We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Zara Kand. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Zara below.
Zara, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
As they say, choosing a career as an artist can be risky business. There is never a guarantee of where exactly it will lead, in terms of financial stability, representation, exposure, and all the other facets necessary for a successful path. Fresh out of high school, I was well aware of these insecure factors and spent many months contemplating alternative career options, indirectly related to the arts (graphic design, make up artist, etc.) I felt pressured to make a decision about what my adulthood was going to look like. Yet in my heart, I already knew exactly what I wanted to be: a painter. This understanding grew strong enough that it eventually outweighed the more “practical” ideas about choosing a career. At that young age, I decided to take the plunge, and I can share that I have never come to regret that decision.
Being a painter has meant placing trust in my passion, and having faith that the unpredictable path ahead would unfurl in rewarding ways, given time and dedication. Indeed, it has led me on some very inspiring journeys. Not only has it been rewarding to watch my creative skills strengthen and to show my work to numerous audiences, I have additionally discovered other passions which all relate back to a love of the arts, such as being a curator, an arts writer, and private instructor. Conviction in my decision has opened up countless opportunities which may never have come to fruition otherwise.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I have primarily been a visual artist my whole life – the last twenty years of which has been spent exploring oil painting as a serious profession, including exhibiting nationwide, commissions and collaborations, book illustrations, etc. Additionally, having a career in the arts has inevitably branched out into other forms of creative expression, which now focus on helping other creatives explore their passions. This includes curating art shows, reviewing art shows and writing about artists work in general, interviewing gallerists, providing private lessons in oil painting. Everything I do revolves around supporting creative expression – both personally and in others. In a world fraught with so many challenges, I wholeheartedly believe that humankind needs outlets for personal expression, for without knowing this freedom, the human heart could not endure as well as it does. That’s why I have committed my life to advocating the arts, and in doing so, I like to think that I help make the world a brighter place.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
One aspect of supporting the arts that I think is lacking in today’s culture is patience. Especially online, audiences have grown used to hastily skimming past artwork without giving it the proper patience and attention it deserves. Considering that art can often be layered with meaning, emotion, and narrative, it would require more than a 2 second glance to fully understand and appreciate what an artwork has to say. As communicators, artists wish to be seen and heard, above all else. A very simple and easy thing we can do to better support artists is to slow down when viewing the work, give it some consideration before scrolling onto the next image. Better yet, if you know of where they might be exhibiting, get out and see the work in person! You may just end up falling in love with what you see, leading to a new beautiful piece or two hanging upon your wall.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
In becoming an artist of any kind, one inevitably encounters numerous tests of faith in oneself – on both internal and external levels. Concerns about mastering the skill itself (enduring years and years of learning), about being good enough (is the message I put out there special enough, compared to other artists?), and about gaining an audience (does anyone out there even care about the work I do?) Yet, aside from a few brief periods in my life in which I took some time away to pursue other interests (such as cooking), I’ve always managed to find my back to the arts, because I recognize it as my true calling. Sure, I still face a hefty amount of self-doubt, daily, but something tells me that this “journey” isn’t over yet. That, despite how far I’ve already gotten, there are numerous, rewarding discoveries waiting to be had, just on the other side of that struggle and endurance.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://zarakand.com
- Instagram: @zarakandart
Image Credits
Artist shot of Zara seated by Beland Studio, the rest are courtesy of the artist