We had the good fortune of connecting with Sarah Coppola and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sarah, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I grew up in a very tiny town about 45 min east of Charlotte, NC. My dad built my childhood home on land my mom had inherited that had been in the family for hundreds of years. My two younger brothers and I had 75 acres of mostly wooded land and a creek to play in as well as a field that was rented to farmers (that had great giant mud puddles to slosh around in and the occasional arrowhead or cool rock to find). While at the time we lamented not having neighborhood kids to play with, I wouldn’t trade my childhood experience playing in nature for anything now!

Growing up in such a beautiful setting instilled a love of nature and science in me. My mom is also a professional potter with an interest art from a lot of different cultures (and also had great music on all the time!). I grew up in her studio, making my own art to sell as soon as I was old enough, and going to her art shows on weekends. All of those things have truly shaped my life and interests and I am so grateful for all the experiences I had growing up!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Clay sculpture is my first love. I’ve done some hand building and ceramic jewelry, but sculpture is my favorite! I also worked for an internationally renowned children’s portrait photographer for 8 years and picked up a digital camera at her encouragement. I had loved my black and white film classes in college, but digital was a whole new world. I love nature and landscape photography, but have done product and headshot photography as well. I also worked for a candle and soap making supply company for a year and learned those arts as well. And throughout all my jobs, I did some design work, so in early 2023 I started an apparel graphic design business as well!

All of my art has been done part time as a side gig. Making and the required marketing/business side of an art business is very time consuming, so it hasn’t been easy. At times I’ve worked 90 hour weeks between my full-time job and my art. Like any artist the art making is what I’m passionate about. But the business side is required and takes as much time or more. It’s exciting when people respond positively, but sometimes it’s crickets and that makes things a bit more tedious. Getting a consistent following is tough, and there are many contradicting voices out there with pointers about how to do it. Sometimes you just need to do what seems right and be consistent and hope for the best!

A few years ago my full time job was so overwhelming with so many hours that I made no art for 2 years. It was so detrimental to my entire being. I finally cut my hours back some and started creating what I truly love. Whales, dinosaurs, robots, foxes, etc. I had never made any of those things before and it felt so good to be making what I really liked. I had been so focused in the past on what would sell that I wasn’t being true to myself. I will never make that mistake again (plus sites like Etsy really help me connect with like-minded customers who also love those things!).

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I live in Durham, NC now. I love the area and we have a lot to offer! But if I had a week long trip, I’d probably take them to my happy place, which is about 3.5 hours away in the Asheville, NC area. I love the mountains, especially in warm weather. The Grove Park Inn is a beautiful place for a sunset view over Asheville. A glass of wine on the terrace followed by nightly live music sitting by the giant fireplaces with a good book is amazing. There are hundreds of great breweries, restaurants, and endless art galleries. Not to mention wonderful waterfall hikes, gem mining, and river floats. I’ve found a lot of good tours and groups events, plus some really great spas. Live music can be found everywhere from buskers to bars to music venues. I try to make it out to that area a couple of times a year at least!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Anyone who knows anything about me knows that my mom has been a huge positive influence in my life. She’s my best friend and has given me the treasure of introducing me to so many of her interests like all things art, plants, music, and a love of ancient cultures. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without her!

Website: indigoartsnc.com

Instagram: indigoartsnc or indigoartsncdesigns

Facebook: facebook.com/indigoartsclay

Other: indigoarts.etsy.com indigoartsncdesigns.etsy.com

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