Creativity takes courage. And the Creative Sanctum is a haven for creatives and those curious to learn more. A digital magazine, Creative Sanctum shines a spotlight on the creative process and behind-the-scenes efforts of innovative and adventurous artists. Via in-depth artist interviews and engagement with both finished and in-progress works across all mediums and forms, Creative Sanctum offers insights and deeper conversation on the current projects, artistic development, and passion behind today’s inspired artists. Creative Sanctum is especially proud to feature and support the work of artists using their creativity for social justice.

Our Origins:

Creative Sanctum was developed by Sharon M. Chin in the summer of 2018 after some engaging and intimate conversations with creatives. One balmy July Saturday, Sharon enjoyed a backyard concert of 4 Corsican singers, watched a friend showcase a works-in-progress tap dance piece, and talked to an author about an upcoming poetry publication. Feeling buoyed by the vision, courage, and impact of artists and their work, Sharon felt enlivened and determined to document the behind the scenes process of art worth sharing. Sharon knows the act of being creative can at times seem daunting and Sharon, in demystifying the creative process, seeks to encourage more engagement. Sharon is energized and inspired by innovative creative talent- and Creative Sanctum seeks to amplify it.

About the Founder:

A native New Yorker, Sharon M. Chin solves problems at scale as a management consultant, primarily within the healthcare and social impact space. She is a Alfred Landecker Democracy Fellow, Humanity in Action Senior Fellow, and serves on the nonprofit board for the Global Language Project.

In her creative life, Chin supports the Queens Council of the Arts as an Arts Commissioner and is a enthusiastic swing and tango dancer. Sharon also recently organized Hello Peril Swing, an Asian-American swing dance collective, in conjunction with the Museum of the Chinese of the Americas. She is a lover of the arts wherever she travels- with her most recent inspirations including tango studies in Buenos Aires, admiring both art and seascape at the Louisiana Museum in Copenhagen, and enjoying the company of Italian Renaissance masters in Rome and Florence. Sharon has a frighteningly large collection of programs and playbills.  

Get Involved:

If you have a project or are an artist seeking to be featured on Creative Sanctum, please reach out to us. We’d like to understand who you are, your work, and why you feel your work is exemplary and deserves to be shared. In the subject line, please indicate: Artist Pitch- “Artist Name.” In the body, please describe your work, where the work is in its creative process, when the work is to be displayed, and provide sample material, where available. Please submit a request by email: contactus AT thecreativesanctum.com.  Artists must be willing to have a ~2 hour interview with the writers of Creative Sanctum and provide access to a WIP or finished work product.

If you have any additional comments or would like to further support Creative Sanctum, please also reach out at contactus AT thecreativesanctum.com. The Creative Sanctum is based in Astoria in New York City.