We were lucky to catch up with Moonzy On The Moon recently and have shared our conversation below.
Moonzy, appreciate you joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
Ultimately, I’d say that my creative abilities continued to expand with time and experimentation. Art is a spiritual process for me so the more I came to knowing myself, the more I understood and exercised my capabilities within the craft. Inner, echoing to the outer. There’s nothing I’d change about the journey; timing has been divine and I’m excited for the future because I know there’s so much more to go! Honestly, even the mistakes along the journey have been nudges into alignment.
Moonzy, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Art has always been something I loved since I was little. Funny enough, I always drew the number ‘8’ as two circles on top of each other in primary school. If only I knew that it was as easy as the infinity sign. Throughout my years of high school, I dabbled into different forms of art such as Arts and Crafts but mainly Theatre Arts. Though it wasn’t specifically painting (I did have an art class for a grade), it was enough to keep my artistic spirit fueled until I moved to South Florida. Looking back at it, the transition from the Caribbean to American soil contributed to rekindling my relationship with Visual Art. When I moved here in 2014, my painting pretty sporadic until I stopped for 5 years straight. I hopped back into it September of 2018 and have never looked back since. I turned it into a business that year and have since then been creating one-of-a-kind pieces that sparks the spirits of beautiful people in different countries. Sometimes when I say it out loud it sounds so surreal. I’m proud of the growth that Art By Moonzy has had over the years, creativity wise and business wise. I’m proud that my work was a part of several memorable moments. I’m proud have hundreds of pieces in hundreds of spaces. I’m proud that I am continuously doing the work of The Divine.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
There was this time that someone asked me to do a commission for them- Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Though I was nervous, I accepted the challenge. It was my first time doing a painting that was to resemble the nature of a ‘city’ or ‘country’, so I was pretty excited. I remember I did the entire painting (this was on a 24×36 canvas by the way) and when I got to the end, there was one problem- it looked like New York City. Uh-oh. “Sigh, I’m going to have to get out of my comfort zone with this one” I thought. Thing is, though I completed the painting, I had played it safe. I went for the silhouette effect and did black buildings with lights; you can imagine why that’d look like New York. After going back and forth with myself I decided that I was going to …..*gulp*, start over. I refused to produce mediocre work for my client and went back to the drawing board to do what I KNEW I could. I put Brazil on canvas. The colors were there, the festive energy was there. The vibrant culture was there. I was proud of myself and the client loved the finished product. I’ve never been scared to take an artistic risk since. Cause honestly, worst case scenario- you go back to the drawing board and it turns out phenomenal.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
Authenticity! I’d say that who I am and share with the world is what allows people to gravitate to me naturally. The art is an extension of who I am, so it’s really a beautiful process to witness. As I evolve, so does my artistry. I always say if you’re eager to know a little bit about me, look at my art. There’re stories in there. There’s personality in there. There’s honesty and vulnerability in there. It’s always an experience. Through creating those experiences and sharing them with the world, I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing while simultaneously gracing beautiful spaces with my art.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://moonzyonthemoon.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moonzyonthemoon/?hl=en
- Twitter: Coming soon! – @ MOONZYONTHEMOON