Sarah is a mother of four, wife to one, and writer and photographer of all things lovely. She is also the co-creator here at UA, mentor to many, and co-founder of the photography-related nonprofit, Spectrum Inspired, as she herself has a child on the autism spectrum.. Her creative journey began when she was just a child, weathering the pages of Shel Silverstein books with her eager fingers and wild spirit, falling in love with the art of words on a page. Slowly in time, she fell in love with art on all mediums (photography becoming her greatest passion) and vowed to let poetry pour from her soul in the form of both photographs and words always.  

What inspires your art? Poetry, lyrics, and words on a page are my greatest inspiration. My mind is always tangling beautiful words together and visualizing them as a photograph. It's funny because on the outside I am can appear a bit detached while on the inside I am taking in everything around me and finding the beauty within it. 

What do you shoot with? Camera body and favorite lens? I shoot with a Canon 5D Mark iii and a Canon 35mm 1.4L pretty much all the time, though I also have a Canon 50mm 1.4 and a Canon 85 1.8. 

What other ways do you express your creativity? I write, though I don't always have time for it. But I always feel like a new person every time I do. It takes me away to a world I wish I could live in always. 

How do you de-stress at the end of the day? Wine, pizza, music, and likely a sappy television show. I love shows that don't have too much stress — sans blood, gore, sex and mystery. I'm all about Parenthood, Gilmore Girls, This is Us. Give me all that happy shit. 
 

What kind of music do you listen to while editing? It varies, a lot, depending on my mood and the season, but I could happily rotate continuously through Tom Petty, Ed Sheeran, Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell, Jewel, The Doors, and Zac Brown Band.

What is your favorite book? Oh shit. I'm fairly certain I wrote this question up and now I am struggling to answer it. Is it too late to remove it? Womp womp, probably. But I LOVE to read. I love Another Place at the Table, Where the Sidewalk Ends, Anne of Green Gables, Anything by Nicholas Sparks, Eat Pray Love, Big Magic, You're a Badass, and of course some poetry by Emily Dickinson, Sylvia Plath, John Keats and Robert Frost would be a great roundup. 

Name one movie that inspires you. Honestly? Pretty Women, Sound of Music, classic, old school version of Anne of Green Gables (you know, the one they use to play during telethons), and of course, Dirty Dancing. I love me some classic films chock full of grain, vintage vibes and way too much love. Also, for the record, if you are an Anne of Green Gables fan like myself, I found Anne with an E on Netflix entirely inspiring...like straight to my core (though that is a show). 

How do you handle self-doubt or creative slumps? I write through it. Sometimes I even write poetry that I have never shown a soul. Or I listen to music and study the lyrics. Or I read a novel and get lost in how they describe beautiful places and settings. Words are art to me and photography is the quickest and most simplistic way to write a poem. 

What has been the most difficult part of your creative journey? Peopling. I am pretty sure I could live alone (or with my children and husband) and never see another soul and be completely content. If I could put a bubble around me and capture things without anyone thinking I am a creep or wanting to chat with me, I would be in la-la-land always. For me, the pressures of people-ing (when it sucks the life out of me) can be quite difficult. I always feel like people look to me to make them relax during a shoot or they want me to pose them and direct them and I would rather just be a fly, buzzing around them and documenting all the sweetness in absolute silence.

Who is one of your favorite photographers? Most of my best friends are extremely talented photographers  BUT, besides my besties, I would have to say Joy Prouty. She so beautifully captures life as it happens and is a poet in her photography. My kind of chick.