Today we’d like to introduce you to Sara Kozak.
Hi Sara, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve always been a creator. There’s something instinctual about taking in the world around me and constructing something that shows others how I relate. I’ve always worked in many mediums at once. But, for many years, I was primarily a studio potter and manufacturer of artisan stoneware. I worked with notable lifestyle brands to bring my small-batch, handcrafted tableware into the homes and collections of people across the US and abroad. Most of my accounts were wholesale, and I worked from my home studio, forming, glazing, and firing each piece by hand.
From 2020 to 2024, I became a shopkeeper and opened up a small pottery and apothecary. I partnered with local makers and small businesses across the US and showcased my pottery alongside other “rituals” for daily life. They were the hardest but some of the most loved years of my creative journey. They taught me what creatives and small businesses struggle with daily, as well as what it takes to keep it all going. The lessons I learned as a shopkeeper were invaluable.
Throughout it all, I’d always been a photographer. Although I’d spent more of my time working on my photo practice in my personal life, or shooting brand photos for my storefront and other local businesses. I longed to photograph people and the places that make you FEEL something.
So, I started shooting more and more. I took classes in portraiture and spent many hours studying light everywhere I went — and still do.
In 2025, I started shooting portraits professionally with Olympic National Park and PNW as the most epic backdrop I could ask for. I focus on the quiet moments. Moments shared by just a few — reflecting the same type of quiet honesty I feel at the forests and beaches of coastal Washington, which I now call home.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been the opposite of a smooth road. Many bumps, turns, dead ends, and cliffs. I was a one-person production crew, a shopkeeper during COVID, and was diagnosed with a degenerative autoimmune disease that left me unable to handle the physical demands that production pottery and running a brick-and-mortar required. I closed its doors and relocated to Western Washington to be closer to family. Everything I’d worked for and gotten through felt in jeopardy. Since then, it’s been a long physical and emotional battle, but I’ve learned to live and curate a creative life far beyond anything I ever even dreamed of, and I feel like I’m still just getting started.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a photographer and small business owner based on the Olympic Peninsula. My photography work centers on landscapes, elopements, lifestyle, brand, pets, and portraits across the PNW. My editing runs cinematic and moody, inspired by weathered coastlines, dark corners, and quiet forests. You can schedule a consult or book online at www.sarakozak.com
I specialize in noticing the quiet things others overlook. That’s typically where everyone’s favorite photos happen because they’re the most real. I know firsthand how awkward it can feel to have your photo taken, and I think that informs how I work with people. I always strive to make them forget I’m there or, at the very least, that I’m taking their picture. I hate a photo that feels forced.
I also run Light Keeper Supply Co., a souvenir and engraving business of illustrated stickers, keychains, and laser-cut designs inspired by Olympic National Park. I sell through local shops and online at www.lightkeepershop.com
I’m most proud of the fact that I keep going. Things have changed so many times, but I keep finding new ways to create and share that with others. Each time I do, it seems I get closer and closer to my favorite work I’ve done yet.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I’ve fallen for Seattle in a way I didn’t expect. Admittedly, I’m not always a city person; there’s a reason I live so far out near a National Park. But Seattle has a feeling to it unlike any other metro area I’ve been to. The ferry boats, the smell of brine in the air, landscapes that take your breath away, the fog, and the light. The only thing I really don’t like about it is how expensive the cost of living is. Which I’m sure everyone can agree on.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sarakozak.com
- Instagram: @sara_by_the_seaside
- Other: tiktok : @sara_by_the_seaside | Google Business: https://share.google/PAZ1vYAfEc9qUgWwl
