Artist · Performer
Playfulness Coach
Joyful disruptor
I am a joyful disruptor
From play we come.
And to play we must return.
I'm Saras — multidisciplinary artist, performer, maker, and playfulness coach. My work lives at the place where art, presence, and human connection meet.
THE BELIEF THAT DRIVES EVERYTHING
Playfulness is not childish.
It is not an escape.
It is a return — to presence, to imagination, to the truest version of yourself.
Creative Edinburgh Independent Award · 2020
For PlayfulFest — bringing joy and community when the world went quiet.
THE STORY
Philosophy.
Fashion. Theatre.
Play.
I studied Philosophy at university — which is where I learnt to ask questions that don't have tidy answers. Questions about meaning. Presence. What it actually means to be human.
My creative career began as a fashion designer in South America — storytelling through texture, shape, and the body. I moved to Scotland and found myself in rapid-creation fashion weekends, designing and modelling garments made in two days. Immersive. Instinctual. Fully alive.
Then came physical theatre and ritual performance. Then figurative painting — exhibited in Scotland, a painted mural in South America. Then coaching, where presence meets transformation.
In 2016, 99 people from around the world backed my Kickstarter to bring my solo show Memories of a Lullaby to life — a performance weaving physical political theatre, autobiographical storytelling, and live painting on stage. It toured across Scotland and England: Brighton Fringe, Refugee Festival Scotland, Borders Book Festival.
In 2020, I received the Creative Edinburgh Independent Award for creating PlayfulFest — the international playfulness festival I delivered during the pandemic, when joy felt most necessary and most elusive.
THE JOURNEY
A life made of
creative chapters.
Early
Philosophy degree · South America
Studying the nature of meaning, presence, and what it means to live fully. The questions that still live in every piece of work.
2000s
Fashion design · Figurative painting · South America & Scotland
Fashion weekends in Scotland. A mural painted in South America. Exhibitions of figurative work. The body and the canvas as the same territory.
2010s
Physical theatre · Clown · Ritual performance · Scotland
Training in physical theatre and clowning. The discovery that the body is the first instrument. Performing across Scotland.
2016
Memories of a Lullaby · 99 Kickstarter backers worldwide
A full solo show combining live painting, physical political theatre, and autobiographical storytelling. Refugee Festival Scotland. Brighton Fringe. Borders Book Festival. The Herald called it "a chameleon physicality."
2018–
Playfulness coaching · The Playful Quest course · Creative mentorship
Working with creatives, parents, and entrepreneurs to reconnect with creative flow, emotional clarity, and presence.
2020
Creative Edinburgh Independent Award · PlayfulFest
The international playfulness festival — delivered during the pandemic. Bringing joy, connection, and creative community when the world went quiet.
Now
Live art · Commissions · Coaching · A Playful Presence Society · Creative work worldwide
Painting live at events. Taking commissions. Coaching creatives and entrepreneurs. Building A Playful Presence Society. Available worldwide.
IN THE PRESS
What they
said.
The Herald Scotland · Mary Brennan
"She has a chameleon physicality — a visual artist who sweeps a landscape onto blank paper, the rapid strokes underlining her need to remember and the wish to forget."
Memories of a Lullaby · CCA Glasgow
The Wee Review
"An engaging, warm performer who actively makes eye contact with her audience — blending real-time chalk sketching with physical interpretation and autobiographical storytelling."
Refugee Festival Scotland · 2016
Creative Edinburgh · The Skinny · 2020
"Winner of the Independent Award — for individuals who produce dedicated, inspiring, and valuable projects which leave a lasting impression."
PlayfulFest · International Playfulness Festival
THE PHILOSOPHY
This is not about glitter and glue. And it is not just about fun.
Sometimes looking at what's happening around us feels heavy. Confusing. Even hopeless. So much noise. So much tension.
When the world feels like this, our instinct is often to push harder. Think more. Stay constantly informed. Constantly serious.
But what if reconnecting with playfulness is not an escape — but a return?
Play lets the brain breathe deeply. It wakes up imagination. It reminds us that we are more than our stress, our roles, our responsibilities. From that place, something shifts. We soften. We think differently. We remember who we are.
Depth over noise
Every project, every session, every painting is an invitation to go deeper — not louder. Lightness and depth are not opposites. They are companions.
Presence over perfection
The mark on the canvas doesn't have to be perfect. It has to be honest. The same is true of a coaching session, a live performance, a community.
Play as radical act
In a world that rewards relentless seriousness, choosing to play is an act of quiet defiance. It is how we reclaim our humanity.
Belonging for everyone
Every human being is valuable — regardless of the colour of their skin, their social status, their background. This work was built with that belief at its foundation.
WHO I WORK WITH
You feel it.
That missing thing.
This work is not for everyone. It is for people who are ready — not to be fixed, but to be reminded.
Creatives and artists who've lost the thread of their own voice — and know the will is still there, even if the spark isn't
Parents who want to be present with their children, not just functional — and who know they can't pour from an empty cup
Entrepreneurs whose soul business has stopped feeling like a soul business — and who want more ease, less depletion
Event makers and brands who want their celebration or activation to leave a mark — not just a photograph
Anyone who is tired of everything needing to be productive to be worthwhile — and who is quietly craving more softness, more presence, more joy that feels real
Where would you like to begin?
There are several ways we can work together. Choose the one that feels right.