Artist Statement

I could never run fast enough to escape the demons in my mind.

So, I stopped running and turned to face them.

I'm Sarah Spann James. You can call me SJ. I'm a melancholy yet playful digital illustrator and visual storyteller based in the Pacific Northwest. My style is a nod to comic book style art with a penchant for subtle cyberpunk and dark elements. I utilize grayscale mixed with color to create dramatic expressions born of overthinking, anxiety, and things left unsaid. 

Currently I'm working on an ongoing series creating digital art as NFTs for my 'Obstacles to Fate Series.' This collection is a journey of self-discovery and rebirth. It is a personal and artistic challenge to redefine myself as an artist and a human.

I find myself in a difficult season of life. There is a crack in my timeline, and now I am faced with two choices. I can either step out of the shadows and become or remain in the shadows and be consumed. I'm choosing emergence, and this project is my leap of faith toward becoming. This chapter is where I save myself.

'Obstacles to Fate' represents precisely this: the obstacles we encounter on the road to our fate. The series examines the roadblocks we face and the various ways that the red thread of fate becomes tangled. It spends time sitting with the things we think we want vs. the things we need. Ultimately, it explores our human attempts to untangle the red thread and bend fate before time slips away and our fates become sealed. 

It is a part of my path to embracing my vulnerability and sensitivity, finally realizing that those things are signs of courage and strength rather than signs of weakness.

The process of creating my artwork is one in which I am able to sit at the table with my demons and be vulnerable and honest as I unpack and explore my thoughts and emotions. Tears are a common occurrence because each piece I create is deeply personal. Music is also a large part of my creative process, and I typically will choose a few songs that resonate deeply and play those on repeat.