Through The Makers Window

I come from a family of creative people. Dress makers, cake decorators, musicians, writers and poets. From a young age I loved to draw and paint. After winning first prize for a drawing of my Nike runner in grade 6, I carried on to be exhibited in two gallery events as a young teen. I finished high school with a cert 2 in visual art.

Married to a wonderful Canadian man who took me across the waters to live on the Saskatchewan prairies where I became a mother of two beautiful children and wife of a farm boy. Inspired by the small community and golden fields of canola I created many mixed media canvases and took up my love of sewing I had learned from my mother. After 6 years of living the prairie life it was time to head back to Australia where we now reside in the Noosa Hinterland town of Cooran.

My grade 10 art teacher once told me to always carry a pen and notebook with me everywhere. I started doing this and for the past 15 years I have woken in the night to write ideas down many times. Hoping to capture it in an artistic way. This technique has given me some of my best ideas and inspiration.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/throughthemakerswindow/
Email: sarahbartel11@outlook.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/throughthemakerswindow/

How long have you been creating?
I have been making all kind of handmade goodies since I was little. My mum taught me how to make rag dolls during school holidays. I have been creating mixed media painting and sewing confidently for 15 years.

How did you get started?
I started more seriously creating handmade items when I lived in Canada with my husband and two children. We had very long winters and lived in a remote village on the Saskatchewan prairies. Out of sheer boredom and a desire to become community oriented I created a winter festival in the village to raise funds for the local rink and it was there I had great success selling some wares. It was a great boost and gave me the motivation to keep creating. I am still a hobby business, with a goal to become a well-recognised artist/crafter. Studying Small business currently is opening up many opportunities!

What is your greatest inspiration?
I am hugely inspired by colour and natural tones. I love bringing unique colour combinations together and get so excited to see a palette come to life. Lately I’ve been inspired by leaves and gold. I could put gold on everything!

What is the greatest challenge to owning and operating your own business?
The greatest challenge I find is getting the balance right between business and personal life. I find these two collide often when creating at home with all the lovely distractions.

What is the best thing about owning your own creative business?
The best thing above all else is being able to create exactly what you want. It is very satisfying to make a product start to finish and watch it sell. I love the entire process from the initial design to photography and packaging. Creating an experience for a customer is where I feel I get the most joy. Seeing a smile on their face that you put there is pretty special.