Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Zamir Stills. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Zamir thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s jump back to the first dollar you earned as a creative? What can you share with us about how it happened?

I was in middle school making mashups on some free DJ software that I had downloaded on a school laptop. I remember one of them was a mix of “Drank In My Cup” by Kirko Bangz with “American Boy” by Estelle. I had put together a tape with about 10 of those on there and brought a bunch of CD copies to my middle school to try selling them to other kids. I was a socially anxious wreck of a preteen, forcing myself to be a salesperson for these amateur mixes. Somehow, I had gotten somebody to buy one between classes, and I haven’t looked back since. I’ve come a long way since then as a musician, but it’s always fun to remember that story.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

Hi all. My name is Zamir Stills. I am a music producer and composer. I also DJ events as well as stream music production and video games on Twitch. The main focus of everything I do as Zamir Stills is to showcase how you can leverage your unique personality, quirks, and interests to create distinctly beautiful art and entertainment. In my case, I’m a 24-year-old, bald black guy that loves the color pink, romance anime, fighting games, and possesses a myriad of musical interests. Somehow, I find a way to turn all of that into really fun music and build a brand that I can proudly call my own. I get such a kick out of people scrolling through social media and seeing a certain shade of pink or hearing the “Hey, Zamir” tag in a song and immediately going, “Yep, that’s Zamir”. If you want to be able to connect with somebody who puts all of themselves into everything they do, I think I would be somebody you should follow on their journey.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

People should encourage creative interests early – even if you fear it’s not a “real job”. You can’t breed innovation in any field by stifling creativity. There is an art to everything, and we should be fostering those who can contribute to that art instead of scoffing at them for trying to take roads less traveled. The fact that creativity is so undervalued yet there is more demand than ever for art and entertainment baffles me. Any time I see schools taking money out of the arts, it just kills me – and this is coming from somebody who has a master’s degree in accounting. Support the arts. Let your kids play instruments and tell them that they can become the best in the world at it. It might go a longer way than you realize.

Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?

Nah. Unless the nature and oversight of them drastically change…nah.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.zamirstills.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zamirstills
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/zamirstills
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/zamirstills
• Other: Twitch: https://www.twitch.com/zamirstills Bandcamp: https://www.zamirstills.bandcamp.com

Image Credits
Photography by Jason Born and DazyLenz