SARK (author)
Encyclopedia
SARK is an American
author and illustrator of self-help
books. Five of her sixteen books have been national bestsellers, and she has sold more than two million copies of her books.
In 1993, SARK created Camp Sark, LLC, a company which created products inspired by her artwork. The company's sales were strong, but it failed to return on investments, and SARK relaunched it as Planet SARK in 2003, focusing the company on publishing, events, and online commerce. The new company was more successful than its predecessor.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author and illustrator of self-help
Self-help
Self-help, or self-improvement, is a self-guided improvement—economically, intellectually, or emotionally—often with a substantial psychological basis. There are many different self-help movements and each has its own focus, techniques, associated beliefs, proponents and in some cases, leaders...
books. Five of her sixteen books have been national bestsellers, and she has sold more than two million copies of her books.
Early life
SARK was born Susan Kennedy. At age ten, she became friends with an 80 year old neighbor, Mr. Boggs. When Mr. Boggs went to the hospital with a serious illness, he credited young Susan for helping him recover with the homemade cards and letters she sent every day for a month. No one else, he said, had visited or called during his illness. The experience inspired Kennedy to spend her life in some similar work.Professional life
In 1989, at age 26, SARK moved to San Francisco with $1 and a forged check, where she chose to 'opt out of the money system.' She earned enough money from her artwork to buy a 180 square feet (16.7 m²) building, the home and work space which she called her 'magic cottage.' In 1989 she created a poster, 'How to be an Artist,' which she offered for sale in the catalog of a local metaphysical store. The poster quickly became popular, selling more than 1000 copies within a week. The sudden popularity was a difficulty for SARK, whose posters were produced by hand and who lacked facilities for mass production, but she completed the posters by devising a system for producing them, and using space in a garage without permission, hiding the posters under a tarp when she heard the owners approaching. The poster's success led a publishing company to contact SARK, who soon published her first book, A Creative Companion, a book which she wrote in two weeks.In 1993, SARK created Camp Sark, LLC, a company which created products inspired by her artwork. The company's sales were strong, but it failed to return on investments, and SARK relaunched it as Planet SARK in 2003, focusing the company on publishing, events, and online commerce. The new company was more successful than its predecessor.
Works
- A Creative Companion (Celestial Arts/Ten Speed Press 1991)
- Inspiration Sandwich (Celestial Arts/Ten Speed Press 1992)
- Living Juicy (Celestial Arts/Ten Speed Press 1994)
- Succulent Wild Woman (Simon and Schuster 1997)
- The Bodacious Book of Succulence (Simon and Schuster 1998)
- Change Your Life Without Getting Out of Bed (Simon and Schuster 1999)
- Transformation Soup (Simon and Schuster 2000)
- Eat Mangos Naked (Simon and Schuster 2001)
- Prosperity Pie (Simon and Schuster 2002)
- Make Your Creative Dreams REAL (Simon and Schuster 2004)
- SARK's New Creative Companion (Celestial Arts/Ten Speed Press 2005)
- Fabulous Friendship Festival (Three Rivers Press 2007)
- Juicy Pens, Thirsty Paper (Three Rivers Press 2008)
- Glad No Matter What (New World Library 2010)