"Choices you make everyday can show your art"
Edition 22: Interview with graphic designer & ceramicist Sarah Lynn Graves
Sarah Lynn Graves in her home office / studio (image by AJ Lee)
There is an age-old debate about whether doing drugs enhances or hinders your creativity. I’m not going to dive into the neurological studies on the topic and I don’t have a conclusion, except to point to Keith Richards and marvel at what the human mind and body can withstand. What interests me about the question is that it reveals a bias in society towards thinking that you must be detached from reality — and its weight of responsibility and rational decision-making — in order to be in the optimal state to make art.
In fact, indulging in narcotics, alcohol-abuse and rampant sexual escapades almost became expected of (mainly male) artists for a large part of the 20th Century. Jackson Pollock, for example, was a raging alcoholic; on a break from creating spattered masterpieces he eventually drunk drove his car into a tree on Long Island, killing himself and an unfortunate passenger. Lucien Freud was famous for asking his subjects to give over years of their life to sit for his painting pleasure in London, and wound up getting a number of them pregnant. I would hazard a guess that he wasn’t taking time out of the studio to make his many (possibly 30) children chicken nuggets for dinner. These stories make me wonder about the loved ones picking up the pieces behind them. And all the artists, unknown to us, who did remember birthdays and show up for bath time.
My interviewee for this edition is, I believe, a beautiful rebuttal to the “artist absent responsibility” premise. Whether or not she takes mind-altering drugs — we didn’t cover that during our chat in her backyard and, for the record, we stuck to water — Sarah Lynn Graves is a self-proclaimed “planner”, and yet she exudes artistry in myriad ways: from leading her team of graphic designers at work, to crafting inventive ceramics at home (sometimes doing both at once). Deep in the process of renovations on her home in Accord, NY, each interior decision is a carefully curated expression of the ongoing creative dialogue in Sarah’s mind: “I want to feel that feeling, that these are intentional decisions, artistic expression.” Sarah has even found space for inspiration in her back yard — creating intricate sketches “in the dead of winter” of what her garden could look like, and marveling at the unexpected results come spring: “Gardening is a creative outlet I never thought I would have — an artistic exploration. I never realized that Monet created those gardens that he would paint. I love thinking about it that way.”
Along her journey from art school in Kansas to Creative Director of the Consumer Marketing Design Team at Penguin Random House, Sarah has created ad campaigns, album covers, websites, endless Martha Stewart content, pottery, music videos, and much more. She is both relentlessly driven — ”I taught myself to code, which at the time was extremely rare for designers; and it has served me ever since” — and endlessly nurturing and generous: “I’m very maternal about managing my team of designers; they’re my babies, we’re like a family.” When I asked to see her pottery she seemed concerned there wouldn’t be much to show: “I have a tendency to give things away, especially my favorite things.”
Despite all this hustle and productivity, Sarah still wrestles with claiming the identity of “artist”, in part because people along the way have carelessly put Sarah’s strength for care & rigor in opposition to artistry: “All my teachers in art school, their feedback was often that I was a designer not an artist, because my approach is very clean and grid based.”
I think they were wrong — about Sarah, and also about the notion that there is a clear boundary between “art” and the necessities of life. From my perspective, Sarah dispels the outdated, patriarchal preconception that artists must be allowed to be self obsessed, shedding reality and responsibilities in order to achieve creative heights. She is proof that artists can in fact be kind, empathetic and prone to planning: making the most of what time you have, however small, and having the bravery to make decisions that guide yourself and others, so that beauty can emerge everyday and be shared generously.
Here’s more from my conversation with Sarah.
Catskills-inspired ceramics by Sarah Lynn Graves in her studio in Accord (image by AJ Lee)
AJ Lee: Hello, Sarah! Thank you for having me over on this beautiful day. Let’s dive right in. Take me back to Kansas — did you always know that you wanted to be in the visual arts?
Sarah Lynn Graves: I was always making my own versions of things as kid; I always gave hand made gifts and cards. I made my own yearbook. I actually learned how to make books and made my own diaries. I’ve always loved making things.
I went to the University of Kansas. I would love to go back and take more college art classes: the studio setting is so amazing. Model drawing classes, just being in that creative community, and having access to all these things you wouldn’t have at home, like sculpture classes or welding. Even just doing one thing in a class informs what I do now.
But I feel like I’ve always struggled with calling myself an artist. I went to school for photography and wanted to pursue fine art, but my dad was like ‘you probably want to do something that pays money’. His advice was to find something that allows you to do your art, but don’t rely on it. All my teachers in art school, their feed back was often that I was a designer not an artist, because my approach is very clean and and grid based. Maybe not the best feedback, but it led me to design which has allowed me to have a creative career.
AJL: That is misguided feedback in my opinion — creating an unhelpful binary between design and “art.” But, regardless, tell me more about your path into graphic design.
SLG: I did some freelance work after college, and I taught myself how to code HTML and CSS — I learned from books. At the time that was extremely rare for graphic designers to know how to code. It turned out to be a very, very smart decision. It enabled me to move to NYC and freelance there, and take contractor positions for a few years. It was something I fell into — no teacher advised me to do that. I just found a niche and it’s served me ever since.
Coding is similar to that maker aspect of me — it’s super abstract but you feel like you’re building something. It’s amazing to be able to take a flat design then create a three dimensional web experience, including animation and interactions, adding in UX and all of that. It is an incredible way to give it more depth. Similar to print designers going deep in that world, and getting excited about stock and ink; it’s the other direction of that. You should know how to code in order to design for the web. All the designers I hire do.
Sarah’s detailed planting plans for her backyard (image by AJ Lee)
AJL: I love that you did that. Not only was it a piece of prescient genius, but it seems fitting that you didn’t need anyone’s advice to make that call. What came next?
SLG: I went to work for Martha Stewart — the ultimate maker! I came into that as a Senior Art Director, which was a huge jump up for me. They were so impressed by me being a developer and a woman; it was so rare at the time. Plus my general enthusiasm about crafting — knitting and the fun little things; I was into it and they could tell.
It turned out to be really hard to manage the pressure. Martha is a very intense person but also super magical — it was a bit like working at the North Pole, everything happened in one space: TV, test kitchen, prop library… so fun, but also painfully stressful. They were struggling to remain relevant. I went on maternity leave and when I came back my whole department was laid off, and I was in charge of everything web.
So, when someone mentioned to me that there was this position open for a Design Director at Penguin Random House, I was ready. It was a step up in terms of managing people. I feel like I’ve always hustled my way into positions, and I have a bit of imposter syndrome.
AJL: You definitely should not feel that way given your impressive skills and experience, but I empathize. You seem happy in your role now — does working for a book publisher make a difference?
SLG: My mom was a librarian. I used to spend my summers at the pool all day then the library in the afternoon — I was basically raised by the library. I love books. I always felt so comfortable around them. [Editor’s note: Sarah has recently joined the Board of the incredible Stone Ridge Library — a match made in heaven.]
I have never been super comfortable working just to make a small number of people richer. Publishing isn’t a non profit but I think it’s such a noble industry; Penguin Random House is European owned, very liberal, very up front about its beliefs — a much better fit than any other job I’ve had.
I’m very maternal about managing my team of designers; they’re my babies, we’re like a family. Especially getting through COVID, I‘ve been able to make my number one goal their career advancement, fostering their growth, whether that’s staying at our company or beyond; I genuinely care for the people in my team, we have such rapport and an honest and trusting work relationship.
Part of what makes me a good manager is that I don’t care super strongly about work. I only care about life. I want to make sure I’m happy and what makes me happy is that the people around me are happy — protected, supported, and that they feel like they’re in the right place.
A snapshot of Sarah and her daughters, pinned up in her studio (image by AJ Lee)
AJL: Can I come work for you? (Seriously though, I need your management manual). OK, enough about work — tell me about your ceramics. What attracts you to that format for creative expression?
SLG: Because I spend eight hours a day staring at my computer, I really like getting dirty, and the tactile nature of it. I love how much planning is involved in it. My desk is set up so I have my computer on one side and all this work space on the other — so I can wedge and roll out slabs while I’m in a meeting!
I like taking it slowly, planning out what I want to create — I have a tendency to rush, rush, rush, because I get impatient, but if I take it slow I can create something I’m proud of. I’m not really a great improviser — I’m a planner. I’m a designer in that sense: I really like to think about different ways something can be done, choose the right way, go back and change it if it’s not working.
The thing about my ceramics is, that for all my planning and painstaking refinement, they are pretty rough; somewhat intentionally. I love wabi-sabi — I’ve chosen to let myself off the hook by embracing that idea.
[Editor’s note: Sarah showed me a few of her pieces, including one that is inspired by the Catskill mountains, and another that has a lightning crack effect created by putting a horse hair into the firing process.]
Ceramics by Sarah Lynn Graves in her studio in Accord (image by AJ Lee)
AJL: They are so beautiful. Please do more, and tell me before you give them all away. I will pay you! Your house is also full of carefully selected artworks. Which artists do you love and admire?
SLG: We have a lot of artists from Kansas in the house. Matt Wycoff actually lives upstate now. He’s been a friend for a long time. The thing that Matt taught me is that artists live their art. Even if you’re not working on a painting or a piece, so many choices that you make everyday can show your art. He has this farmhouse where in every room the color was meticulously chosen, all the textiles… it’s something I think about now. It’s given me license to make certain decisions in the way that our home and gardens are set up. I want to feel that feeling, that these are intentional decisions, artistic expression.
Other artists that I love: Ben Dowell, Morris Louis, Sol LeWitt, Piet Outdolf, Sheila Hicks and Nikolai Astrup.
Art in Sarah’s house by Kansas artists: Courtney Tramposh (L), Matt Wycoff (R) (image by AJ Lee)
AJL: Finally, as we stand here on your sunny slice of Accordian land, how has moving upstate impacted your creativity?
SLG: It’s been amazing. I loved being in the city; well I told myself I loved it — but the amount of time I save for myself now, not doing the eternal schlep that is living there… now I suddenly have time for myself; and being able to use that time for art and gardening has given me peace in a way that I didn’t think I could have. I thought I was an extremely anxious person that had to keep going as fast as I could. Actually, I like things slower, it turns out.
Gardening is a creative outlet I never thought I would have — creating, artistic exploration. I never realized that Monet created those gardens that he would paint. I love thinking about it that way. In the dead of winter I have gone really deep on designing gardens for our property. A whole other level of satisfaction, the shoveling and manual labor. In a similar way to pottery, although if something doesn’t work out it’s less devastating: you don’t have a lopsided vase in your living room forever. It ties in this maternal instinct: you’re raising all these little babies — when things become established and spread, the joy, it’s like watching them grow up!
Sarah, thank you. It has been truly a pleasure. I can’t wait to see what you do next as you find even more ways to make art part of life.
Summer is coming! One cool spot to hang out upstate this Memorial Day weekend is the recently opened neighborhood restaurant Darlings — so called ‘Paradise in Tillson.’ Plus, if you’re looking for fresh air and an art fix, consider heading over to Storm King Art Center which starts its extended summer hours on May 27th.