Meet Sarah Tate | Illustrator and Artist

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

Hi Sarah, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
In the beginning of my career, I worked constantly. Most weeknights, I would draw on my iPad while also drinking wine and hanging out with my roommates. I had to make it a little enjoyable. Although, I was pretty strict about taking the weekends off. I learned pretty early on that in my line of work, my creative brain is useless if I don’t get time to recharge. I usually create my best work after long hiatuses. At about the same time my freelance career took off, I also started dating my husband. After that, I wanted to set some boundaries for my work life. I had put the time in to get to where I wanted to be, and it felt like time to pull the reigns in a bit. Since then, I pretty much only work 9-5. As a freelancer, it really helps to have a schedule and consistency in my week. It has really changed my process a lot. I used to feel like I was always in work mode and it caused me to be constantly exhausted. Now, I come back to my desk after a restful night or weekend and I’m able to crank my work out while also really enjoying the process. Of course, I do have the occasional late-night project, but I also get the occasional (ok, often) day off where I get to draw for fun spend time at the beach. Those make the late nights worth it. The older I get, the more emphasis I put on soul care. It’s made a huge difference in how I create.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My work has always been inspired by my time spent outside in nature. I love the contrast between bright, vibrant color and earthy, more neutral tones. My work is defined by shapes that mimic the organic likeness of shapes found in nature. The outdoors has always been a huge part of my life. I grew up on a small mountain in the Appalachian Foothills of Alabama. We had a ton of land, so I had a lot of space to roam around, build treehouses, ride my four-wheeler, etc. I’ve always been a very independent and curious person. Much of my life has been marked by exploration. You could say that’s how I stumbled upon illustration. My mom was an artist. We didn’t label it then, but she was basically an illustrator. She created all of the sketches that were produced into molds for our family’s statuary business. My dad was an entrepreneur who always encouraged me to do whatever I wanted to do career wise. Being older now, I realize that’s not common- especially since we didn’t have a lot of money. After my mom passed, things changed a lot for my family. It’s a whole other story, but basically, I continued to use art and the outdoors as my escape. But, I decided that I wanted to make money. Where I am from, artists typically didn’t make money, so I went into college as an undeclared math major. I thought being a Pharmacist was the best way to make the most money while working the least amount possible (someone told me they only work 4 days a week and I was sold). After failing every math and science course I took, I quickly realized that I couldn’t be a Pharmacist even if I wanted to be one. It just wasn’t what I was created to do. After a long series of changing majors (3 times to be exact), I accepted my fate and landed back in art. After college and a few months of lettering wedding invites for cash, I received some money from my grandfather’s passing. Of course, I did what every wise 23-year-old would do, and I spent it all on a grand expedition out west with one of my best friends. We lived in her Jeep for a month- exploring the wild lands of Colorado and Utah. I felt so alive and inspired. It sounds cliche, but honestly, I just woke up in my tent one day and decided that I wanted to be an illustrator. After that trip, I launched an Etsy shop as my “portfolio” and applied for any job that sounded remotely similar to what I wanted to do. It all happened very fast and before I knew it, I was moving out to San Francisco with $250 in my bank account and an Old Navy credit card that conveniently had upped its credit usage 1 day before I left. It took me about 3 years to pay off that card. No college degree can prepare you for the amount of money you will spend on parking tickets and towing in San Francisco. There are so many stories and small moments that contributed to where I am today- too many to tell. There were a lot of risks- some turned out in my favor and some turned out to be really stupid. That’s just part of learning how to live. The biggest thing that I’ve learned is that the best career path for me is the one that gives me the most joy. I really believe that all humans are created for some kind of work-no matter what it is. For now, I am really enjoying making fun drawings that bring people joy- which, by the way, I think is the best job ever! But that may change in a few years. Who knows!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My husband and I just moved to Oceanside a few months ago, so I’m not completely up to speed on North County, but I do have a few local favorites! We’d start our day at Revolution Roasters-which is right across the street from my house. I’d get a chai latte and morning bun. Then, we’d check the surf and go wherever it’s looking nice and cruisy. After surfing, we’d head over to Buccaneer Cafe for a giant open face breakfast taco. Then, we’d walk over to Captains Grounds Thrift Store and score some rad threads. We’d also go to Badlands Vintage and look at all of the beautiful vintage furniture. We’d probably also make a pit-stop at Parlor for some bangin’ doughnuts. At sunset, we’d head down to Cassidy Street beach access and then top off the night with some hard kombucha and pizza from Best Pizza.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
To all of my co-workers at Brit+Co for taking a chance on a fresh out of college illustrator with no real experience <3

Website: https://www.sarahliztate.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahliztate/

Linkedin: linkedin.com/sarahetate

Image Credits
B&W headshot by Nicola Harger