We had the good fortune of connecting with Sarah Hubbard and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sarah, can you share the most important lesson you’ve learned over the course of your career?
The most important lesson I’ve learned is to always be creating and paying attention for moments of inspiration. Making something or writing doesn’t happen just in the studio. You carry it with you in all aspects of your life. You have to put yourself in the way of life to be inspired to create something. Complacency has no place in a creative life. You must keep your imagination alive and active. You have to have experiences that put you on the edge of comfort to force you out of your comfort zone so that you can grow. You should always been working towards the mastery of your craft.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I love details. I love the subtle curve of a fox’s hip as it turns to run or the way bull thistle stands tall in a field providing a small landing pad for all manner of insects and birds. I live for the moments that become the stories of places that I hold dear. I like to think I bring these details into my artwork and that I bring the viewer into the wonder of a moment with me.
I started quilting in my early twenties having sewn all of my life. It took becoming a mother for me to find my voice through fabric. I played with traditional quilts veering quickly into shapes and curves and on into fabric collage over the span of about 10 years. It took time to settle into a style that is mine. I experimented with a lot of different ways to create templates I could work from. I persisted and continued to try new ways to accomplish what felt impossible. When my kids were teenagers I put my quilting away and hoped to come back to it sometime down the road. Still having a desire to create I settled into photography and writing as both take up a lot less space. When I came back to quilting my love of detail had blossomed into a deep level of listening and observation; I learned to make use of tools like Adobe illustrator and Procreate. With these newfound skills I quickly found my groove in quilt making where the possibilities feel endless through a medium that allows me to share the finest details while also honoring the women I come from. When a viewer looks at my pieces I want them to be stunned by the detail and intricacy of the layers and textures. I want them to feel like they are a part of something special. I want them to be transported into a place where they are awed – where they experience a brief slowing down of time. Then, I want them to go seek their own wondrous moments.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Most of my friends are cyclists and outdoor enthusiasts like me. With that in mind we would ride the Dirty Sheets Gravel Route in Chattahoochee Hills. We would ride the Silver Comet and of course we would make time to pedal the BeltLine stopping for dinner and drinks. We would visit the Atlanta Botanical Gardens making sure we stopped off in the Orchid House. We would picnic in Piedmont Park and visit the Atlanta Zoo. Hopefully we could make time to mountain bike at Cochran Mill and Sope Creek. For indoor activities we would see a show at The Fox and Symphony Hall, visit the Aquarium, and check out the exhibits at the High Museum of Art.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would be nowhere without my family. My husband, Jason, and our two adult children, India and Kalib, are all creative and passion driven. They are the greatest source of inspiration to me and the biggest reason I want to be the best version of me I can be. My parents allowed me to be somewhat “wild“ as a hyperactive only child. They seemed to know the best medicine was to put me outside to play or give me something to do with my hands. I developed a deep love for fresh air and natural observation at a very early age watching and listening to my dad and my grandfather take in a setting sun after laboring in their vegetable garden. My grandmothers and most of my aunts made things – clothes, blankets, cakes.. They all lovingly helped me learn to make things too. They would show me how to do something – like a running stitch – and leave me to it only offering advice when I needed it. As the youngest and most spoiled of my cousins it is not lost on me how full of love my life has been. I am who I am and see life the way I do because of the way my family loves me and for the way the have taught me to love them.

Website: https://Www.listeningtosilence.com

Instagram: Listening.to.silence

Image Credits
Photos of me were taken by Mark Babcock

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