Today we’d like to introduce you to Sally Booth.
Hi Sally, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I am currently on day 846 of doing art every day. On March 23, 2021, I started doing “Art of the Day”. I have always created art – but never more than 2 days in a row. I was finding myself getting done with my busy workday, and then eating dinner and sitting in front of the tv until I went to bed. I didn’t want to do that anymore.
So now, I get through my day, and usually sit down in the evening and let some art come out. Most days, I do not know what I will be drawing until it shows up on the papers. I do this for myself, but it is fun to share it with others. It has been a wonderful addition to my day.
I have not missed a day. In the beginning, I found it very hard to consider letting any of the art go. It is very personal and very much mine. Weirdly, it is some kind of “journal”, as I do it every day. Around day 72, I started attending Open Art Night at Monticello Arts Initiative. Here I met some very special artists who quickly became some of my best friends. It is not common to find and “click” with people easily for me. In the past, I have had a lot of social anxiety.
I was asked in the summer of 2022 to have my solo art show at Monticello Arts. I accepted the challenge and displayed over 500 pieces of daily art in one solo art show. My show was up from October – mid-November 2022. It was an amazing opportunity to share my art. I found that I am pretty good with people. I displayed my show using old car hoods and trunk lids with magnets. This ties in with another hobby – going to car shows with my 1959 Studebaker Lark Gasser. I filled up the gallery space with things that I love – including taxidermy from my collection, antiques, and other special items. I am now doing some local art crawls and art shows. People ask me what my goal is, or when I am going to stop… and I tell them that I will stop when it is no longer fun. There has been no goal since I started… have to just see what happens.
I have met so many wonderful people. I share my story and hope to inspire other people to do things that make them happy.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Yes, it has been a pretty smooth road. Doing art every day has not become a chore. Sometimes it is a little more challenging – when I have a very busy day.
I have had so much support on this art journey – from family and friends.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I have always been a creative person. I love trying new mediums and finding interesting canvases. Part of the fun of Art of the Day has been going antiquing and thrifting to find interesting things to do art on.
My favorite thing to do is draw – sometimes the quick sketches are some of my favorites. I have used the same mechanical pencil for all of my days of art – refilling the lead. I joke that I have a relationship with it – because I do. I use acrylic paints, paint markers, watercolors, metallic watercolors, inks, and more. Canvases can be normal paper to some weird antique item I have found that has enough space for art.
I am known for creating/drawing whimsical skeletons/creatures… it has been called skeletal whimsy.
They are generally not mad – but often are melancholy. They have emotions – without having emotions. I have very much had my style – it is not hard to pick out the “Sally” drawing in a lineup.
What would you say has been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
The most important lesson… well, when I first started – I would think to myself “What if I run out of art?” I have found and feel like there is an infinite amount of creativity in people. You just have to try to find a good way to let it out.
I just sit down every day and take time for myself. The amount of confidence that I have gained in my art has helped me in a lot of other areas of my life. My entire life, I have struggled with saying that I am an artist – like it was a title that I couldn’t claim.
But now – I am claiming it.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sallybooth.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/studebakersal/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scrally
