Dear kind soul Sara,
Who + What is SARK?
For those who might be new to SARK—and even for those familiar—there will be some fun reminders in this story. And of course if you know me, you know I write about the terrible as well as the wonderfull things in life.
(Note: This email includes mention of a suicide attempt.)
I first appeared as SARK in the world in 1982 when the author Henry Miller gave me that name in a dream—after he had died. Inspired, I legally added Ariel Rainbow to my name, becoming Susan Ariel Rainbow Kennedy, which spells SARK.
At the time, I was living on barter and trade in the Victorian Hotel of Arts and Music in San Francisco. The San Francisco Chronicle began publishing my SARK drawings every Sunday, and I made $25 a week. My art kept expanding—literally—until it became larger than the tiny room I was living in.
So, I placed an ad in a free paper: "Incredible housesitter seeks incredible house."
That ad led me to a mansion on Russian Hill, where I lived for two years until it sold—after they finally listened to my advice about why it wasn't selling!
During this time, I created my first line of greeting cards and received a $10,000 advance—the first large amount of money I had ever made with my art. But while my creative life was growing, I was also confronting painfull memories of childhood incest. I hadn't eaten or slept in two weeks and thought suicide was my only option.
Thankfully, my attempt did not succeed. When I called the suicide prevention hotline, the person on the line asked, "Did you really want to die? Or did you just want the pain to end?"
I just wanted the pain to end. That moment led me to therapy, deep healing, and ultimately, a reclamation of myself and my soul—including healing within my family.
Meanwhile, I had written a poem in my journal called How to Be an Artist—a reminder that we are all artists of life. One day, over tea in my Magic Cottage in San Francisco, a guest read it and said, "That should be a poster!"
So I tore it out of my journal, taped it to the wall, and said, "There! Now it's a poster."
They laughed. "No, I meant a poster for the world."
I told them I wouldn't have any idea how to do that. My friend insisted, "Well, someone does!" But I said I had no idea how to find that person. I have since learned so much about how we stop ourselves by what we think we don't know how to do!
Luckily, my young cat Jupiter started peeling the poster off the wall every day. It would land on the floor with a big whoosh! And wake me up.
After three days, I got the message. I took the poster to a store that had a catalog, and they offered to include it—"Don't expect anything," they said. Which I thought was entirely reasonable, since I had been practicing making friends with freedom and uncertainty.
Then, the real magic began.
Within days, 200 orders came in. I made 200 posters by hand. Then 300 more orders—so I made 300 more. I then prayed no one else would buy it:)
But the orders kept coming, so I got creative. I figured out a way to use high-quality color Xerox to produce each poster while still keeping the handmade feel. In the end, I made 11,000 handcrafted pieces before finally turning to a better distribution system.
Over 2 million posters have now been sold.
By then, I had started a company called Camp SARK, created 18 other posters, and in 1990, published my first of 19 bestselling books.
And it all began with a dream, a journal, and a cat named Jupiter.
SARK continues to grow in ways I never imagined, and I'm so gratefully glad to share this journey with all of you. I see myself as a representative of the SARK spirit—one that lives in all of us.
Thank you for inspiring me endlessly!
And soon, I'll be sharing something wonderfully special—introducing someone who has been part of my journey in the most magical way.
Sunday, March 30, 2025
A Dream, A Journal + A Cat Named Jupiter
Sunday, March 23, 2025
Even More Love, Especially Now
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Sunday, February 23, 2025
Be Reel
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Friday, February 14, 2025
Happy Valentine's LIFE
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Sunday, February 9, 2025
When nothing works
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Sunday, February 2, 2025
Despair is medicine
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Sunday, January 26, 2025
Quick tool of goodness
Dear incandescent soul of wonder Sara,
Here is an example: "I love you when you're generous and when you're stingy, I love you when you feel shiny and when you feel dull. I love you when you're kind and I love you when you're not. I love you when you do good things and I love you when you can't do anything. I love you when you eat well, I love you when you eat poorly. I love you when you quit and I love you when you start." More great self-hugging things to know and experience:
Sending you a rhapsody of self-hugging and Even More Love. 415-546-3742
If you wish to stop receiving our emails or change your subscription options, please manage your subscription. 1288 Columbus Ave, #151, City Of Love, SARK Francisco, CA 94133, US |