• Interview

Creative Journeys with Sarah-Jane Stringer

1 year ago by Jess Lowcher

Creative Journeys powered by Squarespace is a series of free, in-person and online events taking place across Aotearoa New Zealand for 2025. Coming up Online on 4 June, Sarah-Jane Stringer will be chatting Brand to Launch: Designing a Cohesive Brand & Website Experience. Register here for your free ticket.

Kia ora Sarah-Jane. Can you share a bit about your background and what led you to pursue a career in your creative field?

I’ve always been a creative at heart. Growing up with dyslexia, I often felt like I didn’t quite fit into the traditional academic mould, but creativity was where I truly came alive. I still remember how much I loved poetry at primary school, not just for the words, but because we got to design a full page around each poem. Illustrations, layout, the whole lot. That was my thing.

By the time I reached high school, I knew exactly where I wanted to go. Fortunately, I attended a large school that offered a wide range of creative subjects. In my final two years, my timetable was filled with art (and hospitality, because of course I had to learn how to make a good flat white if I wanted to be a designer).

After high school, I went on to study a Bachelor of Visual Communication Design. That experience deepened my love for creativity and confirmed that this was the right path for me. Since then, I’ve explored all kinds of creative roles including agency life, in-house teams, media, freelancing, and co-founding a social media agency with a friend, which we ran for five years.

Now, I get to do what I love most. I work with incredible businesses to craft beautiful brands, websites, and photography that bring their vision to life.

What are some key challenges or experiences that have shaped your creative journey?

There have definitely been a few challenges along the way. One of the first was landing a job at a design agency that didn’t quite match the expectations I had for what working in design would be like. Looking back, I’m actually really grateful for that experience. It pushed me to explore other avenues, from in-house roles to media,  and eventually led me to meet my former business partner and start our agency, The Social Project.

That chapter was an incredible stepping stone into business ownership. My business partner handled most of the operational side, sales, accounts, team management, all the stuff I didn’t naturally gravitate toward, which gave me the freedom to focus on the creative. When we wrapped up the agency and I went full-time into running my own business, I quickly realised how challenging those behind-the-scenes parts of running a business can be.

For me, the hardest part is selling myself. I’m not someone who loves self-promotion or putting myself out there to say, “Hire me!” I’d much rather be deep in the creative work, behind my screen designing or behind my camera shooting. But I’ve learned that if I want to keep doing the work I love, I have to get better at connecting with new clients and sharing what I do.

For a long time, I relied on word of mouth, which worked well. But I’ve realised that to grow, I also need to actively meet new people and put myself out there a bit more.

One of the other big challenges lately has been navigating all of this while raising two little ones. I have a two-year-old and a four-year-old, so in the past few years I’ve been in and out with maternity leave, and at times, I’ve had to step back completely. Coming back into the scene and rebuilding momentum while juggling family life hasn’t been easy, but it’s part of the journey,  and one I wouldn’t trade for anything.

How have your personal values and lifestyle choices influenced your career and creative processes?

I realised pretty early on that I don’t thrive in a typical nine-to-five office setup, especially not under fluorescent lights. That environment just doesn’t bring out my best ideas. I need space, flexibility, and a bit of freedom to let creativity flow naturally.

That’s why I’ve ended up working for myself, from my little home studio that I absolutely love. It’s filled with natural light, and I get to hang out with my dog while I work. If I hit a creative block, I can take a break, go for a walk, or give my dog a cuddle,  and then come back to the project with fresh energy. Sometimes the ideas come later in the day, like after the kids are in bed, and I’ll be sitting on the couch at 8pm when something clicks. That’s when I work, because that’s when it feels right.

Creativity doesn’t always stick to office hours, and I’ve learned to embrace that. Some of my best ideas pop into my head at 11 o’clock at night, and I’ll just sit up and write them down or start working right then and there. That rhythm works for me, and it’s shaped the way I’ve built my business, working in a way that suits my brain, in a space that inspires me, and with clients I genuinely love collaborating with. All of those choices have led me to where I am now.

Being a self-employed creative, there isn’t always the luxury of being able to turn to your colleague or a wider team for advice. Have you been able to take advantage of the Circle members-only forum? If so, how has this community contributed to your professional growth?

Yes! It’s been incredibly helpful. Sometimes I come up with these big ideas for how I want to code something into my Squarespace site, and it’s so valuable to be able to chat with other creatives, get their input, and share code. What I really love is that we’re all just a bunch of designers making cool things, and we all believe that designers should be the ones building websites. It’s such a great community to be part of.

Ahead of the Online event on 4 June where you’ll be presenting ‘Brand to Launch: Designing a Cohesive Brand & Website Experience’ can you give us a taster as to what folks can expect to learn?

Absolutely! I have created a workshop that explores why designers are the ideal people to be building websites and how we can take a brand from strategy to a fully launched site. I will walk you through the process of starting your branding with a solid strategy and how that document will guide everything, from brand design and identity to website structure, tone of voice, and photography style.

The goal is to empower designers to offer a full-service experience, helping businesses get everything they need without relying on multiple freelancers or a big agency. There are so many talented freelance designers out there creating outstanding brand identities and now it is time for them to add in brand strategy and beautiful websites using Squarespace. I believe we should be making the most of that platform to bring our creative visions to life.

This workshop will cover:

How do you balance the business side of your work with your creative pursuits?

I’ve learned that I need to be organised, with everything in one place, colour-coded and looking good. I use a system called Notion, which helps me manage not only my own to-do lists and timelines in a way that feels clear and visually satisfying, but also everything to do with my clients.

Whenever I start a new project, I set up a dedicated client hub. This is where everything lives: timelines, to-do lists, presentations, questionnaires, invoices, contracts. All neatly stored in one space. It keeps my brain from feeling overwhelmed.

When I’m in creative mode, I like to have flexibility. I want to work how I want, when I want. But when it comes to the business side of things, I need structure. It has to be organised, easy to navigate, and honestly, a bit pretty, or I’ll lose interest.

So while I might seem a little chaotic in my creative process, behind the scenes everything is actually very considered and well planned. It is like two different sides. One part of the business is a well-oiled, perfectly organised machine. That gives me the freedom to be more spontaneous and intuitive in my creative work.

Lastly, where can people find you online?

You can find me at sarahjanecreativestudio.com, and I mostly hang out over on Instagram @sarahjane_creative. I’ve started dabbling in TikTok, but for now, Instagram is definitely where I’m most active. Website: https://sarahjanecreativestudio.com/

Register here for a FREE ticket to this Creative Journeys ONLINE event

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