On
Meeting SARK  Posted
Feb-27-2005
SARK was the first author I wanted to meet in person.
Typically, I'm not much into seeing famous people (I've
been to one concert in my life: Janet Jackson's Rhythm
Nation Tour in 1990. Remember the key earring and baseball
cap?), but her work in recent years combined with the knowing
of her frequent traveling to Illinois for small conferences,
book signings, and workshops made the idea appealing to
me.
I missed my first opportunity to see SARK early in 2004, when
she appeared as a guest speaker at a Wisconsin college. After
hearing about the wonderful time others had visiting with her,
I was intent on seeing her during her next booking in Chicago.
That came on July 28, 2004 at the Transitions bookstore, where
she held a workshop / book signing for her latest book Make
Your Creative Dreams REAL.
The next day, I wrote about my
experience meeting SARK and attending her workshop. It
really was a lot of fun. And she was everything I'd expected
her to be: witty, warm, compassionate, and loving.
I remember standing in line for the book signing after the
workshop. I've never been to a book signing before. SARK's
book signing had chocolate cake and live entertainment (singing
by the very talented Lisa
Danielson). As we were eating our chocolate cake on small
paper plates waiting for SARK to come over from the workshop
center, I was in love with my surroundings. Usually I can't
stand to be in crowded places, but this night was full of magic.
On top of that, the warm summer night was illuminated by a
beautiful full moon casting down over the city. I was so excited
about the whole event and experiencing the energy of SARK and
of those tuned into her frequency.
After ten or twenty minutes, SARK finally arrived at the bookstore.
As she made her way up through the line towards the signing
table, she acknowledged her fans along the way with smiles
and small talk. As she passed by me, she gently touched my
shoulder. I felt honored at the acknowledgment and I didn't
wash it for a week (kidding!).
I realize that I'm at a point in my life where SARK inspires
me quite a bit. One of the reasons I dedicated a section about
her on Creative Slush is because I find the "creative
magic" of SARK full of healing and hope. Her beautiful
vibrant watercolor art combined with her gentle (and forgiving)
encouragement towards creative living is so comforting and
warming. So while I'm playing in the sarkbox and jumping through
her glitter sprinkler, it's important for me to note her influence
in my life. I imagine someday I'll grow on from here.
In her book Make
Your Creative Dreams REAL, SARK commented on the
variety of mentors we have in our lives. In a nutshell,
she said that sometimes our mentors are people who we don't
interact with. They might be people we've never met. It's
the influence they have over us that creates the mentoring
situation. We learn from them. We benefit from their voice
of experience. They help us to improve ourselves, our life
situations. And we can have an infinite number of mentors.
She's so cool that way. And at this place in my life, SARK
is one of my mentors.
It's funny, SARK's been around for quite some time. I first
discovered her in 2002. I guess that just goes to show that
we find what we need when we're ready for it. And at that time,
I sure was ready for SARK. •
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