Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Day.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I began making art as a daily practice in 2015 as a way to cope with some massive life changes. I was suddenly battling chronic illness, and had to give up my career in education and music. Drawing began as something fun I could do to relieve stress and pain, but the more I did, the more I wanted to do. With the support of my very first customers and Instagram followers (most of whom were just friends who wanted to help propel my work out of the goodness of their hearts), I slowly built the confidence and skills to turn my newfound passion into a business. My early work was almost exclusively hand lettering…there was something about letters that seemed especially accessible, and teaching myself those calligraphy skills is what initially made me realize that I could in fact teach myself to draw just about anything I wanted.
Please tell us about your art.
I oscillate between calling myself an “artist” and an “illustrator.” I draw a lot of girls, womxn, and femmes, in part because they’ve become the most immediate channel for my particular brand of self-expression. Though my characters don’t always look like me, they are all pieces of me, like imaginary friends. I feel like I make art because I have to, because it’s the way I’ve learned to communicate with myself and others, because it’s what sustains me. I hope my art brings people meaning, or at least something they can relate to, something that lets them know they’re not alone.
What do you think is the biggest challenge facing artists today?
The internet…which is funny, because I think it’s also the greatest asset of many contemporary artists and illustrators. It’s where we find our fans, our family, our colleagues, and our community…but it’s also where our work goes to be repeatedly devalued. Instagram has become a hotbed for selling work to legitimate buyers, but at the same time is a battlefield littered with the bodies of uncredited artworks and stolen illustrations. Even large brands with hefty marketing and design budgets freeload off of work that artists post in good faith. And even big-time illustrators, people with hundreds of thousands of followers, struggle to keep control of their intellectual property. It’s ultimately a Catch 22…many of us wouldn’t have the opportunity to share our work with a global audience without Instagram, but many of us ultimately are hindered by the exploitation we face on that same platform.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
The best place to see my most recent body of work is (surprise) Instagram. I’m working on developing a Patreon where my community can view exclusive illustrations and delve more deeply into my process, but that’s still a few months from completion. In the meantime, I sell “art treats” (my nice way of saying “merch”) on my web shop, and San Diego locals can shop my work in person at Little Dame Shop on Adams Ave and at the San Diego Art Institute in Balboa Park.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sarahdayarts.com
- Email: sarahdayarts@gmail.com
- Instagram: @sarahdayarts
Image Credit:
Photograph of Vicki and Gabi in Weird Girls Vol. 2 ringer tees by Savannah Lindley
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