Meet Sandra Encaoua Berrih

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sandra Encaoua Berrih. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Sandra, 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 believe that creativity is nourished by the Other. Life is a mirror that always reflects back to us. The situations we go through, the challenges we face, the people we meet… all nourish us and our creativity; it’s just a question of being open-minded, avoiding judgment and accepting that things happen to us. Then, as we move through ourselves, we transform all this into something else, which then belongs to us. and creativity arises.

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’m a Franco-American artist who has always been fascinated by nature and the raging elements. Everything beyond our control. In my work, I try to question and celebrate Creation: the beauty of great landscapes (Earth’s memory), the intensity of human emotions (Passing Through) or even Jewish history (Judaïca), which I try to exorcise by questioning the absence/presence of God. I’ve been working for several years on the emotions and upheavals of the human soul, through my series [Passing Through] and my book [LoVE?] – published in 2022 – which asks us about Love, its mysteries and its meaning.

Revolted by all forms of inequality, I have illustrated articles against prison overcrowding (Prison Insider, Formation DH, ..), for ecumenism (Confédération des Evêques de France…) and more poetic or kabbalistic works (‘le Petit Prince’, ‘Marguerite Yourcenar’, ‘Albert Camus’ or even ‘Baal Chem Tov on Prayer’ by Rav Dober Pinson).

In 2020, she received an Art Fellowship from the Andy Warhol Foundation (New York, USA) and was awarded the 2017 medal of the Académie des Arts-Sciences-Lettres de Paris in France. My work is regularly exhibited in the United States and Europe.

My upcoming exhibition will take place in February 2024 in Paris, France with the talended sculptor Stephane Daireaux.

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?
For me, the three qualities that have carried me and continue to carry me are idealism, tenacity and sincerity. Believing that nothing is impossible, that we can achieve our dreams, is essential to the creative process. Because in this world, where materialism and productivity dominate, it’s very hard to believe that we can have a different path. Believing in yourself against all odds, being tenacious, is the second necessary quality in my opinion. And, of course, to be sincere and authentic in your approach. To be real. If you’re not sincere, if you dress up your heart and soul, there’s no way of touching others

How would you spend the next decade if you somehow knew that it was your last?
Right now my main challenge is to stay connected to myself. Not to get lost in the international news. All the horrors that come my way lower my energy considerably, making me angry and sad. It’s hard to stay focused on the idea of doing something beautiful and good when you realize that nobody gives a damn. And then you tell yourself that what you’re doing is pointless… so you have to pull yourself together, find meaning and set yourself new goals. But it’s not easy.

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