q+a with Sara Armstrong

1- How did you begin your career?

When talking about my career, I guess you could say that I like to wear a lot of hats. I first did a Bachelors in Fine Arts, where I majored in Intermedia (video and installations) and sculpture. Then I went to school for a design dipolma. I guess that’s where it “started”… I took on everything I could when I was in school. Every workshop I could find on textiles, printing, everything I felt I needed to know to hit the ground running (it never ends by the way)… I devoted my first year in Vancouver to learning everything I could. I interned 8 months out of my 12 month program and launched my first label (with my roommate at the time) 6 months into my program. It broke apart and evolved into what it is now.

2- What is your role at the lab?

I am the lead of digital and art direction. I contribute with the lab graphics, window and showroom installs, photo shoots, etc. I am lucky  to be able to combine everything I love in one place. Love lab.

3- How do you see your work evolving in the next 5 years?

Right now, I feel like I’m always trying different styles… some things stick, some things I learn a lot from and it spawns a new direction in my work. In terms of evolution, I think these next few years are super integral to where my work will be in the next 5  or 10 years… but it is hard (if not impossible) to predict creativity. I know definitly and recently my focus has been on quality over quantity.. Whatever I do, it will be my best. But in 5 years I hope to be living internationally. My grandpa was a realtor and always said “location, location, location” … I think where you are geographically definitely plays a big part in an artist’s work. Atmosphere is everything.

4- Describe your style.

I like to mix styles, especially masculine and feminine. I think most people would say it’s hard to know what I would wear from one day to the next. Someone once described me as an urban ninja … that was cool, and probably on a good “style” day. I dig the 90s chola vibe, bold lipsticks with hoop earrings … I love to thrift. I will eternally love wool socks and toques (Saskie through and through). Right now I’m into my letterman jackets, snapbacks, midi everything, and flatforms or a mini boot.  Toss it up with dark, long, drape japanese silhouettes. Contrasting is everything. Mixing the unusual and extraordinary.  I don’t like to be put in a box, so I don’t put myself in a box.

5- Describe yourself in an oxymoron?

Determined Dreamer

6-What is something in the city you are most excited to experience/do/try?

There are so many dope people doing their thing in Vancouver. My latest for june is The Tight Life. Extremely bomb team, check them out.

7- What is one thing you do everyday?

I had a prof during my BFA who, well.. we didn’t see eye to eye. But he had us paint once a day. Six years later, I still do that… I guess he had some good ideas. Ha-ha! I have a “visual journal” (canvas) hanging on my wall in my room.

8- Last meal before you die and who would it be with?

I would get everyone I love/have loved in one room. We would sit on the floor and eat Southern Indian food with our hands.

9- Artists you admire?

How much time do we have? uhhhg so many. Ok, the core: Tony Oursler, Richard Serra, Yohji Yamamoto, Yoko Ono (really..), e.e. cummings, Marina Abramovic, Rick Owens, Matthew Barney, so many of my friends, randos on the street that rock their style on the daily.

10- Where will you go from here?

to the moon.

11-Draw your next tattoo

better than this… buuuut…

follow Sara at:

www.sararmstrong.com

@sararmstrong