Session 3 // Let’s welcome, Sari Oister

1. Who are you and what do you do?

My name is Sari Oister, I’m a visual artist. My focus is generally photography, both digital and analog, but lately I’ve been experimenting more with textiles, installation and video among other things. I post a lot of my work on my Instagram: @sari_eo and my website: sarieo.com

2. A majority of your creations are of yourself. Has it been a journey of self discovery through these images or can you tell people what these self portraits truly portray? 

So, I do a lot of self-portraits, and I think some of them have to do with my own relationship with myself and a journey of self-discovery for sure, but I also think each set of self-portraits can stand alone with their own separate meanings (if that makes sense?). Basically, I’ve had a pretty difficult relationship with myself mentally, physically and health-wise, and I believe I best deal with and rationalized that by literally putting myself under the lens and picking it apart. I also think there’s some concepts and ideas that I come up with that I can only portray myself because they’re incredibly personal. At the end of it, self-portraiture has just been a means for me to force myself out of my comfort zone and learn to love myself which is cool. 

3. Being an artist in your 20s, which is still young, would you say you were inspired in your teens more than the now? 

Absolutely not!!! If anything, it’s just a different kind of inspiration. A lot of the work I produced in my teens didn’t hurt as much to create, and I found most of my inspiration from external sources and thus my work lacked a certain amount of maturity and sincerity. I think as I’ve gotten older, I’ve gotten better at digging into that place within me or within an external issue that makes my work have a lot more depth. And then as far as my fashion work goes, I think my inspiration has only grown now that I don’t limit myself to what is seen as cool or trendy because I think I’ve really managed to define my own personal fashion sense.

4. What is your favorite color to interact with while creating art and why? 

My favorite color to interact with while creating art would be red. In general, I enjoy very strong, punchy colors kind of like the colors of reflective road signs when sunlight hits them at the right angle and they really glow. But red is my favorite, it’s such a strong color that can say a lot of things and represents anything from royalty and power to sex, love, violence etc.

5. You use your social media platform as a place to discuss your opinions and for what’s right for our society. Why do you think that is so important? 

I actually don’t know if me putting my political ideals on the internet does shit at all, I’m mostly just screaming into the void for my own wellbeing, and if that informs or moves somebody then that’s great! I do think the internet and social media is the great equalizer, so it’s definitely important, at least for me, to use it as an educational tool to share information and ideas so that we all can learn and grow (this is very idealistic I know). I’ve also learned so much by following people from all different walks of life. I like knowing what political and social problems people are facing or talking about, it keeps me both informed and aware of the struggles others go through.

6. Inspiration. What has guided you into becoming the artist that you are in present time?

The people in my life plus my life experiences have absolutely been the biggest influence in guiding me to where I am currently as an artist and will probably continue to do so. I have a wonderful support system within the Canton art community where there’s so many people willing to offer me help, my place of employment which as pushed my commercial work immensely, and my friends/models who are constantly down to make cool art and give me great feedback and encouragement. As far as life experiences go, I draw so much from what I’ve been through and that’s been a vital aspect of my artistic growth. I’d like to think I’ve taken all of the adversity that I’ve experienced and managed to make the most out of it with my art, and it’s helped me be in tune with my own emotional and mental wellness which is wonderful. I’ve never liked the idea that you have to be sad or troubled to be good at art. I do make a lot of art from dark places, but I do so to bring light to those things and get them off my chest. It’s very therapeutic, I use creation to find happiness and to make sense of hard things instead of letting them build up inside!

7. Clothes. Would you ever consider opening an online shop with some of the amazing pieces you’ve been making from your thrifted finds? 

Maybe one day! I’m definitely not at a skill level yet where I feel comfortable doing a lot of sewing for other people, especially other body types, and I’d hate to make someone pay for something that wasn’t perfect for them. So, for now, it’s just a lot of practicing!

8. Since this is the W O M A N sessions, what would you like to tell all of the female readers?

Create for yourself, be selfish, be completely in love with yourself and never let anyone tell you that you can’t. Being a woman and a young artist, you hear “no” or “that’s not possible” a lot but having faith in yourself and being your own number one supporter is so crucial (but stay humble, nobody likes a big ego). And in general, showing kindness and love to the people you work with or the people who can help you will get you so so far.