A Dream, A Journal + A Cat Named Jupiter

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.

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1288 Columbus Ave, #151, City Of Love, SARK Francisco, CA 94133, US

Even More Love, Especially Now

Dearest Evolving Human Soul Sara, As I travel through this life, I remain endlessly enthralled by the ways love shows up. This man, this spirit named David—my husband, co-mentor, business partner, dad, brother, son, friend, Angel of Love, and dearly beloved—keeps showing up for love every single day. I captured this photo just after his laughter, in yet another moment of hilarity amidst the full spectrum of feelings that life brings. David has been recording and sending daily audio love notes since December after waking up to hear the message: "Be and live as the ever-expanding house of bliss." Bliss, in this case, stands for: Beaming Love In Sacred Service This is his practice, his ministry, one of his many ways of being visible to love. I am reminded (again) that we are all called to love, in every way we can, no matter what outer circumstances show. It is so easy to feel crushed, flattened, depleted, and defeated in the midst of heartbreaking events, isn't it? There are endless ways to resist love—and suffer in its absence. But there is also a conscious call to practice loving in the midst of it all. The other day, a woman left a message on my Inspiration Phone Line. She had read about how I chose to "date the world" after my fiancé John died in 2016—how that decision led to David responding in a big, loving way—and how, together and separately, we now practice loving and dating the world in as many ways as possible. She asked: "How do I love and date the world as you describe?" And then, in the next breath, she answered herself: "I guess I will find my own ways to do it, no matter what else happens." And so we all will. I'll be introducing David to you more fully soon—as the Angel of Love in this world. For now, here is one of his audio love notes. Here is the Inspiration Line (freely offered 25 hours a day since 1993): 📞 415-546-3742 You are seen. You are known. You are loved. ,   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