Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Mitchell.
Hi Sarah, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, you could tell our readers some of your backstory.
My name is Sarah Mitchell, and I am a self-taught needle felting artist from just outside Charleston, South Carolina. For years I worked as an archaeologist, but due to spinal surgery and being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease I could no longer successfully make that my career. I tried a few other fields, but doing archaeology made me happier. One day, I tried a needle felting kit on a whim and instantly fell in love with the medium. When I finished this first project, I began designing and creating my wildlife sculptures, and I haven’t stopped since. My favorite thing is to watch a new sculpture emerge from the wool. I am the one wielding the needle, but the personalities that emerge along with the animal I am making are all their own. It reminds me of lying in the grass as a child and looking for animals in the clouds. Now, the animal emerges from the fluffs of wool as I begin felting, and it is just as amazing of a feeling. I feel like every day I learn something new about the needle felting process, and that feeling never ends! I am excited to share my love of felting and teach others how to make their own creations. I have started a line of DIY kits with video tutorials, and I look forward to adding in-person classes soon! Lately, I have been making a lot of birds, but I love creating all animals. I sculpt everything from the realistic to the whimsical.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Almost all my roadblocks and struggles happened before I found my love for needle felting. Even though it was not always an easy road, I am thankful that these experiences led me to this place in my life.
I previously worked as an archaeologist around the southeastern United States and loved it. However, when I went back to graduate school to further my career, I started to have severe neck and back pain that made it hard to keep up with the pace I set for myself. It turned out that I had a degenerative disk in my neck and had surgery to fuse the area. Unfortunately there was a .05% chance of this surgery not working, and I was in that group. I had to have the procedure redone about six months later, but this time it was successful. Despite the fusion healing perfectly, I still had a lot of pain and health issues, and I was then diagnosed with fibromyalgia and eventually lupus as well. Lupus severely impacts your ability to stay in the sun, so working as a field archaeologist was no longer possible. Luckily, I could shift my role in my company to oversee field data, which let me work from home for years. This allowed me to spend more time at home with my children when they were young, which I will never regret.
I was looking into returning to school to change career paths after COVID-19 when I stumbled onto needle felting and decided to start my own business instead. Working for myself allows me to modify my schedule as my health requires. I love both creating sculptures and teaching others. I hope to continue to learn and grow in this new field and that I can pass this love onto others.
I appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Needle felting is an art form you only see sometimes in the United States. It is much more prevalent throughout Europe and Asia. Often, when someone says they have seen needle felting, it is usually through posts on TikTok or Instagram, and I love sharing the art form with them in person. Everyone can create through this medium, and it brings me so much joy to spark their interest. I create needle-felted sculptures of all types of animals, but now I am most into sculpting birds. It amazes me how subtle differences in how I create their bodies bring their personality and uniqueness to light. I recently took part in a month-long bird art challenge with Environment Americas to make 31 birds during May to highlight the plight of migratory birds worldwide. I surprised myself by completing all 31 sculptures because needle felting is a slow art form. You work at the wool by repeatedly stabbing it with a small barbed needle, which can take hours or even days depending on the sculpture’s size. I grew so much as an artist during this challenge, and it showed me how much joy I gained from making these birds. I also love how much other bird lovers appreciate these sculptures, making me want to keep making more.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you, or support you?
I love it when someone commissions me to make a new animal or bird that I have yet to make. There is nothing like seeing a new sculpture emerge for the first time, and I find I make animals I would have never thought of making due to other people’s requests. I am starting to sell my work at art shows and pop-ups around the area and submitting it to local art competitions. I love it when someone expresses their interest in my work. As artists, we often see our work as never finished or needing to be fixed, so when someone shows their appreciation for my work the way it is, it makes me very happy.
Contact Info:
- Website: Woolywildlife.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wooly_wildlife/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WoolyWildlife/
- Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/AWoolyWildlife
