Sarah Helen Martinez

I took some film classes way back when, and when I went to school I actually went to school for biology. My intention was to major in science and do something but I wasn’t sure what. In HS I had a great bio teacher and fell in love with and thought it was what I wanted to do. I took a few classes in the first semester of college and I was like “what was I thinking?” I went through college a couple of years without a major and ended up deciding I love photography and what’s the point of studying anything else? I just hadn’t thought of the possibility of it being a career before.I went to school for photography and it’s interesting now that I think about it because I got to learn a lot of technical stuff, but a lot of the projects and assignments had to have some sort of deeper meaning. And I just really liked taking photos of people. So that experience actually put me out of photography and it was the next couple of years that I jumped around to different career paths because I didn’t know if I wanted to do it. Because to me, I just did photography for fun.There were quite a few bad experiences in the beginning because there were a few things that turned me off of photography. I tried out all of these other different jobs and it finally got to a point this past winter where I had a breakdown and I just got to this place of where I was not happy at all. I knew I needed a job where I had some sort of variety, just something that isn’t sitting at a desk all day.I tried a bunch of different things and finally got to a point where I had to figure out what I wanted. I’m not the type of person who is going to be happy if I’m not doing something I’m passionate about, and though I’m sure I could, I just know I won’t be fully satisfied. My husband and I decided to move out here and I decided that I wanted to pursue photography because – in our city there was a very little creative community that felt more competitive, and I just didn’t love it.Ultimately photography is something I love to do and coming out here I’m really pursuing it. It’s been interesting because not knowing anyone here and trying to pursue a creative career is definitely a referral type of business and I know it’ll take a while to build up, but it got to the point where I know I love to do it, I know I love working with people, and I love the creative aspect of it all. It’s been hard in the past for me, but I know I have to work hard for it. I’m just going for it!…Back home I wasn’t that great with connecting with people because I was so comfortable with the friends I already had, but out here, because I’m an introvert it’s hard for me to create those relationships and friendships and even make those connections in photography so I have to be really intentional. It has been amazing seeing how supportive the entire creative community here has been, and it’s great that there are other photographers who actually want to be friends and I love it! The overwhelming support is a big part of the heart of creative community here in San Diego, because it’s actually not very common and you don’t see it as often in other places.Moving out here was something I’ve been wanting to do for quite some time, and both my husband and I knew that we wouldn’t be happy settling where we were. We want something that we love and it wasn’t back home. We just had to get out and try it, and it’s been perfect so far and I don’t see us moving back any time soon!I love photography, and with the other things I’m passionate about, I realized that through Founded Magazine I did the layout and design of the website and I would be responsible for reaching out to creatives to contribute. I just loved the idea of connecting with people and bringing these people together to do something and it made me realize how I have this passion for connecting people and also help people pursue their passions. With Founded, we had talked about doing conferences and workshops at one point. I have this really big desire to do workshops with women who struggle with what they want, or looking to pursue a creative career but aren’t sure what that entails. I just needed to get out of my hometown because I was in a negative place and just moving here and doing more photography I was able to free my mind up and get out of my comfort zone.Moving has really done that for me, not only having free time but seeing people do amazing things and supporting that they can do whatever they put their mind to, it’s really allowed me to dream a little bigger and what I want to do is have some sort of workshops where it’s a retreat type of thing where we can get out in nature for a few days. I just love inspiring people because I’ve struggled a lot with confidence and loving and accepting myself, and with being confident with what I want to do. It took me a really long time to where I was confident with my photography and I just want to help people realize that they can do it, it’s just all about having that confidence in yourself and surrounding yourself with the right people who will build you up to believe in yourself and the things you want to do. So it’s been fun exploring the things I want to do and just meeting with people who have great ideas!

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_masonry_media_grid element_width="6" grid_id="vc_gid:1472631601259-22089588-8b0a-7" include="2208,2207"][/vc_column][/vc_row]We had the pleasure of connecting with Sarah after hearing amazing things from Jess and Jaymie. Her story is a reminder that it's all about the process and not perfection. She has heart in all that she does and we are so excited to see how her journey will continue to unfold. From truly finding what she wants to do, to picking up her life from her hometown and driving across the country to move to San Diego, and wanting to impact the community in a positive way - we are in complete awe of Sarah's drive and ambition!From starting different projects like Founded Magazine with Avery, she has proven that her talents lie in the creative field. Her hand lettering design is drool-worthy, just as her photography is absolutely stunning, and we love seeing her put her many talents to use! There is nowhere else to go but up for Sarah and she inspires us each time we see her photos and design work!