Artist and Vendor by Day, Volunteer by Night-- the Work of Sarah Cash

In today’s tough economy it’s hard for an artist to make a living. Sarah Cash of Forrest Concepts is pulling out all the stops by diversifying the range of art she creates and sells. She uses recycling techniques, as well as more traditional metalworking in her work. Having a range of products that are both functional and aesthetically pleasing makes Sarah one interesting vendor to look out for!
 

Unlike traditional artists, Sarah learned the arts of jewelry and metalworking from her father, John Diem, not an expensive art school. Her father went to school for art and then passed down his skills and passion to his daughter. He taught Sarah her how to create chains, stamp charms, and make a variety of other jewelry out of metal.

“After a long day it’s nice to pound on some metal and play with fire,” Sarah expressed. “I can work on it anywhere from five minutes to five hours. I really enjoy it.”

Sarah began in 2005 selling fine jewelry at the markets with her husband, Butch, and then two years ago transitioned to selling items with better price points due to the changing economy. After her husband rescued a box of discarded vintage books from the library and purchased a bookbinding machine, the star of Forrest Concepts was born. The 100% recycled vintage children’s book journals are a hot-seller at the local markets. Each journal is unique in it’s own way with a one-of-a-kind hard cover and pages incorporated from the original books. Along with the journals, a plethora of colored votive candles in Dixie cups were also created to sell at the markets.

When Sarah isn’t creating art and selling it online or around Michigan, she is helping run a market herself. It’s called the Fulton Street Artisans Market and occurs every Sunday during the summer. Sarah volunteers with a team of three other people and is in charge of artist relations. She keeps up with emails, Facebook, website, and other promotional duties of the FSAM.

“We have wonderfully talented artists that don’t know how to promote themselves. It’s my job to help them do that,” Sarah explains.

The future plans of Forrest Concepts include expanding upon the recycled journals by creating purses or jewelry boxes out of the playful hard covers. Sarah also wishes to create more candles in a variety of colors and styles.

If you would like to learn more about Sarah and Forrest Concepts, you can visit their Etsy page, Facebook, or website. To meet Sarah in person, come to the Avenue for the Arts Market on August 14th and September 11th, 2010 from 4-9pm!