We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Justin Zackery a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Justin, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. The first dollar you earn is always exciting – it’s like the start of a new chapter and so we’d love to hear about the first time you sold or generated revenue from your creative work?
In college, I used to draw quick sketches of popular cartoon characters for other students for just $25.00. I was definitely selling myself short because it took me a while to take my craft seriously. I don’t remember taking any real commission jobs until about five years later, when I moved to Savannah in 2015. This is where I met my first consistent buyer. I was over at my friend Rion’s house one night, and cartoons came up in our conversation. I mentioned that I painted, and cartoons were like my specialty. After I showed him some pictures of past sketches, he followed up by asking me to do a commission piece for him. That one piece, turned into another, and then another. Now his entire home is covered in just my art. It’s like a mini JZackreations art gallery. Rion is my biggest collector to this day. I’m actually working on another piece for him right now.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Art has been a part of me for as long as I can remember. I used to draw all over my workbooks throughout Elementary, Middle, and High School. Mainly because I was so bored and needed something to help keep me awake. Then, I met a young woman in college, and she is my wife now of 6 years with two beautiful daughters. She saw some of my sketches in a notebook one day and almost instantly saw something I had not even fully grasped yet myself. I had gift. I had potential. I had talent. My wife, Cyasia is a huge reason why I even started to appreciate and take myself more serious as a visual artist. She came up with this crazy idea in 2015. She came home one day and said, “Let’s move to Savannah!” Now, anybody who knows my backstory knows I come from a place that had a lot of uncertainty. I moved around a lot as a kid, and as an adult Baltimore and Pennsylvania were the most consistent things for me. I was scared of moving because I had moved so much as a child, but I was more scared of potentially losing the only person who truly inspired me. Cyasia was certain that we could move to Savannah, she would start a business, and so would I. Savannah is known for its art culture and my wife was convinced I needed to be a part of it. She was right. Living in Savannah has helped developed me as a visual artist. I have met so many other likeminded and talented people here. I have been able to network and create a following. Fans of my art appreciate my style because it is a mixture of so many different styles. You can see a little surrealism, pop art, abstract, and expression. I am far from a realism artist, and I love that it does not make me any less talented. My art reminds me a lot of myself, and what I’ve been through. It is not perfect, it’s a little rough around the edges, and it’s still beautiful. My logo represents me perfectly, a broken heart being held together by a paintbrush and pencil. I have been thru many ups and downs in life but the love of art and being a creator has always kept me grounded and moving forward.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
I paint whatever my heart tells me to paint at the time. I’ve used my art to heal, deliver a message, and to just have fun. When I’m hurting, and my shoulders feel too heavy I like to pick up a paintbrush take it
to the canvas. When I see innocent people who look like me being murdered, without justice, I might paint a piece. When I look at the beautiful family I have, I get inspired, and end up with an entire collection. My life journey drives my creative journey.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
Freedom. I am free to create whatever I want, and how I want. I’m not an art school grad, I may have taken a single course in college, but everything you see I taught myself. It’s rewarding when someone
supports and appreciates me for my natural talents. I can also widen my services and skills. Recently,
I’ve expanded my artistry into the world of barbering. I’ll be a Master Barber in just a few weeks graduating from Uncut Barber Academy and my motto is, every new client is a new canvas. I’m excited for this new part of my creative journey and the rebrand of JZackreations, now featuring Cutz & Canvases.
Contact Info:
- Website: jzackreations.com
- Instagram: @jzackreations
- Facebook: Justin Zackery
- Twitter: @jzackreations
- Other: TikTok: @jzackreations
Image Credits
Cyasia Zackery of JZackreations LLC