Featured Artist of the Week: Ziana

 

 

Everyone say hiiii to Ziana! Ziana is a Chicago native and multidisciplinary artist that I got the chance to speak to on my new series Pink Mic Talk. They shared a bit of their upbringing along with healing through the arts as they have gone on the journey of self-discovery as a young adult. 

    A little background as to how I know Ziana is a typical internet friend story, as I believe I have had Ziana as a mutual on Twitter for at least three years now. Little did I know, we're actually from the same city which was a pleasant surprise! Growing up in Chicago, Ziana was the oldest of four and found themselves often drawn to the arts, no matter the circumstance. For Ziana it started with photography as it was what was readily available at the time; however, this was not a passion high school Ziana was adamant about pursuing. At the time, Ziana was humble and did not yet start deeming themselves as,"an artist." Yet, when a scholastic showcase came to their school to submit photos or artwork to win a prize they found themselves submitting a piece. To young Ziana's surprise, the piece ended up winning an award! Switching what was once was once a passive hobby to a real passion for Ziana. This was further pushed onto them by their teacher homeroom teacher Mrs. Holmes at the time drawing attention to Ziana and stating, "You're an artist now." With the spotlight now on Ziana and her art, they soon went on to the process of pinpointing a career.

    Like many new high school graduates Ziana attended community college to put themselves on the path of aligning with a life that would best fit them. While psychology piqued Ziana's interest most, the thought of medical school just did not fall in line with Ziana's vision for themselves. After that semester Ziana felt cemented in the decision that they wanted to be an artist; no if, ands, or buts about it. Soon Ziana found themselves quitting their job and developing into the role of "full-time artist." With this demand to create out of necessity and not passion caused Ziana to lose that beautiful drive they once had for the arts. This caused a break for young adult Ziana, taking a break from creating and getting back to themself without being self-sufficient off of art. 

    During this time of healing and growing came many practices that helped Ziana heal their mind and body. One that they noted to me that has been a consistent practice since they were 17 was breathwork. Getting in tune with their body through breathwork has always helped Ziana remain conscious of their body. In addition to this, the practicing of yoga has helped with aiding in the healing of their physical body. With all of this wellness being an essential component to Ziana's life ended up channeling it into their creative practices. This is where Ziana's interest in herbalism formed and is now a part of her own creations. Ziana has found that not only will the right balance of these herbs help themself, but others as well. This is where the spark of their herbalism blends began creating specific balances for everyone to partake in. With this being a new endeavor for Ziana, they are constantly learning and growing with this aspect and they are content with this process.

    In regards to all the creations that Ziana partakes in there are still others, they wish to explore as well. One very notable thing about Ziana that always caught my eye on Twitter, is that they offer air-brushing for clothing. With this, clothing is still a passion Ziana plans to conquer one day along with the myriad of other mediums they continue to explore. Some of these include acrylic painting, watercolor, oil, airbrush, and collage, in addition to their budding knowledge in herbalism. Needless to say, Ziana is a jack of all trades and continues to share their creations not only in Chicago, but with everyone through their newly established site artbyziana.com. As for all the creative interests of Ziana they now find when it's the right time to create they always feel it. Therefore, there is no longer that pressure on them to constantly produce work. In terms of all the pursuits that Ziana plans on conquering in the future, they know they will all come in due time. So stay tuned!<3

Make sure to follow Ziana's art page: @artbyziana

And tap into their website https://www.artbyziana.com/ for not only beautiful pieces but healing agents as well.

Thank you again Ziana for speaking with me and be sure to watch our full interview on my YouTube Channel MissMacyn :))