"I'm a unicorn that simply refuses to be put inside a horse box." (Sarah Masters bonus episode)

Summary

Daring Creativity Podcast
Episode: "I'm a unicorn that simply refuses to be put inside a horse box." (Sarah Masters Bonus Episode)
Host: Radim Malinic
Guest: Sarah Allen Masters, Collage Artist & Founder of Collage
Date: March 12, 2026

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Overview

This bonus episode revisits standout moments from the conversation with Sarah Allen Masters, a collage artist and workshop facilitator who champions creativity as an alternative way to process, express, and heal—especially for those whose learning journeys don't fit traditional molds. The episode offers an honest exploration into Sarah’s experience with dyslexia, her initial skepticism about collage, her creative transformation, and her unique adaptation of well-known creative frameworks.

The episode’s intent: to showcase how embracing imperfections, questioning biases, and “doing the thing shaking” can lead to genuine creativity, connection, and self-compassion.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Dyslexia, Schooling, and Early Experiences of Not Fitting In

• Sarah’s struggle in the traditional education system:
  Sarah recalls how the lack of support for dyslexic students impacted her confidence and self-worth.

  • Notable quote [00:55]:
    Sarah: “As a child I had a really tough time at school not fitting in and there was just not the curriculum or opportunities to explore the different ways that I learn...I wasn't only bullied by other kids, but I was told in front of a class by the teacher that I was stupid.”

• The significance of authority figures:
  Radim underlines the lasting effect when someone in power (like a teacher) sows self-doubt.

  • Analysis [01:46]:
    Radim: “A teacher holds enormous power over how a child understands their own worth, and Sarah was given the worst possible verdict in the most public way imaginable.”
  • This experience becomes a ‘through line’ shaping Sarah’s later mission to create nurturing spaces.

2. Questioning Creative Biases & Discovering the Value of Collage

• Initial dismissal of collage as ‘nonsense’:
  During her undergraduate studies, Sarah was skeptical about collage, regarding it as children’s play.

  • Notable quote [02:54]:
    Sarah: “I thought it was just kids play. I was like, this is nonsense. Why are we doing this?...when I got to my master's level, I wanted to question that bias...to understand why I thought it was invaluable.”

• Transformation through genuine inquiry:
  Radim highlights the power of being an advocate who started out as a skeptic.

  • Interpretation [03:37]:
    Radim: “When a workshop participant walks in skeptical, Sarah can honestly say, I was you. I thought this was a waste of time too...Her passion isn’t inherited or assumed. It’s the product of real intellectual challenge.”

3. Developing a Visual Journaling Practice Suited to Dyslexic Brains

• Turning diary entries into collage:
  Sarah describes merging monthly journal entries into summary words, then translating those words into images using materials she had on hand. This became her main creative process, especially after traditional ‘morning pages’ didn’t resonate due to her dyslexia.

  • Notable quote [04:33]:
    Sarah: “I was dying to feel a sense of being seen through my work...I kind of see my collage practice as a visual way of doing the morning pages. So I use collage...as a way of getting out what’s inside with what’s to hand.”

• Adapting ‘morning pages’ for non-writers:
  Radim labels this as “quietly brilliant,” reframing a text-based exercise (from Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way) into something tactile and visual.

  • Reflection [06:06]:
    Radim: “She took an established creative framework and rewired it completely, replacing language with image, text with texture, writing with making...For anyone who’s ever bounced off traditional journaling, this reframe is genuinely liberating.”

4. Building Courage Through Repetition, Not Achieving Perfection

• “Getting in the reps” for confidence:
  Inspired by Maya Angelou, Sarah describes how continual practice builds her sense of self-efficacy, regardless of how small the action.

  • Notable quote [07:09]:
    Sarah: “I think I am now reveling in getting in the reps because I can give myself kudos just for showing up and just getting an extra rep in. And the more reps you do, you just marginally get a little bit closer to confidence every time...Today I get anxiety over sending a voice note. I’ve just come on a podcast.”

• Challenging the tidy narrative of ‘healing’:
  Radim asserts that the power lies in acting despite anxiety, not waiting for it to disappear.

  • Reflection [07:41]:
    Radim: “She’s not fixed. She’s not cured. She still feels anxious about her smallest acts of communication. And yet she showed up...That gap between the fear and the action is where all the courage lives...You don’t wait to feel brave before you do the thing. You do the thing shaking. And that is the bravery.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On being labeled in school
  Sarah [00:55]: “I was told in front of a class by the teacher that I was stupid.”
• On skepticism toward collage
  Sarah [02:54]: “I had a very opinionated friend that was also on board with this were like, this is just ridiculous that we’ve got a whole term doing this.”
• On reframing creative routines
  Sarah [04:33]: “I kind of see my collage practice as a visual way of doing the morning pages.”
• On practicing courage
  Sarah [07:09]: “Today I get anxiety over sending a voice note. I’ve just come on a podcast.”
• On bravery
  Radim [07:41]: “You don’t wait to feel brave before you do the thing. You do the thing shaking. And that is the bravery.”

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:55] – Sarah’s schooling and public humiliation as a dyslexic child
• [02:54] – First impressions and biases about collage
• [04:33] – How Sarah developed her visual journaling practice
• [06:06] – Reframing Julia Cameron’s ‘morning pages’ for non-writers
• [07:09] – Building confidence “rep by rep,” the ongoing nature of courage
• [07:41] – Radim’s reflections on acting bravely “while shaking”

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Tone and Language

The conversation is unfiltered, honest, and accessible, balancing vulnerability with pragmatism. Both Sarah and Radim use direct, relatable language, sharing personal anecdotes and inviting listeners to reconsider their own creative blockages or biases. There’s no prescriptive tone—just encouragement to show up, however imperfectly.

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Conclusion

This episode stands out for its raw honesty and practical takeaways:

• Encounters with rejection and self-doubt can be alchemized into creative missions.
• True advocates for creative practices are often those who journeyed in as skeptics.
• Creative frameworks are a starting point, not a prison—feel free to adapt them to your strengths.
• Courage is built in increments; the act of “doing, even while afraid” is at the heart of creative daring.

For anyone struggling to own their imperfection or waiting to feel “ready,” Sarah Masters’ story is both validating and motivating: “You don’t wait to feel brave before you do the thing. You do the thing shaking. And that is the bravery.”

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Recommended listen: Check out the full episode with Sarah Allen Masters for a deeper dive and more inspiration.

Transcript

[A]

Welcome to another episode of the Daring Creativity Podcast. I'm back to unpack some of the gems from this week's conversation, pulling out those moments that deserve a second look and dig deeper into what makes them special. This week I spoke to Sarah Allen Master, a collage artist and founder of Collage. She leads workshops that offer the safe, supportive spaces she never had when learning to live and work with dyslexia. In our conversation, Sarah explored why collage asks nothing of perfections, how her diary entries became her morning visual pages, and why people are starving for hands on connection in a screen saturated world. The episode published a few days ago was titled Dare to Pick up the Pieces and it was one of those raw and honest conversations that resonated with listeners far and wide. If you haven't checked out a full episode yet, let me share with you these four standout moments.

[B]

I don't think I actually also realized that till later how dyslexic I am. As a child I had a really tough time at school not fitting in and there was just not the curriculum or opportunities to explore the different ways that I learn. In fact, I was moved to schools because my parents realized I wasn't very happy and I think they were doing the best that they could. So put me into a different school in order to try and help change the way I learn. But actually I don't think the facilities were in place in any schooling system. Yes, when I was early adolescent I was put into a private school and again the schooling system just wasn't in place for me to the point where I wasn't only bullied by other kids, but I was told in front of a class by the teacher that I was stupid.

[A]

As I've mentioned in the intro, and if you have listened to Sarah's conversation, it was a very honest encounter of what it was like to be and what it might be still like to be going through the school system with dyslexia. And this moment in her life landed hard because it didn't come from a peer. This comment came from a person whose job was to believe in her. A teacher holds enormous power over how a child understands their own worth, and Sarah was given the worst possible verdict in the most public way imaginable. What makes it especially significant in the context of the conversation is that through line it creates every piece of Sarah's story. The isolation, the shame, the out of body experiences, the late discovery of her creativity. It traces back to this moment. And yet here she is. A running workshop specially designed to make people Feel capable and seen. That is not just resilience. That's a complete reversal of the damage turned into a mission.

[B]

But he had mentioned collage, which is really interesting because when I'd done my bachelor's, we'd had a term on collage and I had such a bias about it. I thought it was just kids play. I was like, this is nonsense. Why are we doing this? And I had a very opinionated friend that was also on board with this were like, this is just ridiculous that we've got a whole term doing this. So I had just thought it was complete nonsense. But I think when I got to my master's level, I wanted to question that bias because I was starting to realize that a lot of the assumptions I had about creativity were very role. So I decided to explore collage for that reason, to understand why I thought it was invaluable.

[A]

The best origin stories often start with the thing the hero dismisses. Sarah didn't reluctantly warm to collage. She actively rolled her eyes at it. That 180 degree shift makes her conviction so much more credible now because she's earned it through genuine questioning rather than blind enthusiasm. It also makes her a far better advocate for the medium. When a workshop participant walks in skeptical, Sarah can honestly say, I was you. I thought this was a waste of time too. That shared starting point is incredibly disarming. It removes the pedestal, levels the room and builds trust instantly. Her passion isn't inherited or assumed. It's the product of real intellectual challenge. She says herself. And that makes every word she says about collage carry genuine weight.

[B]

I wrote out diary entries for each month of the previous year. And then I would combine that into three words that summarize the diary entry. And then I would find imagery. It could be abstract or it could be literal, but basically I was just finding and not even necessarily going out to do it, but I would find what I had to hand that matched these words. And then I started creating collages out of that. And I was dying to feel a sense of being seen through my work and process on a probably very self conscious level. What I'd gone through. That was the start of my practice. The more practice I got into and I was trying different things, I was trying like creating collage just in black and white to start with, just with one color and kind of finding my way in, what helped ground me and get more focused. But the other thing I also think is really valuable is I went through a season of reading the Artist's Way by Julia Cameron And I couldn't get into that because it's very. Again, the practice of the morning pages is obviously all very text based. So I kind of see my collage practice as a visual way of doing the morning pages. So I use collage. My collage practice has basically become a way of getting out what's inside with what's to hand.

[A]

Sarah mentioned Julia Cameron's book the Artist's Way, and if you're familiar with the book, mentions mourning pages that are beloved by many. But let's be honest, they might not work for everyone, especially if you're dyslexic and words have always felt like the enemy. What Sarah did here is quietly brilliant. She took an established creative framework and rewired it completely, replacing language with image, text with texture, writing with making. That's not just the workaround, it's innovation. It shows a deep, intuitive understanding of what the practice is actually for externalizing the internal creating space between you and your thoughts. And found a root there is that suits how mind actually works. For anyone who's ever bounced off traditional journaling, this reframe is genuinely liberating. It suggests that the method matters far less than then the intention behind it.

[B]

I think it's Maya Angelou that said, she learned from a really early age to have her own back. And I think that I am now reveling in getting in the reps because I can give myself a kudos just for showing up and just getting an extra rep in. And the more reps you do, you just marginally get a little bit closer to confidence every time and that there's no ceiling to that. Today I get anxiety over sending a voice note. I've just come on a podcast.

[A]

I hope this moment and this conversation travels even further than it has already because it's one of these episodes that I genuinely knew that when we finished was so raw and honest and so relatable. Because yes, I, you know, choose guests from all walks of life, some of those that are known around the world, some of those who have had their 30, 40 year career and they can eloquently speak about their careers. The episodes who travel the furthest are the ones like this one with Sarah, because those stories feel so human and so relatable and a lot of people actually see themselves in this. They can actually hear their own echoes of their own story. For anyone hearing to this quote can agree that this moment makes the episode real. It would be easy to package Sarah's story as a neat arc, shame to healing to confidence, but this single line punctures any tidy narrative. She's not fixed. She's not cured. She still feels anxious about her smallest acts of communication. And yet she showed up. She spoke to me for over an hour. Share some of the most vulnerable parts of her life with an audience she'll never meet. That gap between the fear and the action is where all the courage lives. It's also the most practical thing anyone listening can take away. You don't wait to feel brave before you do the thing. You do the thing shaking. And that is the bravery. Thank you for joining me on this bonus episode. I can only encourage you to check out a full conversation with Sarah Allen Masters. It's one of those conversations that will stay around for a while. And thank you. I'll see you next.

[B]

One

[A]

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