We spoke with mumpreneur and illustrator extraordinaire Sarah Smart about how she juggles work / life balance and how she got to where she is today!  You can check out her work on her site here or on instagram

 

1. Tell us a bit about  yourself - I'm an Illustrator based in London and I work mostly from home where I live with my husband, daughter and cat. I've been lucky to work with some amazing brands, creating content that is bespoke to match the brand. I also draw at live events where I draw customers/guests on he spot which is high pressure but very rewarding and I love it! 

2. What's your background / how did you get into illustration? Is it something you've always done? - I trained in Illustration for four years at Loughborough University. The course was fantastic but I just wasn't aware of the business side of things that you need to succeed and I ended up assisting on fashion shoots and then ended up working on fashion magazines for the next few years. I was always drawing and I got a break when I was working at Look magazine and they asked me to illustrate their new beauty range. My illustration career started properly from then on really. From an Illustrators point of view, that experience of 'seeing the other side' of editorial/brands/PR is now invaluable to me.

3. What are your favourite projects so far? Any dream projects? What's your next project? - Seeing my illustrations covering the walls of The Saatchi Galley for Glamour Magazine's Beauty Festival was an incredible day for me-I was on such a high! I've also done live drawing in Apple's Regent Street store on the ipad and been taken to Paris with Carven to draw customers live which were also career highlights. I'm working on a book at the moment which is a big deal for me too.

4. As a mum, how do you balance work / life? - Juggle! I'm lucky that I have two sets of Grandparents who will willingly take my little one, plus my friend happens to be a childminder a few doors down from which helps a lot! I work every 'nap time' and a lot of evenings too.

 5. What are your favourite ways to unwind? - Well ideally at a spa but that's a bit luxurious on a weekly basis so I tend to make do with a bath and large glass of wine instead! I find a change of scenery also refreshes me such as lunch out with my sister, meeting up with friends or the occasional time I get to go out with just my husband!

6. What 5 things could you not live without? - My family, my paints, red wine, english breakfast tea, a sense of purpose. I also love my new Charli backpack, its a great laptop bag and the perfect women's gym bag! 

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