NATURE ARTIST AND ACTIVIST Sara Seelenbrandt
“The imagination is boundless & infinite, a place where everything exists. I soon realized that it’s my inner world that nature has been imploring me to activate in relationship to her.”
There has been a deep calling from nature…
Returning to Rhode Island from New York City was a return to my source, my home. In reconnecting to this place, there has been a deep calling from nature, but it felt difficult to actually embody. I have walked hundreds of miles through wooded paths, but I still felt disconnected, as if I was only a visitor. On Mondays in the summer, I met the sunrise on the beach only to feel on the periphery. My footsteps have sunk into mud, but I still felt on Earth, not in her. I was showing up physically and finding that wasn’t enough to foster the connection we were both after. Understanding her wasn’t happening through osmosis. It was frustrating to me, but she was not mad. Instead, she became increasing insistent. I could feel her earnestly asking me to see myself as part of her. But how? What am I not doing?
It was a meeting with the Eco-Land Art Project and Susan Fox that opened a doorway. Given my background, they wondered if I could host a fashion show at The Spiral. They initially thought we could partner with eco-conscious clothing brands, or thrifters, or makers who reuse garments. But given this setting, I wondered if we could make nature the attraction, and posed the question, “what does it feel like to be wrapped in nature?” At that moment, I got a tug from Mother Earth and realized I can see myself as part of her by connecting in the medium I know best, fashion and forging the bond with nature that truly belongs to me.
The Power of Fashion
I spent over a decade in the luxury fashion industry in NYC. I gained a keen understanding of the power of fashion; to elevate confidence, allure and personal identity, and to convey these ideals even when the wearer had none. Fashion articulates feelings. Print and color can affect happiness, the addition of a ruffle can create softness, or how the selection of the heel can change a look from approachable to ruthless. I am enthralled by the medium of fashion, and disenchanted by the industry’s exploitation from capitalism. The wheel in which garments are designed and produced to meet consumer demand goes against the essence of what fashion is, a trademark of one’s signature style, something to treasure, a way to honor its maker. It’s meant to be repeated, loved until it wears out, or even passed down.
Career History
I began my fashion career at Etro, an Italian fashion house, as an intern and had the privilege to grow within the company to woman’s wholesale director for North America. My 10 years with the company offered me the space to develop and fine tune business practices that were instrumental in growing sales, expanding visibility and strengthening brand image and integrity. I continued my sales career, transitioning to the antiques and interiors space. I was able to build a web presence and grow engagement beyond the brick and mortar store via directed social media and marketing strategies which enabled business to flourish during the pandemic. My attention for design and aesthetics developed during my studies in industrial design at the Rhode Island School of Design. I had the opportunity to apprentice in Romania with a shoe designer, and run my own costume business right out of college. I have a natural entrepreneurial spirit and a penchant for logistics. The last 3 years were devoted to home, and all that it encompasses; caring for my aging family, tending to the land, connecting with people & community groups that make my insides twinkle. Now I am ready to begin a second career, imparting every bit of wisdom I have acquired along the way to inspire a lifestyle of living in Earth.
