (one of the ones with an annual acupuncture budget). Or when I wanted to move to a new condo I’m frantically going through receipts trying to prove I’m good for rent even though some months I make $15k and some month I make $0, I imagined what a regular pay cheque would feel like.

But as creative as I can be, if I close my eyes I can’t actually imagine myself in a regular job. I can’t imagine myself actually going into the office, or even stepping into the elevator. *shakes head in creative*

I’m very thankful that I get to create for a living, but it’s definitely been a challenge to make the transition from starving artist to expensing my meals. I love to be my own boss and make my own hours, but margins and excel spreadsheets and taxes are just not sexy concepts for a right-brainer like me.

As an artist, I’m happy. As a business owner, I’m learning.

Sarah, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

After living abroad for most of her young adult life, I moved to Toronto to complete a post-graduate diploma in Public Relations and Communications. And like all the great communicators of my time, decided to go to Coachella instead of completing an unpaid internship at a fancy PR agency. This blatant disregard for traditional education led me to an office adjacent to a Food and Wine magazine, where I was offered an editorial position if I could “write the way she talked,” which happens to be my favourite writing style.

Then I very accidentally drove my snowmobile off a cliff, and while the resulting concussion didn’t take away my ability to write it sure as hell made it a lot harder. It became difficult and exhausting to communicate, something that had always come naturally. I still had a lot of ideas that I wanted to express, and since words were a challenge I started to express them visually with photography. As artists I think we get worried that we’ll run out of ideas, but this experience taught me that creativity will always find a way. It just might not take the shape you’re used to.

What sets me apart is this intersection between copywriting and photography. I really lean into storytelling in a way that others don’t and when I’m creating for myself you KNOW there will be a visual pun. Synergy between words and imagery can be really powerful and neither should be overlooked when creating a campaign.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Therapy. I was so shook to find out how much overlap there was/is between my creative and business challenges and unresolved issues from my past. Problems with setting boundaries? Hard time asking for your worth? Unable to release work until it’s “perfect”? I knew these issues were affected my relationships, but I’m not sure why it didn’t occur to me that I was also bringing them into my business as well (especially as someone with no boundaries, lol?).

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

We need to foster an environment where there is transparency in pricing. This isn’t just society supporting artists, this is also how artists can support artists. If we can all collectively agree that art and creativity is valuable, and that paying someone $10 for 100 photos is not honouring the value of that work that’s at least a small start. But there is always an artist or creative out there, who is just getting started that will say yes, because our creative community hasn’t been transparent about what we’re charging or how to charge. Which does us a disservice, because when people know there is always someone willing to do it for cheaper and then it’s a race to the bottom.

And in the honour of transparency, I’m out here trying to save money for a yacht.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.yes-and.studio
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yaaaaastudio/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahwright-yesandstudio/

Image Credits
Headshot photo: Kate Dockeray