We had the good fortune of connecting with Sarah Abraham and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Sarah, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I’m an Indian-American born and raised in Auburn, Alabama. Living in a small, predominantly white town while also being raised by strict immigrant parents, I really struggled with finding my identity and what my purpose was. I grew up trying to impress and fit in with the community while also trying to be the “perfect” Indian child. I went on to Auburn University after high school and college made me realize real quick that it was not possible. I learned that I was only going to be happy by being strong in my faith, and staying true to myself and what I believed in. I stopped trying to impress people, stopped trying to pretend that my life was perfect, and started doing things that I was passionate about outside of the classroom and workplace. And while there are lots of regrets and mistakes I’ve made over the years, everything–the good, bad, and ugly–has made me who I am today and I’m grateful and happy about that.
Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Haha where do I even start? I started my blog in college. I did not like my major and pretty much college in general, so I needed a creative outlet and Sarthellabra, my blog, was born. It basically became a place to share how I was feeling mentally and ask if anyone else could relate because I felt so alone. During those lonely hours, I spent lots of my free time watching makeup and fashion videos on YouTube, and my interest in the fashion and beauty world increased, so that got sprinkled into my blog. I learned that I was actually a decent photographer and really liked it, so I started taking photos for friends and incorporated that into my blog as well. I also realized I liked painting, so I painted random artwork for my apartment and for some of my friends. Then I decided to start a new Instagram account and dedicate it to my blog, fashion, beauty, and anything that was going on with me at any moment that I wanted to share with the world. Basically college made me realize that I liked a lot of things that were not related to my major at all! However, by the grace of God, I did end up finishing undergrad and I graduated from Auburn with a degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering. I worked for a couple of months as an engineer, and now I’ve been in Atlanta for two years working in supply chain and logistics.
Was any of this easy? Absolutely not. I’m sharing the abridged version here, but I made mistakes and have regrets. I have learned a lot over the last 8-9 years and everything has made me even stronger in what I stand for. And that being said, do not feel obligated to follow a “traditional” career path. You can be successful in whatever you aspire to be as long as you work hard and put your mind to it. Do what YOU feel called to do. I learned this after college so I’m still figuring it all out. And if you have a passion for something different from traditional careers, go for it! Not saying to quit your job 100%, but it is better to have tried and failed than to not have tried at all. I’m in the process of trying to restart my creative endeavors and I really just want people to follow along my journey and hope whatever happens inspires others to follow their dreams as well!
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love this question. Let me preface this by saying there will be lots of eating! I would probably start out by taking them to Ponce City Market. So many cool places to eat and shop at, plus the rooftop! Then we would walk on over to the Beltline and see the different murals and eventually end up at Piedmont Park. My friends and I love to have picnics there. My favorite restaurant is Little Trouble, so we would definitely end up eating there one night. I love the vibes and the food is AMAZING. Puttshack is walking distance from Little Trouble and it’s a fun time as well! It’s super colorful with cool lighting everywhere and putt-putt is always fun with friends. I feel like it’s obligatory to visit Jackson Street Bridge and see the incredible view of the city. I know some people disagree, but I think it’s still my favorite view of the city. One day, we would probably go to The Works. Also one of my favorite places and so many drink and food options there as well! If we were to venture outside of the city a little bit, definitely Chinese Dhaba at any of their locations. It’s an Indian Chinese restaurant and the food is 10/10. We would go to Barcelona Wine Bar and/or Eclipse Di Luna for the most yummy tapas. One day, we’d go to Centennial and go on the ferris wheel. It’s super basic, but it’s another incredible view of the city! I love rooftop bars, so we would probably end up at all the rooftops across Atlanta. I’m still learning my way around Atlanta, so I’m sure we would just end up exploring new places!
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Honestly, I would love to give a shoutout to all the people who have ever reached out to me about how being open about my life has helped them feel less alone in whatever they are going through. Whether it was through DMs, text, comment on a video, whatever! Not knowing what struggles others were facing truly affected my decisions into my 20s because I really thought I was alone. Knowing that sharing my thoughts and feelings on the internet has helped even one person made me realize I am doing at least one thing right in my life and I have to keep going!
Website: www.sarahtabraham.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarthellabra/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahtabraham/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/sarahabraham09
Other: https://www.instagram.com/sarahabrahamcreative/