Meet Sara Miller | Artist, Herbalist, Doula

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sara Miller and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sara, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
Great question! I feel my work makes impacts that ripple out and we may not see all the results in the moment. As an artist, herbalist and doula I love to create and help folks in various ways. My work is rooted in connection, care, and creativity. and each aspect of my practice contributes to the well-being of my community in unique ways. Through photography, I help individuals and families preserve meaningful moments, creating images that honor their stories and foster a sense of belonging. As a postpartum doula, I provide nurturing support to new parents, helping theIm feel seen, empowered, and cared for during a transformative and often challenging time. My herbalism and pottery practice extend this philosophy of care into everyday life, offering tools and experiences that encourage mindfulness, wellness, and a deeper connection to the natural world. Altogether, my business supports emotional, physical, and creative well-being—helping people slow down, celebrate their lives, and feel supported in the spaces they inhabit.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I have always been an artist. When i was a child, living on a farm in the middle of nowhere, I would make mud pies and tell my parents I wanted to be a French Artist. I’m not sure what i thought that meant but I insisted on wearing strange hats and moon boots and feigned foreign accents. They thought i was from another planet and feared for my future but also always believed in me and encouraged me. I love all the arts and completed an associate degree in Ceramics and a bachelor and Masters degree in Printmaking. But I love all art forms. I love to paint, draw, take photos, podcast, work with clay, sew, etc. Being a human and being able to make things is really so fun! What a gift it is to have a body! I also lived in NYC for 5 years and adored my time there but got Lyme disease, which brought me back to Colorado to study herbalism, where i healed myself. I continue to work as a herbalist and love helping folks tend to themselves. While in herb school, I had a mentor who suggested I look into doula work and I have completed numerous courses and workshops and I absolutely love helping new families navigate life with a newborn. Seeing the magic of these early moments has inspired me to begin working as a photographer. I love being able to document these precious new moments and allow people to hold onto the precious times. I also hosted a podcast for a few years, Thyme in the Studio, where i interviewed other creatives and plant people. The podcast is on pause right now as it is a tremendous amount of work but I do love to connect with others and shine a light on other people doing cool work. I feel the wind has guided me along my crooked path. While i could never have predicted my journey, I feel guided to do the work I do. It has certainly not been easy but it has been deeply powerful, meaningful and usually fun. Having folks around me to chat with and share ideas with has helped me overcome tough times. or sometimes just being around other folks, but not chatting and just making art together is so helpful too. silence together is magic. I have learned to balance being adaptable with being stubborn. I try to evolve and change with the times but I can also dig in my heels at times and have specific ways I like to do things. I also try to meet folks where they are and to try to be a ray of light and laughter for folks, but also ready and willing to get real and be present with folks when they are going through hard times and need a friend. I thrive when i can connect, collaborate, create and be a helpful person.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’m such a homebody so we would likely cook lots of meals with my boyfriend and cat at home. I would definitely take folks to the Dushanbe Tea house and BMOCA art museum and the Boulder Library. We would go on lots of hikes and explore Sanitas and walk around Chautaqua. We would go to Rebecca’s Apothecary and check out Trident Book store and the New Local Gallery. We would get coffee at Beleeza and the new scandinavian coffee shop, Süti & Co.. We would go to BlackBelly for dinner. I love the bike paths around Boulder and we would bike around and see some films or performances at the Dairy Arts Center.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Oh wow, that is a tough one! I want to recognize so many people who have helped me along the way! My partner, my mother, my family, my cat, all my friends, my grandparents, all my clients, everyone at Rebecca’s Apothecary, everyone at The Boulder Potter’s Guild and everyone at Sanctuary Doulas have all been so supportive and crucial to my evolution as a person, and as an artist, an herbalist and a doula. Thank you to everyone who helps to teach me new ways of being and for all the love and hope you all fuel me with!

Website: https://www.aidazea.com

Instagram: @saramariestudio

Image Credits
Most photos are taken by me: Sara Marie Miller
The photo of me is by Virginia Harold and the photo of my pottery with the checkerboard floor is by Virginia Harold.