Today we’d like to introduce you to Sara Shahrestani.
Hi Sara, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I grew up right outside New York City to Middle Eastern parents. I was too Middle Eastern to truly relate to Americans, and too American to truly relate to my parents. I never found a place, a person, or a thing that felt like home. The only thing that kept calling me back was art, creativity, and self-expression. I didn’t know it at the time, but it was my lifeline—keeping my inner child alive. Doodling on notebooks and writing kept me sane in a world where everything was confusing and nothing made sense.
I carried that inner child with me well into adulthood. It was always in random glimpses or spontaneous moments that I’d feel the motivation to pencil draw, paint, or write poetry. It wasn’t until COVID that I finally had the time and space to explore art as something I might actually take seriously.
But art supplies were expensive, and I didn’t have the painting skills to justify buying large canvases or paint. That’s when I got my first iPad and started drawing digitally. That marked the beginning of my art career—one that would eventually snowball into creating work for clothing companies, dispensaries, and commissions from various people and brands.
After a few years of honing my drawing skills, I decided to explore a new medium and became a tattoo artist.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The hardest struggle I’ve faced as a working artist has been myself. Learning how to harness my attention and stay focused, how to move past imposter syndrome, and how to navigate those moments of feeling completely lost without any clear direction.
I’ve had to teach myself how to use art programs like Illustrator, study anatomy and color theory, and figure out how to stay consistent with my art style and themes. One of the biggest ongoing challenges has been staying true to making art instead of slipping into the trap of creating content just for the sake of visibility.
Every day, I try to cut through the noise and return to the heart of what art means to me. It takes discipline, skill, and focus to bring that vision to life. Some days are harder than others, but the battle is always worth it.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a multidisciplinary artist, designer, and tattooer. I specialize in emotionally driven, symbolic artwork that sits at the intersection of rebellion, mysticism, and self-inquiry. Most of my work explores what it means to feel like an outsider—what it means to carry grief, to crave freedom, to survive the human experience while still trying to create beauty out of it.
I’m known for my unique art style .Mainly 2D, flat-color digital work that blends the simplicity of comic book aesthetics with emotionally charged, symbolic storytelling. It may look minimal at first glance, but every piece is layered with deeper meaning.
What sets me apart is that I’m not chasing aesthetics. I’m chasing truth. My work isn’t polished for the algorithm. It’s raw, layered, and rooted in something real. I’m not interested in just making content. I’m here to make meaning.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
If there’s one thing I want people to take from my work, it’s that you’re not alone in your chaos. Art has always been my way of surviving, of finding language for the things I didn’t know how to say. If my work resonates with something unspoken in you, then that’s enough. That’s everything.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://snakesandsaints.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saraa.stani/
