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The Ladies Who Lead Podcast is all about women supporting women. We will cover topics like, diversity and inclusion, gender pay gap and respect in the workplace. We want to celebrate with you and hear stories of success and hard lessons learned. Whether you are a lady who leads in the boardroom or a lady who leads in your community, this is the place for you.
SK Vaughn (00:01.92)
All right, and we are recording. So I'm just going to kind of jump into it. I am so excited to be joined here by the one and only Sarah Ott. I've been a big fan of her work for such a long time, and it's such a treat for you to be here with us on the podcast. Thanks for coming, Sarah.
Sarah (00:22.179)
Thank you for having me. It's an honor to join.
SK Vaughn (00:25.738)
Awesome. Well, I always like to start off with how are you surviving and thriving this week? Just a fun way to kick things off. So I'll go first. I think I'm surviving in kind of, you know, I think anytime it's hurricane season on the coast, we all kind of like hold our breath a little bit. And I think I'm kind of surviving in this idea of how can I help? What resources can we pull together to really help those in Florida who are in the direct path of the hurricane coming, especially to Tampa?
So I'm going to be thinking through some resources that I'm going to share on our social. If anyone wants to give towards a specific group, mean, everyone has their own way to give back. just trying to think through some of that because I can't imagine the sheer loss and kind of grief that people feel when they kind of get taken over by some of these storms. And then I'm thriving because well, we are in full swing kicking off Lazy Lead Season 4.
Such a good feeling. All the feels, feeling a little overwhelmed, excited, anxious, but mainly just really, really excited to be settling in and getting to meet and speak with such amazing women just like Sarah. So that is how I am surviving and thriving this week. What about you, Sarah?
Sarah (01:45.492)
I just love that because thriving is, mean, that's such a part of my, just my platform is that thriving is when we're working with others and involving others. And even you saying that you're surviving is investing in the good of others. So that's awesome. Surviving this week is always different with three children and a business, but you know, I'm just continuously kind of editing my life these days. This year has been a big edit year.
It's been all about really thinking about the root of everything I choose to do and why do I feel compelled to do that thing? Why is it on my schedule? Why is it here at such a high place in my priority? So that is really how I'm surviving this stage of life. sure that everything on my schedule is something that I truly do feel compelled and just the deepest, most true parts of me, that that's supposed to be something I'm doing with my life.
we just kind of have to keep editing our lives. I've also recently hired a virtual assistant who is helping me a lot with work, kind of busyness. I like to kind of weed through my list of to-dos and say, okay, is this something that only I could do or would it be good to delegate this? Can I hire someone to help me out and get this done at a more productive rate? Because of course, like painting and writing as a painter and a writer, I have to be the painter and the writer. I can't hire somebody to do that, but I can spend more time doing those things that I...
do when I have some help on board. So that's surviving for me. And thriving similarly is getting a new thing off the ground like you are doing too with your podcast. I've been getting a new thing out there. I've been developing a concept for about a year. So I'm coming out from underground in the development stage and sharing it with people. And that makes me feel like I'm thriving. I'm connecting with people and inspiring people. So that's really exciting.
SK Vaughn (03:45.878)
Yeah, I love that. A lot of big changes happening for you over there. That's awesome. And it's going to be nice to have a little bit of a weight lifted off of you to be able to kind of focus in on the things that you feel like you do best and allowing to find some efficiency there in the midst of being a mom and all the things and trying to keep your to-do list down, I'm sure. I really resonated with what you meant about like making sure that everything on your schedule is with purpose.
and really aligns basically with, paraphrasing here, aligns with kind of what you're passionate about and what you feel compelled to do. And I think that's a really great point for all of us when we think about editing our lives and what that looks like, because when you say yes to something, you're saying no to something else. So it's like, you know, and vice versa. It's like, how can we really prioritize what's most important and intentional with our time? Because it gets so busy. It gets so crazy.
I think that's a really smart next step and something I probably should be doing more of.
Sarah (04:50.454)
just recently had this kind of inspiration, something just hit me to just really look at the root of why I do everything that I do. And if you do this activity, this sort of exercise with your list of things and the things that you all of a sudden find yourself doing, a lot of times the culture or something around you has influenced that decision. You know how it is, like, you'll be on Instagram and next thing you know, you're shopping for new boots and then you're deciding you need to be a blogger and then you need to do this and then.
Culture is more influential now than ever. And so it's more important than ever that we stay mindful of our purpose and who we are and our intentions and our goals. I mean, you really do have to live with blinders on to keep from getting lost in a just a loud, busy world that's gonna constantly be making you compare yourself to others.
SK Vaughn (05:43.82)
Absolutely. And I'd love to kind of go back to the very beginning, switching gears a little bit. For those who are listening who may not know Sarah, well, I'm so glad that you get to know her now. But Sarah, kind of give us a little glimpse into your background and what kind of your story is leading up until present day as one of my favorite artists.
Sarah (06:05.674)
Thank you. Yes, I've been a painter for many, many years, more years than I have not been a painter. I was just a creative kid all along, but I was about 14 when I started to really understand that this was my thing. I love to incorporate into this story that it was my thing because it was when I finally found something I was good at. I was not the best athlete. I was not the best student, try as I might. I did when I found that I...
I was pretty naturally gifted as an artist. I just leaned in and I leaned in hard and I loved it and I learned a lot about it and I even got to do a lot of studying in high school before even college began about art. And I just had some great mentors and great parents who really supported that. So by the time it was time to go to college, I worked on getting a scholarship and I was really focused on.
developing myself into a career artist. And I did, and I've been doing it as a career for over 20 years. In that process, as a creative entrepreneur, essentially, there's just so much curiosity in there. And there's just been so many neat little tangents and projects that I've taken in addition to that. But painting is at the core. I've learned this year not to say that it's not
who I am, it's something I get to do and I enjoy it very much. It does feel like something that's innately a part of me. Creating is a privilege, it's something that I get to kind of unwind and do for a living. And so I feel like it's given me a great advantage to prioritizing that stillness and that spiritual kind of creative work.
So that's really led me into a lot of spiritual tangents and writing and exploring. Of course, when I was in art school, we had to learn how to write about our work. You couldn't just paint a red balloon and not say why it was red or why you chose to paint a balloon or why you chose the scale. You had to really understand everything about the symbolism. And so I learned a lot about writing and explaining and talking about my work. And I learned a lot about symbolism as well. And so that's...
Sarah (08:32.31)
that's built into the way I've proceeded in my career and how I use symbolism and use it to speak to people about things through art. So I've written a couple of books and I'm writing, always writing. I have a blog where I just kind of pop my essays on my website so that everything that I'm painting I like to explore through writing. every time I've...
delved into a different concept through my art. I like to sit down and really get to the meat of the matter and really work through the whole concept all the way till the end through a written piece. And so a lot of times I'll have a painting and then I'll be, you know, tossing back and forth between my desk and my easel, trying to understand what this painting is about and what it conveys and why it came into the world, why it came into existence.
What can I communicate through this painting? And not only through this painting, but through my writing. And then here lately, it's through speaking to people and popping on podcast interviews and connecting with people. And so I really am finding this joy I didn't know I had in connecting and speaking and talking and teaching and sharing. I've spent so many years alone as a little hermit in my studio.
But now I'm really getting out there and working with people and it's it's methraving for sure.
SK Vaughn (10:01.004)
I love that. And so kind of going back to your approach and how you begin a piece, like kind of walk us through that process a little bit more from concept to completion. mean, I'm, I know I have an idea of where you draw some inspiration, but where does it first start? And then what is the process of becoming and creating something really personal? If you wouldn't mind kind of sharing your process, I think that'd be kind of interesting for those listening.
Sarah (10:30.962)
Absolutely. I really don't force the way. I wait for it to come to me. And what I mean by that is I've developed this distinct and noteworthy awareness of the spirit in creative work. when you look at spirituality at large, there's a lot about creativity and creation and this word creation and image and image bearing, all these words get tossed around a lot. So
I do believe that creativity is a form of holy, like it's even like worship. So I'll wait until I know where I'm supposed to go with my creative gift and with my ability to make something new. I don't just go out and make something new. And I really make an effort not to just add to the stuff. I mean, we live in the stuff world where there's just plenty of stuff. We don't need more stuff. We need more content. need more.
truth in the world and honesty. So I wait until I feel this spiritual connection to something. in the past several years, it's been a lot to do with nature. prior to that, I did a lot of abstract work, which really delved into emotions and affirmations and things that we struggle with. But then later, I started to really look to creation and the natural world for
inspiration and it really helps me develop this sense of wonder which further enhanced my interest in the natural world and I've become sort of an outdoors person. I love to go hiking and I love to be on the water. We live down by the water and so I really I do I wait for the sense of spiritual inspiration to come to me and so I've done everything from painting shells that
carried this representation of spiritual promise to clouds, to the water and the earth and plants and lots of bird studies, bird representations from history, from different cultures, from spiritual, biblical references. I'm a big old nerd. I just like to really get into the meat of things. Like where did this come from? What is...
Sarah (12:55.934)
What is the essence of this idea? It's more than just a pretty thing. carries so much. Symbolism speaks volumes compared to words because we can use like a red bird to symbolize so much more than just a bird with red feathers. It can symbolize heavenly message, heavenly comfort. It's like a bright spot. It represents elevating our perspective. Anything with wings reminds us to look.
from a higher perspective as if we could rise above the things that we hover over and look onto with little bit too tight of a perspective. What if we could rise above it like a bird? So there's just a lot to do with art. And I just, I feel like I can't stand still for the life of me. I'm always, I'm always shifting materials and I love it. It makes it exciting.
SK Vaughn (13:51.532)
Yeah, and you refer to your studio as the garden, right? Am I correct in saying that?
Sarah (13:57.302)
That's right. Yes. I caught it.
SK Vaughn (13:59.222)
And so kind of explain to our listeners the symbolism behind this desire to win a call with that and what it means for you.
Sarah (14:10.518)
Sure, there is not a green thing in my studio. When I'm there painting, I don't have time to tend to plants. The idea is the tending really to me and my spirit. And it comes from this old, old hymn many people know called In the Garden. And so by titling my studio that I feel that it reminds me of this place like a garden where it's this quiet retreat where I...
intentionally set aside time and know that this place in this time is like sacred. And in that song, it talks about Jesus or God coming to sit with you in the garden and talk with you and walk with you and let you know that you're not alone. And that's exactly how I feel in my painting studio. It's definitely a time of spiritual, just kind of tending.
SK Vaughn (15:06.764)
I love that. And I think when we think about the garden or a garden, a lot of things come to mind, right? A lot of different, I think, symbolisms between, you know, finding peace, finding rest, during a difficult time, finding a sense of resilience under specific trees that, you know, people have sat under even in scripture. And I just think about the season of growth and what new growth could mean.
And as you're getting ready to launch some new paintings, right, or a new painting, what does this idea of new growth look like for you in the midst of growing wild, which I can't wait to dive even more into it with you.
Sarah (15:50.55)
It's everything. Without even realizing it, I've kind of built this reputation on this concept of growth. Both of my books, one a children's book and one a coffee table book, both carry this concept of growth. When I signed the books, one of them, my children's book is called Grow Like a it's called To Be a Line, but part of the story is growing like a line, like a drawn.
line and it just goes and goes and it's never ending and it can develop into all kinds of things. The sky's the limit. So when I signed that book I always write grow like a line and then my book looking up is all about may the garden grow, may that experience like I just described grow for others, may that garden like existence, the garden of Eden, the original hope that God had in his heart for his creation.
May we grow that concept. May we bring heaven to earth and God's will to earth. So growth is this tremendous, I don't know, kind of assignment on me. I am now developing this concept called growing wild. It's a teaching speaking platform. And one of the big things that we talk about is that we're never done growing. So growing continues to be something we do until the
end of our life and as far as I'm concerned, as long as I'm living and with my feet on this earth, I will be growing. When I'm done growing, I'm done living and that's the case with any living plant. When it stops producing new leaves and new foliage, it's starting to die. So I want to inspire us to grow all the days of our life. know, a lot of times we'll ask little children, what do you want to be when you grow up?
And their answers at three and four or five years old are precious. They're adorable. My six year old now, I say, what do you want to be when you grow up? And she says, I want to be an artist and a painter like you, but I also want to be a vet and I want to be a cat lady. You know, one of those ladies that have lots of cats and I want to be an astronaut and I want to be, she just goes spouting off and it's hilarious because she believes every single thing she's saying is something she is going to do. And I don't see why she can't do all of those things.
Sarah (18:08.662)
And of course there's limitations on your time, but at some point in your life we can do all kinds of things. When you ask a 13 year old that, they probably get a little bit more realistic what they want to be when they grow up. By the time you're 22, you have a professional answer that is good enough for job interview. By the time you're 40, which is how old I'm going to be in a couple months.
If someone asks you at 40 years old, what do you want to be when you grow up? You're going to look at them like they're crazy or you're going to make some joke and say, that ship is sailed. I am grown up. But I just want to inspire just a whole generation of people to recognize that we're never done growing and that we can still consider what we're going to be as we grow up until we are 100 years old. We could be growing. We're never done. And I believe that that Jesus called us to live
Like he says, like turn and look like little children and see the kingdom of heaven. And so I feel that he's calling us to look at life like that four year old who says, I'm going to be all these things when I grow up. And I don't think we're ever done dreaming, dreaming of all these crazy wild ideas. The wilder, the better. That means they're more, they're more distinct for you. And if they feel crazy, it's probably cause it's not been done before. And if it hasn't been done before,
Probably because you were made to do it.
SK Vaughn (19:35.95)
Good, good advice. I love that. And I think this idea of growing wild is something that there's like, like you mentioned, like at a certain age, it's like, okay, now I've got to act right. I've got to have this right answer. I've got to present in this way. And it takes out like childlike fun and wonder that we are meant to have. And I even think as you approach work, no matter if you're in the office or if you're out in nature or if you're in your studio, I do feel like there's an element of child's play.
that we have to find in the midst of our day to day or we are going to burn out, we are going to look around and be like, okay, when did I turn into this old person? You know, and I don't think I don't say that in an ageist way. I just think that it's okay to keep dreaming. It's okay to keep playing and to approach life work in that same idea or sandbox of childlike play. so something that you just said really struck a chord with me because I think that's
kind of how a lot of careers go to die, quote unquote, and not grow, is because people aren't approaching their work, approaching their life in this growing wild theme or idea of child's play and how you can incorporate the fun in your work too and in your creation. So I love that. I don't have a question for you there. I just love that. I thought that was a great point.
Sarah (21:01.984)
Well, thanks. I feel really called to start talking about that because I feel like it's something that's really not in our wheelhouse. I mean, you can be 30 years old, not old at all, and still be living like, you know, like your days are all washed up. it doesn't growing wild to the word wild doesn't even refer to being like a rebel reckless, like break all the rules. It just means like, you think of a vine like
the way it just grows and grows and grows. There's just no capacity. There's no end. And I believe that that's the life we were called to live, that we're led and placed on this earth to live, is just to follow that spirit led inspiration. And so that's what I'm teaching in Growing Wild, is what I have come to follow through my career as an artist. And as I've grown older, I have learned that I can take that leading, that
inspiration and take it outside of my studio and I can apply the same kind of courage that I use to make art to make decisions with my life. And in the studio, when I make something that is fresh and new and unseen, that's a good thing. That means I'm on to something new. And in life, when we do that, we feel really uncomfortable and hesitant or we feel like we've got to get back in line and this isn't the way it's done.
or at least a lot of people feel that way. So I really feel like courage is a big.
Sarah (25:09.142)
It was very gradual, but I do have a few memories of people that just really stood out as supporters but one of them was my high school art teacher who I'm still close to today, but she Overheard me laughing with my friends in art class I was probably in ninth grade or so and I was just joking with them that I was gonna grow up and be a famous artist and And it was just this laughable joke that we all laughed. Ha ha ha. That's so funny. Who is an artist we?
Wouldn't that be cool? And she walked over to me and got like right in my face, like poked her finger in my face and was like, do you listen to me? If you grow up and don't become an artist, I'm going to be really disappointed in you. Like she got really serious about the fact that this is not a joke. If you want to do this, do it. and that gave me permission to just run with it.
My parents were very supportive. My mom was an interior decorator and so she was able to give me of, a lot of like commission kind of jobs and stuff, little things here and there to help people get to know the fact that I was painting. And then my dad helped me a lot as he was an entrepreneur and he helped me establish myself as a business so that when I got out of college and
set out to be a professional artist. wasn't just flailing around out there, going to festivals and music and do whatever I wanted, calling myself a career artist. He had me under like a very regimented business plan and that was really helpful and probably the reason I achieved success.
SK Vaughn (27:01.57)
love that. It's nice to have family support, mentors who come alongside you and mentors in life that really help kind of take you to that next level or help you think about things from a different perspective. And so I think in even growing and that idea of growth, think you're also to be surrounded by such incredible people also helps continue to build that support and that encouragement along the way as you're trying to figure out your next steps. And I know I wouldn't be anywhere without.
my group of friends, family, supporters that, know, whenever I have this crazy wild idea, they're like, okay, well, let's talk about it. Or some people are like, go for it. And so I think it's always nice to have different people of support in your circle that help you to really go beyond even some of your wildest ideas or dreams and help you kind of navigate some of those. So that's awesome.
Sarah (27:58.126)
Absolutely, absolutely.
SK Vaughn (28:03.288)
So, describe kind of the importance of good soil, because you talked about roots and a foundation, but how has good soil and a foundation in your faith really allowed you to thrive personally as well as in your career?
Sarah (28:20.948)
Well, kind of where we started this conversation, knowing what's at the root of everything we do is really important. And I think the soil, this idea of having good soil is this, you know, I'm not even a gardener and I use this concept and I use this symbolism all the time. Cause I think most of us understand the general concept of planting something. You can't just stick a seed and dry hard ground and you can't put it in
soil that's too wet and you can't plant like, you know, a yard full of grass without first tilling the land and dealing with the soil. So I think the soil often represents us and the tending we need to do to ourselves. In my Growing Wild platform, we do something called garden work and the idea is tending to ourselves like a garden and we refer to
where Jesus teaches that the most important commandment in the law is to love the Lord your God with all your heart soul and mind and the second one being like it is to love your neighbor as your friend as yourself Well, I like to look at that and teach the third person in this in that verse in that teaching So there's God there's the neighbor, but then he mentions the self the the person you love apparently but
you know, how well are we loving ourselves? A lot of times we look at ourselves in the mirror and just tear ourselves up. A lot of times we don't put ourself and our well-being first. Definitely, I know we don't put our spiritual well-being ahead of our, you know, exercise and makeup and how we look on the outside. So I feel this, this soil represents our spiritual well-being, the state of our soul, which is our emotions. And our emotions can just...
take over. are like weeds in a garden. Emotions are not in charge. They don't need to be in charge. We can use higher discernment, higher wisdom than letting our emotions lead the way. So there's a lot to discuss there. And so this is part of this tending portion of my growing wild platform. When we get to the garden work area, there are
Sarah (30:44.596)
seven seeds that we plant once we've done all this tending, the seeds that we plant within our heart, soul and mind, our trust, hope, love, rest, peace, joy and freedom. And I believe that those are the things that get planted in a well-tended spirit. And those are things we all want. And those are things that we can all have. And that's just a really beautiful freeing conversation, just a way that we can...
learn to really have these things and not to find them in the world but to find them in a deeper sense of self this indwelling spirit this spirit that we find out in the wild out in nature this spirit of God that goes everywhere we go we don't have to just find them in the one hour a week on a Sunday morning I'm teaching people that we can find this clarity and this just sensibility and even order to our chaotic lives in the wild
And so that's a, giving people a lot of freedom and a lot of like even accountability.
SK Vaughn (31:53.87)
Absolutely. I think that's wonderful. I've done the garden workshop, which was incredible and was such a special experience. I'm sure the Growing Wild addition to all of this to really round it out is going to be even more exciting and definitely something everyone will want to learn more about. Speaking of that, how can people be a part of
growing wild and get connected to you in that way.
Sarah (32:26.474)
Well, I've got several different ways. I'm on Instagram with my painting platform and I'm trying to just, I've had a hard time deciding whether that was to be integrated with my Growing Wild platform and what I've decided was to separate them. I've got an Instagram account called SarahOttsArtist and I've got a second Instagram account called SarahOttsGrowingWild and I encourage you to follow that one. It is
a Christian based spiritual inspirational concept. And I've also been gearing up with with menu virtual assistant to really get out there with newsletters. I think it's getting harder and harder to find space on social media platforms. And I've got a lot to say and a lot to share. So I'm ready to really acquire just, you know,
The people that are really interested in hearing this stuff, I really want to speak to them. And so I think that the email is a really great way to get that information in front of everyone who's interested in it. And additionally, I've got my blog on my website, sarahats.com. My website is called Behind the Paint. And I started it 15 years ago, maybe, when I just really had so much behind my paintings that...
that needed to be said, that needed to be shared. So that has been a long time developing. then additionally, I have this Growing Wild platform, speaking platform that I am just beginning to get out there. Right now I'm leading a group of women on Thursday mornings at my house and it's been wonderful. It's very exciting and I look forward to lots of future opportunities to speak publicly.
I love the opportunity to speak free. Just anyone who wants to come, it's just a message for anyone, literally anyone, any gender, any age, something anyone could benefit from. And additionally to that, one more thing, I am also working with a friend who owns a travel company, like a small boutique travel company.
SK Vaughn (34:37.197)
Absolutely.
Sarah (34:50.46)
And we are working together to create retreats. Our first retreat, I just got off the phone with her this morning. We are planning for Italy in May, the first week of May. We're taking a break over there learning, growing wild in Italy, which is gonna be incredibly wild and amazing and life changing. So lots of exciting things on the horizon. are just in full-blown, not panic. We're in full-blown.
SK Vaughn (35:02.19)
wow.
Sarah (35:20.22)
growing well mode, we are just growing this thing all over the place and it's exciting.
SK Vaughn (35:49.622)
I always love asking this question because I feel like every single person has a completely different answer. And there's not a right or wrong. But what does success mean for you? When you look back on everything, like what do you feel like success means?
Sarah (36:10.966)
Well, I know what it's not. I know success is not defined by money. I know that there can be plenty of people who create a great deal of wealth, but are very unhappy in their life. So I feel that success is defined in freedom. And I've done a lot of work in my life, both ways of
working really hard to achieve a successful career that was financially doing really well. And I just at one point turned around and was like, I'm exhausted, I'm tired. This is not the lifestyle I had in mind. So I redefined success at that point in my life and I had to very intentionally choose what I wanted out of my life. At the end of my life, what will I be happy that I achieved and acquired?
great financial success is just personally not what I'm after. It's something that matters. Money is important, but it's not the ultimate goal. And so I really feel that finding our way to a sense of freedom is the ultimate success. And you can see how sometimes money stops short of actually being about freedom. So I think
I talk about money a lot in that sense because I think it blinds people a lot in the freedom and the success conversation. Having a lot of money means having a lot of freedom, but having a lot of freedom doesn't necessarily mean having a lot of money. In Growing Wild, we talk a lot about freedom and there's a whole season designated. The season for studying freedom is a big one. It's one of the biggest ones. It has a lot to do.
with surrendering to cultural assumptions. So that conversation could keep going on and on. I might stop there.
SK Vaughn (38:16.684)
Yeah. No, I think that's a great answer. And it's so interesting how everyone defines it differently. And I think that it kind of shows people's priorities and perspective when they open up about that specific question, because everyone's got a different answer under the sun. But I think it's an important one for each person to seek out for themselves and to figure out how to define it in a way that feels really true to yourself.
Well, thank you so much, Sarah, for jumping on today and for being a part of this courageous conversation around growing wild and what it means to be free and finding that freedom and finding that hope. And I'm just excited to see what else comes for you this year. It seems like a lot of growth is happening, a lot of new growth in this new chapter and season for you. so don't be a stranger. I've absolutely loved getting to connect and talk through all of this with you today.
Sarah (39:15.36)
Thank you so much for having me. I hope I've brought some inspiration to your listeners and I always love getting to chat with you, SK.
SK Vaughn (39:23.604)
Absolutely. Thank you. So I'm going to, I'm sorry. Sorry. I'll let you say your last part.
Sarah (39:36.234)
Thank you.