Posts by Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled "Embroidered Life" that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
Creative Products
October 31, 2025

16 Gratitude Journals That Will Help You Nurture Happiness in Your Daily Life

There’s often the thought that happiness is a place. Once you get that promotion, you’ll be happier. Once this year is over, you’ll be happier. But the fact is that it’s just not true; sustainable happiness is achieved in seemingly small actions you take every day that have a cumulative effect on your life. One of these small actions is cultivating gratitude. Gratitude is being thankful for what you receive—whether it’s tangible or intangible.

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Painting
October 29, 2025

Japanese Artist Celebrates Their Rescue Cat With Endearing Traditional-Style Paintings

Cats have long been artists’ muses, across time and around the world. Their beauty, aloof personalities, and sometimes sassiness are both intriguing and amusing to us. And for the creatively inclined, they beg to be memorialized in art. Japanese artist Poshichi finds familiar inspiration for their paintings: their rescue cat. Working digitally, they combine contemporary media with nihonga, a term for Japanese painting that originated in the 19th century.

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Portrait Photography
October 22, 2025

Cinematic Photos Look Like Hyperrealistic Paintings With Mysterious Stories To Tell [Interview]

Artist Summer Wagner is a storyteller, and lenses are the vehicle through which she shares her tales. The narrative imagery and video, both of which are cinematic in nature, possess a distinct aesthetic. Her photographs feature a desaturated color palette with a contrast and depth of field that makes each composition feel more like a hyperrealistic painting than something shot with a camera.

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My Modern Met

Celebrating creativity and promoting a positive culture by spotlighting the best sides of humanity—from the lighthearted and fun to the thought-provoking and enlightening.