PORTALS: Part studio, part office.
THE OFFICE: Strategic consulting and branding for founders building values-driven brands
THE STUDIO: Art, Custom Product Development, + The Portals Collection of handpainted wallpaper and fabric.
saraberks.com
Hello, it’s me again. Sara Berks. There’s something a bit disorienting about introducing yourself after 12 years after being known as one thing, ‘the founder of MINNA.’
As you know, I closed MINNA earlier this year. And then I had a baby. My son Emil was born May 13th.
The past seven months have been about becoming a mom, letting myself recover from founder burnout, and resisting the pressure to immediately figure out ‘my next big thing.’
So far, what’s next is being comfortable in a state of transition. It’s doing multiple things that feel right instead of forcing one perfect next thing.
Earlier this fall, I launched Portals: part studio, part office. An intentionally expansive container for a new of working that works for me.
THE OFFICE is where I use everything I learned building MINNA to support founders and creative brands through fractional leadership and strategic consulting. Whether that means refining your pricing model, evaluating a new collection, or making sure your supply chain still reflects your values. I’ve been in these spaces on both creative and operational sides - and the challenges that kept me up at night for over a decade don’t have to keep you up too.
I’ve also returned to an earlier part of my career: branding design. If you need someone who thinks like an entrepreneur and can design your brand identity, I’m here.
THE STUDIO is where I’m returning to my art practice. I’m continuing The Portals Collection of wallpaper and fabric. I’m also open to commissions and collaborations including site-specific projects, custom patterns or product collections, artwork, or artisan-made textiles rooted in co-creation. These projects are portals too. (more in comments)
There's no easy way to say this: today I’m writing to share that I’m closing MINNA.
The past 12 years have been a whirlwind of creativity, risk, beauty, and countless challenges. But, wow, what a privilege it has been to do this work. Collaborating with hundreds of incredible artisans, bringing their handmade pieces into so many homes - MINNA has only been possible because of their talent, knowledge, creativity, dedication, and trust.
It’s been such a privilege to learn. To see my work become part of so many lives. To have met and be in community with an inspiring group of creative entrepreneurs. To have “grown up” with this business in a way that feels oddly public, as founders are often expected to do these days.
This work has fulfilled me in ways I can hardly put into words. I live for the creative process: being in the field, learning new textile techniques, exploring new places and crafts, and building relationships. My happiest moments have always been in the workshops.
It's vulnerable to say that lately, the hard parts have outweighed the good, and that I've been deeply unhappy. It’s no secret that small businesses are struggling: how many brands and shops have you seen close in the past two years? The truth is, MINNA has been part of that reality for a while. We’ve done everything we could to adapt, to shift, to hold on. But at a certain point, holding on is no longer sustainable.
Acknowledging when something has run its course is difficult, but there comes a time to give yourself permission to close a chapter. And so I'm trying my best to make sure we close this chapter in a way that honors everyone who has been a part of building MINNA: the artisans, the team, the customers, the community. We’re working to make this transition as smooth as possible, but the reality is, we need your help. If you’ve ever thought about bringing a MINNA piece into your home, now is truly the time.
To every person who has been part of MINNA community over the past 12 years: thank you, my deepest thank you. Your energy, creativity, and excitement brought more to this brand than I could ever put into words. You brought my dream to life. (continued in comments)
Six months into Portals and it’s been a lot of things! A full brand project for a wellness company, new wallpaper and fabric in the works, and ongoing advisory work with founders building product businesses.
The advisory piece has surprised me. After 12 years of MINNA, I expected people to come to me for tactical stuff like supply chain, margins, sales strategy. And they do. But something else keeps coming up:
“You helped me build confidence in my own perspective and make decisions with more clarity. It made the process feel less overwhelming and more human.”
That’s from a client I’ve been working with on her launch. It’s got me thinking about what I needed when I was early in my founder journey: a thought partner who actually got it. Accompaniment.
So one realm of what I’m exploring with Portals is what that could look like. In addition to one-on-one consulting, could it be a workshop? A small cohort program? I don’t have the shape yet. Before I build anything, I want to listen. If you’re a product brand founder navigating sourcing, creative direction, wholesale, or just trying to figure out what to prioritize, I made a short survey. Link in bio.
I genuinely want to know what you’re struggling with. If you know someone who fits that description, please tag them.
Photo of me in the field in Oaxaca 8 years ago. Itching to get back there. 💚
starting a painting a day practice for 2026. small works on 5x7 watercolor paper. not trying to be precious about it, a commitment to practice, daily rhythm.
unsure where this will go. curious about what happens when i remove pressure to produce something worthy, and focus on exploration.
jan 1-7, 2026.
This is usually what Substack and the podcast look like for me. It has been a huge shift to create something that is consumed by the mind, invisibly. It’s honestly quite lonely at times and very easy to get caught up in the echo chamber of my own mind. I never really know how this work is being received, and often I combat a protective but honestly shitty adolescent voice inside of myself who says “who do you even think you are” anytime I consider the whole premise too deeply. It is wild how quickly that voice is silenced by just one kind comment from the outside, I hope this next year I will find that reassurance inside of myself.
This week I closed out the year with part two of my interview with Sara Berks @saaaarae , formerly of @oh_minna and now of @__portals and it felt really full circle to have begun the podcast this year with @ilanakohn ’s story on the heels of closing her namesake brand and just before launching @samet.nyc , and to end it with Sara’s. These women are two founders who chose themselves and to prioritize what their creative work *feels* like instead of what it looks like to the outside world or capitalist paradigms of success. We are so often trained to only consider how things appear, not how they define our quality of life or impact our well being, making their choices pretty extraordinary. What drew me to interview Sara in the first place, outside of my admiration for all that she built in the 12 years of her brand, was this line in the letter that she wrote upon closing MINNA: “The unfortunate truth is that I’m no longer sure the current market is built to sustain ethical, relationship‑driven businesses like ours.” It’s a question I’ve been asking myself now for quite some time.
When we finished our interview, and I asked what she was looking forward to in the next chapter of her creative career, she said:
“Instead of feeling like I’m chasing something, I want to feel like I’m walking along a path more quietly.”
That’s what I am wishing for her, and myself, and anyone reading this 🌷
If you’d like to listen to or read my conversation with Sara, find the link in my profile 🤍
Thank you for being here & until soon.
In September, I got to meet a woman I admire so deeply—Sara Berks, founder of @oh_minna and now @__portals , and fellow “I built the dream and the dream became a nightmare” alum. I’m so grateful 1) that I now get to call her a friend, and 2) that she shared as deeply and openly as she did, not just with me but with the entire Creativity in the Time of Capitalism audience. You can find her interview on the Creativity in the Time of Capitalism Substack and podcast (all the links in my bio).
The second slide/clip is a statement that has stuck with me perhaps the most vividly from our conversation—Sara so succinctly capturing the misery and beauty of creative entrepreneurship, and the pace required by capitalism that so often obscures the entire point. Bonus round, slide 3: apparently this is my empathy face!
Portrait of Sara by @ksears
The Portals Collection: original artwork and made-to-order hand-painted, digitally printed wallpaper and fabric.
The continuation and expansion of my art practice, originally launched via MINNA. Now available direct and to the trade.
Trade professionals: Reach out to create your trade account, order swatches, inquire about custom colorways, or explore showroom representation. I’m currently working with select showrooms and have room for additional partnerships.
saraberks.com/portals-shop | @__portals
