Sarah Routman
Healing Headbands Project had the pleasure of interviewing the multi-talented Sarah Routman—, artist, photographer, professional laugher and author of the book "Discover the Power of Laughter." We asked Sarah about her views on the intersection of art and healing, and how she feels about using her work to help those with illness feel better. All proceeds from the sales of Sarah Routman's headbands and wristbands go directly to support Laugh Create Heal workshops. Thank you, Sarah, for your invaluable contribution to the community.
Healing Headbands: Can you describe the moment you first realized that creating art was something you were destined to pursue?
Sarah: Early in life, I began writing poetry. When life was confusing or I was unhappy, paper and pen helped me express myself and served as a salve to help me regroup and distance myself from the hurt. My dad encouraged my sisters and me to play with paint and clay. I was exposed to and developed a love for theater at a young age, too, and in 6th grade began taking music lessons. In 7th and 8th grade I was part of an incredible after school arts program – The Dayton Living Arts Center Program - that had a huge impact on my love of the arts and my budding creativity. By then, I had played the guitar, the clarinet, and the oboe. I experimented with so many visual arts, especially copper enameling, and explored music, theater, and writing on a much deeper level. In college, I pursued a degree in English with an emphasis on creative writing, but ventured into photography as well, adding a second degree in Fine Arts photography and often found ways to combine words and images. After college, I worked in a photo lab, as a photo journalist, and continued to write. I managed an art store and learned framing, feeding my creative drive. I ended up teaching high school English and drama for a number of years, continued to take photographs, and then focused on other career paths for many years. In 2022, when a friend asked me to spend the day exploring acrylic paint-pouring with her, I agreed. Something magical happened as I watched the paint spread across the canvas, and I immediately felt compelled to capture the changes that were happening with my camera. I’ve been hooked on painting ever since. I am keenly aware that my painting process is different from many other painters because I am creator and observer simultaneously. As I watch the painting take shape, I find myself compelled to capture the process as well, aware that new paintings are emerging from the original as I delve deeper into each canvas. I record what I see in the moment, knowing the paint will soon move and change before it dries, often zooming in to focus on small sections of a piece separately. For me, each saved image has the potential to become its own masterpiece, so one final painting may yield untold numbers of additional pieces of art.
HHP: What drives you to paint, and how does your art contribute to the process of healing? Have you or has someone you know experienced healing through your art?
Sarah: Painting is a sort of escape beyond the day-to-day troubles that we all face. When I paint, the rest of the world disappears and it’s only me and the colors and the process emerging on the canvas and through my camera lens. Stress and time literally melt away and as I clean up my work area, I’m always aware that I feel lighter, more grounded, and ready to deal with whatever external things I must face. Others often express the calming effect my art has on them, which is always a humbling experience for me.
HHP: How do you feel knowing that your artwork, when worn, can bring comfort and improve others well-being?
Sarah: I feel incredibly blessed to have the ability to create art for its own sake because I love the process. The idea that something I love so much can bring someone else comfort or improve their life in any way, however small, moves me greatly. When I created my first book of poetry and photography in college, I wrote, “A true poet causes you to create many poems after reading only one of his.” I feel that way about all of my art. People have told me that after seeing or reading some of my work, they have decided to try their hand at photography, writing, or painting. The feeling I get when I hear that is not something I can describe in words, but my heart swells with gratitude that my work could inspire anyone’s creativity. I know from my own experience that when we tap into our creative spirit, deep healing that we often aren’t aware we even need, can happen. Art is necessary – and it changes us.
HHP: What inspires your artistic creations?
Sarah: I don’t like to waste anything, so by design, I choose to paint on discarded objects, often using unwanted CD covers, old records, toilet paper rolls, or other items saved from the trash bin as I reimagine them as alternative canvases. Considering how to reuse packaging materials (thread, cotton, bubble paper, etc.) drives me to experiment with new techniques. There is no right or wrong – playing along with trying something new motivates me to paint almost every day. One of my favorite things is discovering ‘creatures’ in my paintings. I cannot draw something realistic, so my painting is by design abstract. When I stand back and suddenly see a turtle, a horse, or a sea monster hiding in a painting, I’m flabbergasted, and subsequently all the more inspired to continue to play and experiment.
HHP: What is the greatest challenge you encounter as an artist?
Sarah: I have so many paintings, but I don’t enjoy the ‘finishing’ process: figuring out how to frame a piece, cleaning off the back and making it look nice so that it looks professional. I paint because it makes me feel good and thinking about ‘marketing it’ for others is not part of the process I enjoy.
HHP: What has been the most touching or extraordinary experience you’ve had as an artist?
Sarah: I’ve always taken photographs and painted because I was drawn to do it. I didn’t do it for other people, but for myself. When other people have shared that simply seeing my photographs or paintings lifts their spirits, that touches me deeply. I know that things I see through my camera lens are often overlooked or dismissed by others. To have someone tell me that waiting for me to photograph clouds on a road trip or rust on the side of a building has left them never looking at clouds or rust the same way, fills my heart with an abundance of joy.
For further inquires please contact Sarah Routman below.
Sarah Routman
Email: Sarah@LaughHealthy.com
Websites:
TikTok: @laughhealthy
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