We were lucky to catch up with Sarah Wahl recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Sarah, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
WahlArt Design is currently a small team, which means it’s not just painting and creating. It’s carving out time to work on the business side as well. I grew up watching my parents put love and care into everything they do. My work ethic absolutely comes from my parents. My father started his own business at 19, which is still thriving today, and my mother runs rental properties and just finished her first book. Everything my parents have is due to their immense work ethic. Growing up we helped flipped houses, working summers painting, busting down walls and ripping up carpet. My siblings and I worked side by side my parents, learning along the way the benefits of multiple streams of income. My parents showed me how to grow with your business, being open to change and also cultivating a team of people you can trust.
WahlArt Design is my heart and soul, it’s my joy and the light in my life. And it’s work! It takes time and effort to put shows together, upload to my website, reach out to clients and update my social medias. It’s a balance of keeping the business running while still nurturing the creative side and producing art that I love and I’m proud of.
I’m extremely grateful to my parents and my siblings for their example in how a good sense of work ethic can transform your life.
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?
WahlArt was really built through my community, as a self-taught artist I grew from client requests and my own creative exploration. My style ranges from charcoal figurative sketches to resin and alcohol ink on wood, along with acrylic and oil paint. As I started building the business word spread and WahlArt went from my local community to selling across the country, then online with Wayfair and Rue Gilt. I’ve exhibited La art shows and galleries. There have been many joys a long the way but still one of my favorites is my first show.
For any artist new to showcasing your work I’d like to say -Try it all! You might love pop-up shows, coffeeshops, the gallery world might be your scene or online only. See what works for you and it might change as your business grows. Just go for it!
The next big excitement with WahlArt is an upcoming exhibit with Modern Country Art and Design Gallery in Texas! Gallery owner Christopher Wayne Brown has put together a beautiful arrangement of artists celebrating spring in his show called “BLOOM”.
WahlArt will exhibit a few new pieces created for this show in a style that’s new to me. I explored out of my comfort zone in a Monet inspired water scene. It’s a new style and color palette for me and I must say I’m absolutely obsessed with these pieces and I can’t wait to see who they end up with. That’s always such a joy in this process.
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?
As WahlArt grows as a business I have to remind myself to have fun. To keep the playfulness of painting because once you start to monetize your craft you have to protect it. Protect the fun, they joy, the playfulness. Sometimes that means I paint something just for myself, knowing that I won’t post it or sell it. I start a painting thinking maybe this will be ugly, and that’s ok. And I just let the creative process take over from there. We are in a world of constant posting on social media and uploading and the pressure to put new content out. That can start to get in your head. I have to remind myself to enjoy the journey, which might sound like it should be on a inspirational plaque somewhere, but there it is. Enjoy the creative journey, laugh at yourself, cry, laugh and cry, document where you started to where you are now. When I remember to think of the journey, I look back at my first piece that sold for $20 and how excited I was that someone even wanted anything I created at all. I remember my first show nerves and how I used to post without even putting my name on my art because I was too shy. When I look back it ignites excitement because I know there is so much more ahead that I can’t even imagine yet. There was time I had no idea I’d have the opportunities I’ve had so far.
From an artist mentor that’s been in the game a long time, “Just keep going”. Keep painting, keep singing, keep writing. Someone out there that needs your art.
Tell us what your ideal client would be like?
My aim with WahlArt is to bring joy and light into homes and offices around the world. Anytime I enter a doctor’s office, apartment building or hotel I’m always looking at what art is on the walls. Art can makes the space feel alive and exciting or dull and sterile. My goal is to help showcase what art can do to a space. I collaborate with artists and clients in commissions and also sell prints and original pieces. I do selective commissions depending on the project. My ideal client would be an office space looking to change up their art, to anyone who just moved into a new home or apartment. If you’re new to collecting art my prices ranges fit many budgets depending on style and size.
WahlArt is looking to expand into retail spaces and hotels, if you work in that field or have a contact please reach out for possible opportunities.
Contact Info:
- Website: wahlartdesign.com
- Instagram: @wahlartdesign
- Facebook: WahlArt Design
- Other: TikTok-@wahlart_design
Image Credits
Photos by- @robertcarroll Rad Pine @radpinecreative Daniel J. Sliwa Media- @danieljsliwa_media
