Young artist turns passion for art and feminism into a thriving small business

At just nineteen years old, Sarah Godfrey has dedicated herself to combining her love of powerful women and her passion for art into an entrepreneurial adventure.

What started out in 2020 as a lockdown hobby where Sarah experimented with commissioning custom portraits as personalised gifts in various Facebook groups, there came a turning point which inspired Sarah to fuse together her dual interest in female empowerment and expression through art.

“There was a protest called ‘Enough is Enough’ that happened last year and I made and designed a bunch of signs for it,” she said.

“I went to the protest and ended up getting on Channel 10 and Channel Nine crying my eyes out about feminism!”

“I saw that I kind of made an impact there and thought I'd go with it.”

Image: Supplied

Under the business Instagram handle, @artsysarahaustralia, Sarah now commissions illustrations of inspirational women she personally admires on Etsy.

Depicting a range of her favourite social media stars and pubic figures, like influencer and TV personality Abbie Chatfield, to complex female characters from Netflix series like Sex Education and Squid Game, Sarah strives to encapsulate the beauty and power she sees in her personal icons.

“[These women] aren’t afraid to speak about their opinions, which I think is really important for young women to have [to look up to] who are just speaking out, being open about their insecurities and who they are,” she said.

“I definitely go towards the people who just really aren't afraid to be themselves, like Abbie Chatfield especially because she's such a badass, and that’s really inspiring and motivating for me personally.”

Image: Supplied

By foregrounding illustrations of these empowered women in her signature style beside uplifting feminist mantras, Sarah’s goal is to make feminism accessible to all through her art.

“I guess I’m trying to share that, despite the fact that we still have a long way to go in terms of equality; as women, we’re all beautiful and powerful,” she said.

“We might sometimes forget that because of society, but I hope my posters are able to kind of remind us of our power.”

Though she originally dabbled in realism, portraiture and live drawing at university, Sarah explained that over time she developed an affinity towards bold, bright designs and eye-catching colour schemes.

Using vivid hues and graphic lettering to enhance the bold messaging Sarah portrays has become her favourite mode to work with; adopting this style into the main identifier of an ‘Artsy Sarah Australia’ piece.

“For me, it took a long time for me to figure out what my style was because I started with realism and stuff,” she said.

“When you have a colour scheme that matches and colours contrast… that actually brings me joy.”

Image: Supplied

Zeroing in on the kind of art that makes her the happiest is Sarah’s secret to her own artistic success. As an emerging artist herself, her greatest piece of advice to other aspiring creatives is to hone your craft and develop the unique aspects of your work that set you apart from the crowd.

“I think it's really important to find your style before anything… developing your own aesthetics, like the font to use and the colours and the brightness, I think it's very important,” Sarah advised.

“Having a notable style that people will eventually recognize is really crucial, because I guess my goal is to have people go ‘oh, that's from Artsy Sarah Australia, I know that type of style’ and maybe it reminds them of me.”

Sarah added that when you’re just getting started, pursuing a creative vocation can be a little intimidating. With society telling us that art isn’t stable enough to commit to full time, Sarah drives home that sticking at what you love and being patient is the key to building a rewarding artistic career.

“When you’re starting art businesses and design businesses, it [might be] years and years of mediocre sales and it's going to take a long time to build it up,” she said.

“You’ve just got to keep going!”