Can you please tell us a little bit about yourself?
I'm Sarskia – a brand strategist and designer, a doer of all things. I love beautiful things, beautiful brands, beautiful people – lucky me that my work allows me to weave these elements together to help people craft beautiful and aligned businesses. Outside of my work I'm renovating a wee 1930's unit and going on dinner dates.
Who is your muse? and why?
I look to my friends and family for inspiration – to the strong and creative women around me. I also look to different versions of myself – both younger and future. As a teenager, I remember wanting more than anything to be someone's muse, feeling the weight of the role of a woman to inspire rather than create. Do, rather than dream. It wasn't long after that I determined I could be both creator and muse. I decided to chase a version of myself that I wanted to make proud while inspiring a younger version of myself. My friends are creative and inspired, resilient, warm, ambitious and smart, and they continuously inspire me. They remind me that I can dream, do, and inspire all at once.
When do you feel most at peace with yourself?
I feel most at peace when I come home to my husband. Someone who holds so much space for who I am, who I want to be, and loves all the pieces of me that I can find really hard to be with. We have been together for half of my life, so we have grown up together – he knows so many different versions of me, and makes all of them feel loved and known. He's a very peaceful person himself by nature, and being with him feels like safety, acceptance and warmth.
OHEN is about giving women a little luxury everyday, how do you take care of mind, body and soul?
My wellness is something I have to actively choose to return to, as taking care of myself is often the first thing I let fall away when I feel overwhelmed or stuck. In those moments, I try to return to the foundations - a tidy home, clean sheets, nutritious meal, a matching set (OHEN, of course) coffee and korero with a friend, and a booked gym class.
Can you tell us a bit about what you do as a brand strategist and designer? What is the creative process?
Everything begins with a really good conversation – understanding the vision behind the business, the love for the problem, the spark that brought it to life. I love being involved right from inception, helping to clarify and define the brand's core values, audience, and unique perspective. Ideally, this process involves a smart and creative team of collaborators, where ideas can be shared and refined.
From there I usually do some really broad visual research – l have a stack of books in my studio – picture books, typography, architecture, design, illustration. Depending on the project, I might start here, or turn to my favourite design resources. While it's nice to be able to say we pull inspiration from, and share, unconventional sources, established visual examples are valuable, especially when presenting ideas to those less familiar with design.
I'll often gather an array of references, then analyse them to find recurring patterns and shared elements, such as a specific colour world. Rather than seeking one solution, I'll present three general visual and brand territories to gauge which resonates and aligns with the client. We then refine one of these directions in collaboration with the client and team, ensuring the final design solution sits in harmony with the brand strategy, messaging and business ambitions. The process then results in a robust rollout, including the development of design systems, collateral, guidelines, and digital identity.
What collaborations do you find the most inspiring?
Collaboration leads to the best outcomes, and I thrive on building relationships with smart, kind, and creative people. While I love getting to share space with new strategists, artists, writers, developers and designers, I really do love going into a project alongside a team I know and trust to deliver a really considered solution. The better the relationship, often the better the work. There's nothing better than being in a workshop with a team of people with great working chemistry – being able to pass ideas back and forth. I'm not particularly linear in my approach to my work, so I also really appreciate when I'm trusted to deliver my piece in my timeline.
Are there any brands or creatives you'd love to work with?
So many. New Zealand has such beautiful brands, so many businesses that inspire me. Incredible creatives who are building beautiful things. Because I love working from the start of the process, I recognise that lots of those businesses already have solid foundations and talented people working with them. I'd love to work in partnership with more interior designers and architects – helping deliver an end-to-end visual experience. I'd love to do more packaging work – skincare, wine. Projects that can explore tangible design outputs and a beautiful, intimate brand moment.
What are you currently listening to, reading, doing?
I've just registered for the Auckland half marathon, so I guess I'll be doing some form of running once this gets published. I've also started knitting, and have been doing that with a group of friends, which has been a nice activity to return to in the evenings when I need something low-stakes to work away at. I've got a never-ending stack of books on the bedside table, do my fair share of scrolling on TikTok, and am watching the new season of House of the Dragon. I've also just finished Love Island UK, which I put on while I work in the evenings. I'm listening to the music that my friends are putting out – Sore Loser by Amber Luck on repeat. It's a great time for fun pop music, so lots of Chappell Roan, Charlie XCX and Sabrina Carpenter. I'll often pop on an artist's radio on Spotify – Olivia Dean, Arlo Parks, or something else in the chill RnB space – maybe the Butter playlist by Spotify. I love the 'We Can do Hard Things' podcast, and then have a smattering of other business, life, finance, design and pop culture podcasts that are in the lineup but without any loyalty from me. I'm dreaming of our next home project and having a bit more time to create a space we truly love.