Sarah Gardner is a mixed media artist who loves creating in her art journal and sharing her art with others. She has been swapping postcards and ATCs for many years. She has discovered that being creative, that making stuff, is a very fulfilling and beneficial activity, contributing to her well-being. The joy of creative play, and art journaling in particular, has become part of her self-care practice. Sarah is excited to share what she's excited about, and helping others find their own creative practice is something that also gives her joy! You can find Sarah on Instagram @juicy.s.art and at juicy-s.net

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sHoW NoTEs

‘At this stage of my evolution as an artist I want to be focused on the creativity for creativity's sake and what it brings to me.  Connection.  Well-being.  Creativity as self-care.’ - Sarah Gardner

Sarah is a practicing mixed media artist AND a practicing lawyer focusing mostly on estate planning.  She lives in Cardiff by the Sea (San Diego County) with her husband and 2 kids.  In 2007, she began to offer a series of artisan camps for young girls in her area.  In 2009, she started an art blog to post about the camps and her DIY post card swaps process (began swaps in 2011) but now blogs through her website, established in 2019.  In 2020, she was a co-host for Wanderlust and will be a Fodder School instructor which begins in October of 2021.  She feels very grateful to be able to use both sides of her brain on a daily basis and focuses on art journaling, mixed media and mail art.

Sarah has always been a maker; jewelry, cross-stitch, etc.  She had an example in her mother who designed and made tea cozies as her profession.  Sarah has always liked seeing something and thinking, ‘I can make that.’  She really moved her art career forward by hosting the art camps, in her home, where the students did sewing, garment dying, embroidery, art journaling, etc.  That was where she discovered her art was a fulfilling endeavor - creativity for creativity's sake helped her connect to herself which was what she really wanted her camps to translate into for the girls rather than just babysitting and doing some crafts.  The girls experienced mixed media as well by taking their projects and transforming them into other things.

Sarah’s Mentors and Influencers

McCabe Russell - art camp provider, well-known lover of mermaid art

Sabrina Ward Harrison - author of art journaling books.

Christine Mason Miller - produced a book called, ‘Desire to Inspire’.

Roxanne Coble - offered some of the first live, You Tube classes

Hanna Andersson - hosts the international post card exchange

Kasia Avery - ‘Wanderlust’ and ‘Everything Art’

Wendy Solganik - how to increase audience through mailing lists 

Career

Wants the professional aspect of her life but wants it on her own terms.  Enjoys the flexibility which allows her to balance herself out with dedicated creative time and not strive to make a living from her art.

Inspiration 

Distinction between her art as self-expression and what she is doing to provide a service or education for someone else inspires Sarah.  Prefers teaching others her process than selling what she has created through her process.  Doesn’t like to focus on the end product but enjoys the process of creating and how the process helps her experience the awe and wonder and be in the moment, to use her intuition and access the part of herself that normally doesn’t get attention in everyday life.  Keep learning.

Social Media

‘The effects of IG during the pandemic were pretty powerful in that people tapped into it as a resource connection when we couldn’t otherwise be connected or have the connections in actual locales with the real people we were normally able to see.

It freed people up from the obligations that come from having the ability to meet in person and be able to focus our attention on the virtual communities.  Has given people permission to not go back to life before the pandemic - having gatherings, going out, etc., even though the pressure is there to start those things again.’

Reality Check

In 2018, Sarah was diagnosed with tongue cancer.   The treatment involved several surgeries and a long recovery process but she also had a reality check to ‘stop doubting myself, stop questioning myself, stop limiting myself.’  What held her back was the question, ‘who would want to know what I was doing?’ She wanted to share and be part of a community that shared.  Cancer taught her that by not sharing - life will pass you by.  Decided to put herself out there and applied to be a Wanderlust teacher.  “Cancer taught me that what I have to lose is everything.” Getting chosen as a Wanderlust teacher was an affirmation, confirmation and validation.

Evolution of Style 

“We are all beginners at some point and as we go along the process has been finding, locating and following what I like.  What makes my heart beat a little faster, what gets me excited is what I am following, taking classes from and buying books from authors whose art I would emulate in my art journal and learn from and eventually the amalgamation of everything I have accessed in that way has become my art style.  But, the process is ongoing.”

Quotable Quotes:

“Art journaling and mixed media came from a connection of art to heart”

“There is always magic that happens when you let go and you make these things for no other reason than to make them.”

“You decide what you like and don’t like about your own art.  You are going to succeed and fail in varying degrees along the way.”