Meet Liza Sargent

We recently connected with Liza Sargent and have shared our conversation below.

Liza , thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?

I try to keep creativity alive by staying observant. I love observing people in their ordinary lives. I watch people on sidewalks and buses, imagine their lives, their routines, where they came from, where they’re going. I like to invent backstories for strangers and let them wander around in my head. Anything that keeps my mind moving. Music is a great device for keeping creativity alive too. Sometimes a lyric will loop in my mind and will turn into a drawing. Mostly, I just try to stay tuned into the world. That usually keeps the creativity alive!

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I am a visual artist, or an enthusiastic experimenter. I work mostly in ink, but I like to dabble into other mediums when I feel like using something specific, or if I think an image would be better suited in another medium. I love to build worlds with my drawings. The most exciting part is always the final piece. Seeing what lived in your head appear on paper. It is never quite the same. The image reconfigures as you draw. It becomes its own thing; that’s the best.

And yes, I have a couple art shows lined up in Los Angeles in 2026. Until then, I’m focused on being as prolific as I can be leading up to that. Trying to put as many of the ideas in my head onto paper as I can.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Looking back, three things stand out. First, observation. Really noticing people, places, and ordinary life has always fed my work. The way someone moves, a short-lived expression, the personality of a street. Second, persistence. Finishing pieces, even when they don’t come out as imagined, teaches you more than any success ever could. There is a difference between having an idea and seeing it through, and that difference shapes your skill and confidence. Third, curiosity. Being willing to try new mediums, experiment with technique, following ideas even when you aren’t sure where they’ll go, asking “what if,” keeps your work alive and evolving.

For anyone early in their journey, my advice is simple. Look closely at the world. Don’t be afraid to make bad work. Keep experimenting. The combination of seeing, doing, and questioning is what forms the creative path. And most importantly, don’t take things too seriously, art is fun!!

What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?

My biggest area of growth this past year has been learning to talk about what’s happening in my life to those around me. For a long time, I thought I had to carry everything alone. I am still working on it, still learning the exact balance between what to hold and what to release. Opening up can make life seem less like a solitary weight, who knew. It has changed my art as well. When the world inside meets the world outside, it returns through the work. New ideas, new images emerge from times of clarity. Conversations, even small ones, spark inspiration that seeps into what I draw. The way someone reacts, the way a story lands, simply being heard. It all filters back into the page. Art then becomes less about recreating what lived only in my head and more about capturing the intersections between thought. It’s quite cool.

Contact Info:

• Website: @lizasbrain
• Instagram: @lizasbrain

Image Credits

Image of me credit to: James McGary