An Interview with Author and Artist Sarah Alexander

I am excited to introduce you all to the very talented Sarah Alexander.

Sarah is a 12-year-old author and artist who was diagnosed with autism at the age of nine. Following her diagnosis, she came to understand why she felt different from her peers, discovered her strengths in art and problem solving, and found comfort in knowing that we are all different.

Sarah loves the arts: creating and exploring it in all mediums; she also loves music, dance and drama. She uses her art as a means to communicate and express herself in a way that she cannot always do verbally.

Sarah’s goal is to pursue her studies in the arts after graduating high school. She dreams of using her art to help others.

Sarah is an ambassador with Autism Speaks Canada. This national organization supports autistic individuals and families, promotes awareness, and provides information and helpful resources on Autism.

Cendrine Marrouat: Hello Sarah, it’s great to have you. As a starter, tell us a little about you.

Sarah Alexander: My name is Sarah Alexander and I’m 12 years old. I am the author of the book Sarah~bella…Same, but unique!, and the owner of the website named Sarahbella Visions.

I am athletic; I love art in all its forms; I like reading and just relaxing and chatting with my friends and family…and I enjoy musicals!

CM: Sarah~bella…Same, but unique! is your first book. It was released this year. Congratulations! How was the experience of writing the book?

SA: It was challenging and nerve-wracking because I only started when I was 11 and I knew that I was going to be putting the book out there and people would see it. I was worried at first about what people would say about it. But as I came to the end of the process I became more comfortable with it because I felt it would help people to gain a better understanding of autism.

I felt it was important for people to understand that every autistic person is unique and that we all have a purpose and something special to bring to the world. I felt like the book could help people to put themselves in someone else’s shoes and maybe then they would not judge them negatively.

CM: How did you come up with the title?

SA: I was having a hard time at school when I wrote the book. I felt very misunderstood. I felt so different from my peers and like I just could not fit in.

When I thought about the message I wanted to give through the book, that gave me the idea for the title. Autistic people are like every one else, but we are neurodiverse. We are same…but different in a good way! So that’s where the title came from.

I am human like everyone else but being autistic with ADHD makes me unique in my own way…we all are if you think about it.

CM: What is your favorite passage of the book? Why?

SA: One of my favorite passages is in Part 1, page 12.

Then, as she looked me squarely in the eyes, she said to me in a strong, sturdy voice, “You are not mistake…God does not make mistakes.”

It’s one of my favorites because it highlights the instant that I began to accept myself as I am and learning to love my uniqueness. I always felt like something was wrong with me when I was growing up. This part of my book tells the moment my life changed and I stopped caring about fitting in and just focused on being me.

CM: You are the founder of SarahBella Visions, a platform that showcases custom art design created by young autistic artists. What gave you the idea to create it?

SA: The website was created as a COVID project. I had always loved art and creating designs.

One day I created a piece but made a video showing how I made it and showed it to my mom. My mom has always been supportive of my art and was very happy with the piece I created. She started showing it to friends and family who all commented that they liked my designs. Then my mom and I had a discussion as to what I should do next and well…that’s where the idea for the website came from.

I made it so that if there are other autistic young artists out there who want to showcase their art, I would be happy to help them. This site (and my book) helped me learn who I am and find my voice. If I can do that for others, then I would be very happy.

CM: Why is it so important for you to raise awareness of autism?

SA: I think it is important to raise awareness of autism because people on the spectrum are often misunderstood. People sometimes judge people who are autistic as not intelligent or annoying. They do not understand how challenging it can be for someone who thinks differently or who does not see the world as they do.

CM: As an artist, how would you like to be remembered?

SA: As an artist, I want to be remembered as someone who inspired others to do good for each other, and helped others know they are not alone in the world

CM: Are you working on new projects? If so, what can you expect from you next?

SA: Yes, I am working on a book series about an Autistic young girl called Andrea Finkle. I am hoping to have the first few books out (online) in early 2022.

CM: Is there anything you would like to add?

SA: Yes. Thank you for this interview and for giving me the opportunity to share with your audience. A big struggle I have faced is being misjudged by people who do not understand autism. It is hard when people expect me to behave a certain way when it is just not who I am.

I want to leave everyone with the thought that there is space of all of us in this world. I think the world would be a pretty boring place if we all thought and acted the same or saw the world the same way.

Support Sarah Alexander’s Work

Check out Sarah~bella…Same, but unique! on Amazon.

For more information on SarahBella Visions, click below.

That's it for today! Thank you for reading!

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Cendrine Marrouat is a writer, photographer, podcaster, blogger, anthology editor, and the co-founder of Auroras & Blossoms and A Warm Cup of Cozy. She has authored and co-authored more than 40 books, including The Train: A Short Story (2023), In Her Own Words: A Collection of Short Stories & Flashku (2022), After the Fires of Day: Haiku Inspired by Kahlil Gibran & Alphonse de Lamartine (2021), Rhythm Flourishing: A Collection of Kindku and Sixku (2020), Walks: A Collection of Haiku (2019-2020), and In the Silence of Words: A Three-Act Play (2018).

Cendrine's work has appeared in many publications. She is the creator of the Sixku, Flashku, Sepigram, and Reminigram; as well as the co-creator of the Kindku, Pareiku, Vardhaku, and Hemingku.