Debbie Millman’s ongoing project “What Matters,” an effort to understand the interior life of artists, designers, and creative thinkers, is now in its third year. Each respondent is invited to answer ten identical questions and submit a nonprofessional photograph.
Sarah Hermalyn is the head of strategy and operations at The Working Assembly. With a penchant for the seemingly impossible and the endurance of a former Division 1 lacrosse athlete, she leads with a can-do fervor. She greets each challenge with a meticulous plan for action, unwavering confidence in her team, and contagious enthusiasm.
What is the thing you like doing most in the world?
Elbow deep in a vat of tie dye, sun out, the Jersey shore, friends/family in my peripheral.
What is the first memory you have of being creative?
Is it a memory if it’s a memory of someone telling you about it? My self-portrait that I drew on my first day of kindergarten. I sat there way past the time any other kid did, drawing in excruciating detail the pattern of my shirt, my earrings, and my puffy Gymboree headband.
What is your biggest regret?
Probably not convincing my dad to get a colonoscopy (I didn’t even know I needed to convince him) – he died from colon cancer at age 63. Biggest regret. If you’re reading this and you’re over 45 and you haven’t gotten one, or a loved one hasn’t – it’s time!
How have you gotten over heartbreak?
Time.
What makes you cry?
Answering these questions. Feeling like I did something “wrong.” Being truly seen. Perfect strangers running marathons. Watching people achieve their goals/dreams, cue marathon tears. My kids, on any particular day.
How long does the pride and joy of accomplishing something last for you?
A big accomplishment sticks with me for a few weeks. Smaller ones feel fleeting… a day-ish. I tend not to dwell on accomplishments or failures for too long — there’s always the next one!
Do you believe in an afterlife, and if so, what does that look like to you?
Not really. But I believe people live on in the people and things they’ve touched and made.
What do you hate most about yourself?
How affected I am by what people think of me.
What do you love most about yourself?
How disciplined I can be towards reaching a goal.
What is your absolute favorite meal?
Flex Mussels (restaurant in NYC) Thai mussel pot. I could drink the broth right out of the pot. One time I had it along with an apricot beer 🤌.
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