Conversations with Sara Jessamine

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sara Jessamine.

Hi Sara, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve always felt that I wandered aimlessly through life until my late 20s. I was a bright kid, but not an overachiever and I was never in any team sports or afterschool activities. By the time I got to college right after high school I had no idea who I was or what I wanted to be. I ended up dropping out. When I was about 26 or 27 I was still sort of floating through life and decided to go back to school. I finished up my Bachelors Degree and liked school so much I stayed and got a Master’s Degree in Exhibition Design. I worked at a gallery in Hollywood and then at an auction house, and eventually got a job at LACMA as a Registrar. I’ve been every kind of Registrar that you can be and I’m now a Senior Assistant Registrar in Exhibitions. My work allows me to get up close and personal with the artworks I saw in my textbooks in school. It has allowed me to travel the world and have a unique behind the scenes look at what goes into museum work. I’ve flown on cargo planes in Luxembourg, worked with Conservators in Paris, and have planned installations of some really interesting exhibitions.

In total contrast to my work life, I also ride horses. I ride Western and travel to Montana every Summer with a group of really amazing and inspiring women from all over the country to ride in the backcountry. I was never a horse girl as a kid and it was just something I decided to do one day, so I did it. And I loved it. I can’t imagine my life without riding now and it’s taught me so much about myself and what I’m capable of.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I don’t think any road is particularly smooth. Like I said, I dropped out of college the first time around and just kind of meandered through life. I just simply didn’t know who I was or who I wanted to be and didn’t really ever have any guidance. Even in Grad School I was told that I wouldn’t be able to get job in the industry, and here I am working at the largest museum on the West Coast, handling priceless artworks.

Though I’ve overcome a lot during my life, I don’t think it ever really stops for good. In the past couple years I lost my mom and had a pretty serious spill off a horse. I broke my humerus in half and had a tough recovery from both. Losing my mom was hard since she was such a presence in all of our lives and having a fall from a horse resulting in an injury was disorienting. Suddenly something that brought me so much joy was a source of anxiety.

But in true “Sara form” I was riding in the backcountry 3 months later. I’m still getting over some nerves and confidence issues since my accident, but I think that’s what I love most about riding. It really pushes you to be better and stronger and reveals a lot about yourself that you probably wouldn’t have known otherwise. I can’t not ride, it’s just not an option.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’d love to say I’m an Artist, but the truth is I’ve never been a great visual artist and I think that’s why I love working at a museum so much. I’m surrounded by so much beautiful art every day that I can find other ways to be creative. I’m so highly organized and perpetually aware of everything at my job that I find a lot of release on horseback. I think being able to really live multiple parts of personality is so necessary in getting to know yourself on a deeper level.

I also started writing about my experiences on horseback and my travels. I’ve found that writing things down helps me process things and learn more about myself. And hopefully others can relate to my experiences as well.

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
I’ve always kind of accidentally found mentors without seeking them out. I think just being open to other people’s experiences is helpful in building a network. My work puts me in touch with so many intelligent, motivated people that it’s easy to be inspired. I also find that the connections I’ve made through riding and the western world inform my life in all aspects. I can draw a thread through the rugged women I meet on my trips, through the women I ride with, through people I work with in the museum world on a daily basis and there’s something I’ve learned from all of them. I think just being open to new people and experiences is what has worked most effectively for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sarawolfheart.substack.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarawolfheart/

Image Credits
Madyline Braught Photography, Paige Southwood, Adam Jessamine, Emily Justus