I met Sara at the first photoshoot we held for our university runway show back in 2020. Having Sara as a dear friend now, I can only attribute our friendship to the creative and personal growth that occurred for the both of us between that shoot and this writing. She was studying nutrition at the time but had a passion for performance and the camera which led her to volunteer with us. When I first photographed her that day she would crack jokes frequently to ease tension she was feeling in front of the camera. I too was learning to better connect with my subjects at the time so our interactions were somewhat rough around the edges.
As the years progressed Sara came by the university studio whenever I reached out to her with a photoshoot idea I wanted to try. Her willingness to show up helped expedite her learning process as we practiced our crafts (photography and modelling), together. Fast forward to 2023- When Sara walks into a room, heads are always turning. Her confidence isn’t second-guessed. Her approach to runway is bold and rehearsed. When the camera points at her, she’s at WORK. We learned to bounce creativity, play and ideas around as artists without harsh criticism, only the desire to grow, which has been humbling while teaching me the value of true character. She is a fantastic artist and one I want to be around.
This leads to my final point: Sara is a model inside and out. While our artistic paths crossed frequently throughout the years, we made it a point to reach beyond the art and invest in each other’s lives. We shared a similar value: art comes second, people come first. Sara has an innate capacity to form genuine connections with everyone she meets which is why she became a go-to point of contact within Toronto’s fashion scene. On her initiative, she started FA Co., a fashion-based production services collaborative made to connect artists and create quality content. I’m extremely grateful to have met the artist and person that is Sara and look forward to seeing all the BIG things she’ll be working on in the future!
