A PROFILE OF STREET ARTIST SARAH SCULLEY PART FOUR

In “THE ARTISTS” series, A SLEEPING SAMURAI® is putting a spotlight on creatives whose work we feel has synergy with our brand message, “DO YOUR WORK WITH LOVE, THE OUTCOME WILL BE LOVEABLE™ .” A SLEEPING SAMURAI® is delighted to present Part Four and the final part of a profile of American-born street artist, Sarah Sculley.

Sculley is a visionary street artist whose creative universe expands across studio street art, epic murals, and a podcast designed to help upcoming creatives – establishing herself as a brand in her own right over the past 17 years. She debuted her first show in Shanghai in 2007, winning international recognition and now runs a weekly podcast inspiring creatives to build their own successful businesses. Creating her groundbreaking art with love, her ethos aligns with A SLEEPING SAMURAI®,  a luxury fashion house, reinforcing its values of innovation, care for the love of our craft, sustainability, and entrepreneurship. 

In Part Four  of our profile on street artist Sarah Sculley, we talk to Sarah about her transformation into a businesswoman, her excitement about giving back, her passion and energy for her weekly podcast, and what will come next.

THE BUSINESSWOMAN

We asked Sarah how a successful artist transformed into a successful businesswoman in Australia, building her own art business. Was it easy? She responded, “Tough. It was  easier in China where the cost of living was lower. In Australia it's a bit more difficult. Being a female hasn't made any difference, but being a business owner has. Particularly now when the economy is sticky, every dollar that comes in is because I've been busting my gut in the background. I'm like a duck - I look cool and calm on the water but my feet are churning under the water: marketing, PR, finances, admin, planning, insurance, booking, customer relations. It's a lot, but I enjoy it. I like a challenge. I am always learning, and always growing and evolving.”

INTERNATIONAL SUCCESS

It's been 17 years since her first exhibit in Shanghai. Sarah describes this as a surreal and exhausting experience, along with an element of panic, even though the event sold out. Since her 2007 debut,  there have been shows in Australia, Indonesia, Nepal, Thailand, UK, and USA. Sarah Sculley’s work can be seen in November 2024 at The Butter Factory, Coorooy, Australia. She is also painting a large mural in Nambour, Sunshine Coast, Australia in the same month. Her murals can currently be seen in many places across the world, including Chiang Mai in Thailand,  Denpasar and Jakarta in Indonesia, Kathmandu in Nepal, and throughout the Sunshine Coast, Australia.

GIVING BACK

Often when creatives and business people have  enjoyed such success, there comes a point at which they want to give-back. And for Sarah, this giving back has come in the form of inspiring and helping up-and-coming female artists to become successful small business artists. She told us, “I like to help up-and-coming female small business artists. It's hard to be what you cannot see. I want  them to see me making money from a profitable and sustainable business and think 'If she can do it, I can do it'. Because they can! The creative industries are very misunderstood. There is a misconception that artists are starving. I feel like I'm trying to bust this myth, so that the parents of students will start supporting their choice to work in the creative industries rather than steering them away. It's misinformation.”

Sarah’s idea to support small business artists has morphed into a weekly podcast. We asked what the podcast was all about. Sarah told us, “A lot of artists  have amazing talent but aren't necessarily taught how to run a small business at uni or TAFE. Unless you are working exclusively with galleries, it can be rough trying to build a sustainable and profitable art business. The podcast exists to support other creatives to build their own art business. It is called Art + Business + Murals and a new episode drops each Monday.”

In terms of her biggest successes or proudest moments, she says it’s the small moments that mean the most, like when she’s on the way to one of her events, and she gets that feeling “OMG, every cent I've made it's because I've made it myself.” Sarah  says that she’s living her dream and she is living it because she has worked so hard for it. And yet, we get  the feeling Sarah is not one for stopping and soaking in the accolades. She likes to move forward, and to move forward at a fast pace, taking only brief, quiet moments of reflection on her undoubted success.

KEEP MOVING FORWARD

And so, what’s next for Sarah? What’s she doing and where can I see her and her new artwork? Here you go: 

• November 2024 – Exhibiting at The Butter Factory, Cooroy, Australia.
• November to December 2024 – Mural painting in Brisbane, Australia, Gold Coast, Australia, and Sunshine Coast, Australia.
• January 2025 – Guest speaker at Art Lovers Australia, Melbourne, Australia.
• May 2025 – Solo exhibit in Tewantin, Australia.
• May 2025 – Exhibiting in Open Studios, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia.
• Dropping every Monday – ART + BUSINESS + MURALS Podcast.

All this and more can be found on Sarah’s website at https://www.sculleydesign.com