We were lucky to catch up with Sara Wilczynska recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Sara, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
Through the years I’ve learned that my resilience doesn’t come from pushing harder. It comes from tending to my nervous system daily and with care.
For a long time, I thought resilience meant powering through stress or proving that I could handle more and more. What I’ve discovered instead is that resilience is about capacity. The more regulated and steady my body feels, the more space I have to respond to challenges with clarity instead of panic.
Every morning, before I start my day, I dedicate about an hour to an hour and a half to practices that support my nervous system. I meditate, I do breath work, and I move slowly through grounding exercises that help me feel centered and steady. This time is non negotiable for me. It sets the tone for everything that follows in my days.
Throughout the day, especially before I begin painting, I return to shorter resets that take just a couple of minutes. Sometimes I cross my arms and gently tap my shoulders in an alternating rhythm. Other times I twist my torso slowly from side to side to release tension. I might cup my hands over my eyes and rest in the darkness for a moment, giving my system a break from stimulation.
These small rituals help me stay steady when things go wrong, whether it’s a damaged shipment, a slow sales month, or a creative block, or anything else that happens in business. Instead of reacting from stress, I can pause and choose how to respond. I am able to see possibility instead of feeling there’s no way out.
Resilience, for me, is not about toughness. It’s about regulation. The more I expand my nervous system’s capacity, the more I can move through expansion and contraction, success and setbacks, without losing myself in the process.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I’m a watercolor and ink artist based in San Diego and the founder of Swil Arts. Through my work, I create illustrations that invite people to pause and savor small moments, inspired by Southern California. A lifeguard tower glowing at sunset. A surf van parked near the water. A quiet ritual like picking up coffee from a favorite truck. On the surface, they are simple scenes. Underneath, they are about presence, memory, and connection to place.
What feels most exciting to me is that this work has become more than painting. It has grown into a values led creative practice. Swil Arts is guided by three principles: savoring life, living in spaciousness, and practicing intentional stewardship. That means I create at a human pace, produce in small batches, and make thoughtful choices about materials. I use paper sourced from responsibly managed forests, biodegradable packaging, cruelty free supplies, and carbon neutral shipping. I also donate a portion of every sale to aligned charities because business can be a vehicle for care. For me, the way something is made matters as much as how it looks.
Professionally, I sell original paintings, fine art prints, greeting cards, and we just launched a Southern California inspired coloring book and mindful exploration for adults. The coloring book feels especially meaningful because it turns the pause outward. Instead of just viewing the art, people get to sit with it, color it, and create their own quiet ritual. In a world of screens and constant scrolling, putting color to paper helps us slow down, reconnect, and remember how good it feels to simply play.
I also collaborate with businesses and hospitality spaces that want to reflect a sense of place and care through custom illustration. I’m especially excited about expanding into more brand collaborations and licensing opportunities, bringing my illustrations into spaces where people can encounter them in everyday life.
More than anything, I want people to know that Swil Arts is not about chasing trends or producing endlessly. It’s about creating room to breathe. If someone hangs one of my pieces in their home and feels a little more grounded, a little more connected to a memory or a place they love, then the work has done what it was meant to do.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The three things have made the biggest difference in my journey. are self awareness, resilience and learning the business side of creativity.
Leaving a stable career in tech was not a practical decision on paper, but it was an aligned one. I had to learn how to listen to myself instead of defaulting to expectations I had inherited from society. I didn’t get to that clarity in one day. It took reflection, honesty, and uncomfortable conversations with myself. My advice for anyone early in their journey is to build that muscle. Ask yourself what feels alive, what feels draining, and whether the path you are on is yours or what society says it should be. Get to know yourself.
Resilience, as I mentioned, is deeply connected to nervous system regulation. I used to think resilience meant pushing harder. Now I know it means expanding your capacity to stay steady in the face of uncertainty. I meditate every morning and use short grounding exercises throughout the day. These practices allow me to respond instead of react when things go wrong. If you are reading, I would say take care of your body and your nervous system as seriously as you take care of your craft. Creative work requires stamina.
Last but not least learning the business side of creativity. Making art is one skill. Building a sustainable practice is another. I had to learn about pricing, marketing, partnerships, and systems. None of that came naturally at first, but I approached it with curiosity instead of resistance. If you are early in your journey, do not romanticize struggle. Learn how business works. It will give you freedom.
I think this all ties up with the following: grow at a human pace. Skills compound over time. Capacity expands over time. There is no need to rush the process. Enjoy every part of it.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
Yes, I absolutely love collaborations! Some of my favorite work has come from creative partnerships, whether that’s with other artists or with brands that are values aligned and genuinely trying to make a positive impact in the world.
I’m especially drawn to collaborations with businesses that care about community, sustainability, and creating meaningful experiences. I love illustrating for hospitality spaces, product packaging, limited edition collections, or custom pieces that reflect a shared sense of place and story. I’m also excited about hosting coloring events with aligned brands, creating spaces where people can slow down, connect, and engage with art in a tactile way.
If you are reading this and feel that resonance, I would love to hear from you! The easiest way to reach me is through a DM on Instagram or LinkedIn. I’m always open to a thoughtful conversation about what we could create together.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.swilarts.com/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/swilarts
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/swilarts.studio
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-wilczynska-swil-arts/
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