Sourcing Joy | Photo Project | Chilliwack Photographer

A frame from the “How We Self Care” series with Brenna Vink, 2019

I've been thinking a lot lately about how much I loved my "How We Self Care" series in 2019. Following people sharing stories around how they cared for themselves was beautiful and soothing and I loved every single moment of documenting these sweet lives living, even while recognizing that self care exists within a privileged space - it's not accessible to all. Between dealing with illness and then the pandemic, along with questions that were rising up for me around accessibility and the term "self care", this project kind of fell to the wayside. 

I've been thinking a lot lately about the term "glimmers", it's kind of in the neurodivergent wheelhouse - instead of focusing on problems, focus on the glimmers - what shines, what invites, what works. Joy feels this way to me - I think, maybe especially as a neurodivergent person, that I look at joy in these layered ways. I feel joy when I look outside and see a storm rolling in, the wind picking up, the leaves on the trees swaying. I feel joy when I connect with other humans and make art with them. When I see a great wildflower patch. When I get into flow. When I can be cozy, piled up with blankets, watching terribly good scary movies on my couch. When I'm photographing something that just feels like MAGIC with every button click. The list goes on and on and on. In the same way that you can train your brain to look for glimmers, the same can be said for joy - the more you look for it, the more you find it, the more space you make for it - even when joy itself can be complex and sometimes challenging to source. 

This new photo project focuses on that, on joy and how we find it. Sometimes we make it. Sometimes we engage with it. Sometimes it stumbles across us, flies through us, in a random moment of the day. 

I'm looking to create a series of photo essays this July onwards around sourcing joy - what brings you joy? What feels joyful? These will be photographed at a go with the flow pace and work best around a process or activity - something that can be documented in a number of frames. Submit your idea through the website here. I'll respond to every submission, whether or not it's been chosen, within one week so check your junk mail! If you don't hear back from me reach out again as I won't have received it.

This project is open to all - LGBTQia2s+ welcome. If you’ve participated in How We Self Care, 24 Stories, or other photo projects you’re absolutely welcome to participate with this as well. This project is also very attuned to accessibility - please let me know how I can support you & assist with any potential barriers around participation.

The project is free to participate, you can support this and projects like it by becoming a patron.

Come As You Are Portrait Party | Chilliwack Photographer

Friends! I’m so excited to offer this limited time portrait package! I was thinking the other day of “Come as You Are” parties - these parties don’t seem to happen much anymore, but if you do some Internet digging you can find black and white vintage photos of people gathering in all kinds of dress, showing up in the middle of doing something. The goal was to just be there, arrive, be who you were - and I love how inclusive & spontaneous that idea is. Just show up. Be present. You’re welcome to be here, regardless of how you come. I also love how every gathering would then be different - the group that showed up and how they showed up would shift with every meet up (which also falls in line with why I love Recraft so much, too - the act of just showing up will always make a difference to a space, and that’s so beautiful.)

To celebrate my birthday next week, I’ve decided to throw a Come As You Are Portrait Party for the next little while and I really hope you’ll join me! Here’s how they work:

1. PACKAGE: Portrait Sessions are $100, and include 1 digital file. 5-15 minutes. 1 person. *Inquire for more than 1 person, or for travel beyond Chilliwack.

2. BOOK LAST MINUTE: These can happen fairly spontaneously. Have an idea Thursday morning? Reach out to me asap and we could potentially shoot in the afternoon. Payment is due once booking is confirmed.

3. ADD ONS: You get 1 file of your choice (if multiple files are available), but you can add on additional files for $25 each if you’d like to.

4. These are VERY different from full sessions (like family, portrait/headshot, or beauty sessions). They’re unconventional, collaborative, and quick - posing is done very lightly, and you don’t need to look at the camera - the goal is to get one photo that captures a feeling, narrative, creative concept without any extensive editing and focusing on one person. Always wanted a photo in your garden? A picture in front of your favourite blue wall? Your favourite bookshop? With your pet parrot? Want to wear a bathing suit in front of your vintage car while holding a unicorn pool toy? LET’S DO THIS! These sessions give room to creating movement, playing with focus, expressing emotion, thinking outside the box and exploring space.

Ready to book? Fill out the form here!

Rainbow Crosswalk for Chilliwack!

Let’s get a Rainbow Crosswalk up in Chilliwack!

I have so much to write around this, but still processing it all.

The thing most forefront in my mind is: MY HEART IS SO FULL. What a beautiful, positive event steeped in love!

Check out the article from the Chilliwack Progress here.

Check out the CTV News coverage here.

THANK YOU to everyone who spent their time, energy, funds, who generously gave their love, presence, support, good vibes, and heart to the project - and a big shout out to Amber Price for putting this all together!

More photos to come in time, but in the meantime, I’m so happy with the turn out, during a huge rainstorm, and in spite of the 5 or so protester’s who also showed up - there was just such a good energy, so much love, and I’ve received so many positive messages from those who couldn’t attend as well. Much thanks to everyone involved, especially Kate & Pam who helped assist me in the rain - here’s just a very few images from the night!

Our second photo of the evening, taken about an hour after the first image.

(re)craft retreat | create + collaborate | a creatives' weekend retreat in Trapp Lake, B.C.

I’m so excited to share with all of you that I’ll be running a small, laid back retreat! The weekend is about exploring the collaborative, creative process and reconnecting, recharging, and refocusing. Formerly known as the Creative Recharge & Refocusing Festival, (re)craft will be running for 3 days filled with a mix of photographers, models, makeup & hair artists, as well as people engaging with fabric arts, writing, drawing, meditative singing, smudging, and dancing.

This weekend is meant to be a space to create, collab, and take many a well-deserved nap.

Follow along on instagram through the weekend: @sarahsovereign

This first weekend is a pilot group - engaging with the collaborative process is one of the best ways I know how to learn, and I learn by doing - so just jumping in and then taking all the info and reflecting, constructively building, and seeing everything unfold is very much how I create - and really what the weekend is all about. Unspooling. Letting. Unfolding.

Here’s our mission statement: to gather in a safe & supportive space and engage with the creative, collaborative spirit, reflecting on why and how we create while exploring & reconnecting with the artistic processes that set our hearts on fire. allowing our creative selves to journey and experience the unfolding of new ideas, directions, and immersive conversations, both with others and within ourselves: to make art, for us, with one another, beyond the boundaries of mere survival.