24/7 with

Sarah Gayle Carter

Decorative artist, illustrator, designer, Richmond, VA

The worst idea I ever had: Leaving college to get married at 20. (What was I thinking!?)

My mother always said: Things happen for the best. (She was right!)

Words I live by: Show up, pay attention, tell the truth; and don’t be attached to the outcome.

What keeps me awake at night: The high-voltage current of creative ideas—feels like having my finger in a light socket!

My favorite possession:  My house—10 years of nesting and self-expression.

If I could be totally wild:  I would have said “yes” in 1978 when the guy with a cigar
 offered me a job making $500 a night just to dance in his bar on Bourbon Street.

I am most proud of: Having learned to take care of myself.

Something most people don’t know about me: I’m an introvert.

I still can’t get the hang of: Starting a lawn mower.

If I were a fictional heroine, I would be: Alice in Wonderland.

My work: Owner of Sarah Gayle Carter Design Studio in Shockoe Slip. A place where I’ve found myself, lost myself, and learned the joy that comes when you allow it to happen.

My passion: Color dogs! After years of doing tight design work, I’m having a hands-on blast painting custom dog portraits. I feel like a child up to my elbows in finger paints!

My family: A blessing, a duty, a privilege, a challenge, a commitment, guilt and pride colliding, both the greatest comfort and the deepest anguish.