Jeremy David Sarka

Jeremy worked as a website developer, filmmaker, photographer, and audio engineer.  

Jeremy was an artist and an academic; his intelligence and imagination manifested in numerous talents - filmmaker, photographer, graphic artist, painter, writer, audio engineer, do-it-yourself, chef/cook, web developer, computer programmer, shamanic journey practitioner, hiker, and lover of music, movies, science fiction, mystery novels, travel, and the natural world.  

Jeremy traveled throughout his life, in cars, trains, jets, and on foot hiking first in the Santa Monica Mountains. His first jet flight was to his father's college reunion in Oberlin, Ohio at age 1. His first train trip was to Mission San Juan Capistrano at age 2. His first road trip was to French Meadows Macrobiotic summer camp at age 5. When he was 18, Jeremy hiked the Santa Monica Mountains 65-mile backbone trail and went on a vision quest in Timbisha (Death Valley National Park). He went to dozens of national and state parks, preserves and monuments.  He traveled internationally to Canada, Israel, Austria, Czechia, and Hungary.  

Jeremy’s favorite experience was looking into nature (the sky, a tree, the ocean, rocks, a flower) until he felt a part of it, thoroughly engaged with aliveness. His mystical imagination inspired his art, craft, and music. 

Academically Jeremy homeschooled and went on to The Evergreen State College and Pacifica Graduate Institute. His PGI alumni cohort, meeting monthly, continued to support him as he explored options for continuing studies for a PhD, possibly at University of California Merced with a topic of Technological Salvationism, examining the roots and practices of modern humanity's religion of consumerism, capitalism, and futurism.  

At The Evergreen State College Jeremy attained a Dual Degree Bachelor of Arts (Humanities) and Bachelor of Science (Computer Science) June 10, 2011. His MediaWorks film project Letters in the Sand at the 2009 festival elicited the following comment: ‘Most powerful project in the class; inspired and inspiring.’ It was also screened at several film festivals including the Beverly Hills Hi-Def Film Festival in 2010, attended by many of his hometown friends.  

At Pacifica Graduate Institute Jeremy attained a Master of Arts in Humanities (Engaged Humanities and the Creative Life with Emphasis in Depth Psychology) October 2, 2019. His Masters final project elicited the following comments: "I am very impressed by this lucid, rigorous and visionary video essay that is so effectively supported by the scholarly writing in your paper." — Susan Rowland 10/1/19. "We will miss your brilliance and soulfulness in our program." — Mary Wood 10/9/19.

The film project, Anthropocene, (available for viewing at martiansource.com/film) as described in his words: 

ANTHROPOCENE is a meditation on how human beings living in contemporary civilization have become cut off from the natural world. In it, I have sought to use ideas from depth psychology and interdisciplinary humanities to unpack the collective biases that serve to alienate us from the natural world and explore a possible path forward.  

ANTHROPOCENE was created as part of director Jeremy Sarka's coursework in the Engaged Humanities and Creative Life program at Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara, CA. It was shot on location in Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah.  

Jeremy is survived by his mother, Marcia, and father, Mike, and aunts, uncles, cousins, and his PGI alumni cohort. Pacifica Graduate Institute enriched Jeremy's life immensely.  Mary Wood, co-chair of his program, and chair of the current program wrote: "Jeremy was a beloved member of our community; we were all gifted with his brilliant mind and his loving heart. ... in August for our post-Covid reunion ... In his fashion, he brought gifts for everyone."

A zoom memorial service was held on December 7, 2022, and is available for viewing at sarkasoft.com. From his mother’s eulogy ‘"As a child, Jeremy was drawn to storytelling and the mythologizing of human experiences." From his father’s eulogy "He was a philosopher and an artist, a lover of beauty and learning." Also find links to his writing, films, music, and photography. 

In Jeremy's honor a room was sponsored at the new Woodlands Family Shelter on Ventura Blvd, and a donation was made to help replace the Internet Archive van stolen in Richmond.