Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Peterson.
Hi Sarah, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Creativity has always been part of my life, but I don’t think there was ever one moment when I decided, “I’m going to become an artist.” Photography became my way of noticing the things people sometimes walk past—the light, a storm, an animal, or a moment that disappears almost as soon as you see it. Over time, that same curiosity began spilling into other forms of art.
Vivacious Arts grew from there, slowly and somewhat unexpectedly. My photographs became more than photographs. Words began finding their way into the work, which eventually became Sarah’s Whispers—messages meant to be discovered and interpreted by the person who receives them. From there came Pocket Whispers, Whisper Windows, Smile Boxes and wearable pieces, each in its own way carrying a little bit of art, light, encouragement or curiosity into someone’s day.
I’m still very much in the middle of the story. I’m preparing for my first local market, continuing to experiment, and allowing the work to become whatever it becomes. I don’t have a perfectly mapped-out destination for Vivacious Arts. I think that’s part of what I love about it. I follow what catches my attention, make the thing I feel compelled to make, and then put it into the world to see who it finds.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I don’t think any creative road is completely smooth. One of my biggest challenges has actually been learning to let my work be seen. Creating comes naturally to me; putting something I’ve made in front of people and allowing them to decide what they think of it is much harder.
I’ve also had to learn not to wait until everything feels perfectly planned or perfectly finished. Some of my favorite ideas have come from experimenting, changing direction, or simply asking, “What happens if I try this?” There have been ideas that worked, ideas that didn’t, and plenty that turned into something entirely different from what I originally imagined.
I’m still learning to be comfortable with the uncertainty of it all. My first market is actually coming up, so I’m stepping into another unknown now. I have no idea exactly how people will respond—and I think part of this journey has been learning that I don’t have to know before I take the next step.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My work is a mixture of photography, words, and handmade art, but the thread connecting all of it is probably curiosity and connection. I’m drawn to moments that make me stop—light moving through a landscape, an animal looking directly at me, a storm changing the sky, or sometimes simply a thought that won’t leave me alone.
Photography is where much of it begins, but I love allowing an idea to move beyond a photograph. I create Sarah’s Whispers, handwritten and rolled messages that are intentionally left open enough for different people to find different meanings in them. That idea has grown into Pocket Whispers, small copper pieces carrying a reminder rather than an answer; Whisper Windows made with resin, copper and flowers; Smile Boxes containing a message and an unexpected little surprise; and wearable art created from my photography.
What I’m most proud of isn’t one particular piece. It’s when something I’ve made creates a reaction I couldn’t have planned—a smile, a question, a memory, or a moment when someone sees something in the work that I never saw myself.
I’m not sure I want to tell people exactly what they’re supposed to see or feel. I’d rather leave a little space for them. Maybe that is what sets my work apart: I make the piece, but I don’t necessarily finish the story.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
The simplest way to support my work is to experience it. Come see me at a market, look through the photographs, pick up a Whisper, ask me a question, or simply tell me what a piece made you notice. I love hearing what other people see in something I created—especially when it’s completely different from what I saw.
I’m also open to collaborations that happen naturally. I enjoy working with other artists, musicians, writers, makers, and creative spaces when there is an interesting connection between what we do. I’m less interested in forcing a collaboration than discovering one and seeing where it leads.
My work is available through Vivacious Arts online and at local markets, but support doesn’t always have to mean purchasing something. Share the work, come say hello, take a little encouragement with you, or pass it along to someone else.
Sometimes the smallest thing travels farther than you expect.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://vivaciousarts.com
- Instagram: vivaciousarts
