Sarah Crowder: Celebrating Food

Did you think of yourself as a creative kid? What does creativity look like for your these days?

Weren’t we all creative as kids? But no, I didn’t think of myself as particularly creative, and I find it challenging to describe myself that way even today. People who have only known me for the past five years or so would probably find that strange to hear, but I think people from my childhood all the way through college would be surprised to learn that I’m now a visual artist. I always had an affinity for logic and order. Art, meanwhile, is so uncomfortably subjective.

For a long time I felt like an imposter as a creative, until I flipped my thinking to see this difference between myself and many other artists as a unique advantage. My need for things to make sense or to be effective has helped me thrive at the intersection of art and marketing.

How much time do you get to work on creative projects?

Not much! Free time and energy overlap is rare, especially during the pandemic. When it does happen though - wow! What a beautiful thing. I’ve gotten good at accomplishing creative work no matter how tired or pressed for time I am, but those exceptional moments when I have time and energy to get really creative are what keeps me going. In between though? You just gotta keep doing the work.

How did motherhood change your creative practice?

Frankly, motherhood puts more space between those moments I just described. My kids do inspire me daily, though. Ruby, for example, is constantly creating. From the second she wakes up she’s drawing, painting, building, or creating a mixed media piece. My thought patterns are so rigid; meanwhile, I can see that to her, any combination of things is possible.

How does art enrich your life? How does being a mother enrich your art?

My favorite hobby is watching movies and TV, and it’s both relaxing and motivating for me. The number of people and the level of expertise and creativity that goes into making a film truly blows my mind. I alternate between being fully immersed and analyzing all the work that went into it. Someone choreographed that fight scene, styled the food on the table, researched and designed the costumes, keyed in on the perfect lighting, the list is endless.

Parenthood has made me less self-centered in a way that I think has also affected my art. It’s made me more open and less precious or judgmental. If nothing else, there’s not enough time to let my ego stand in the way of just making the thing that’s in my mind and then moving on!

When do you feel most creative?

When I have a really clear vision of what I want to make. So often I’m just muddling through, but when I have a specific idea I feel so energized. Those are the times when it doesn’t matter what else I have on my plate or what I have to learn to make it happen. I’m suddenly unstoppable.

What’s inspiring you outside of your own genre?

That depends on how narrowly you define my genre. I don’t feel like I have to go very far to feel challenged and inspired. As a food photographer, I was wholly uninterested in portraiture until recently, and now I’m finding all these incredible portrait photographers on Instagram and thinking of ways to apply those angles, colors, or lighting to my own work. And as a digital photographer, I’m finding joy in the tangibility and constraints of shooting film.

How would you like the world to see artists and mothers?

Both of these groups are deeply undervalued. Artists because it’s difficult to quantify the ROI on what they do, whether in a personal or professional environment. And for parents, a lot of lip service is given to their importance but not nearly enough meaningful support.

If you could give everyone a small treat, what would it be?

Even if I narrow this down to food, this is such a hard question! What’s top of mind right now are the exceptional treats I recently had from La Bodega Bakery. It’s in DC but ships nationwide, and I especially recommend the golden rum cake. It’s really delicious but also beautiful, making it an especially lovely gift. The chef, Paola Velez (@smallorchids), is a co-founder of Bakers Against Racism, and her posts and stories are my favorite thing about Instagram right now.

If you had a free hour, how would you spend it? What about a free day?

With just an hour, I’d probably take a nap or watch TV, but if I had the whole day I’d get out of the city to go on a hike or otherwise immerse myself in nature.

What would you bring to a favorites party?

A heating pad?

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Sarah Crowder is an art director at Simply Recipes. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, 8-year-old son, and 6-year-old daughter. Connect with her at sarahecrowder.com and on Instagram @sarahecrowder.

This interview was originally published in 2021.

The Sidewalk Chalk Talks are inspiring interviews with mothers who are making space for creativity and finding ease and joy in the process. The women I admire are bright, visionary creatures who love their work and their families. The different dimensions of their lives enrich each other and the world we share. I hope these conversations will inspire you and your work!