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

Hi Zaria , thanks for joining us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

A part of me wishes I had started my art journey sooner throughout my teenage years, my path would have been a bit different in many ways. For example, if I had honed in on my creativity during my childhood or teens, I could have been enrolled in a performing arts school. I believe that may have opened my mind early on and perhaps a few more opportunities. Overall, I think I started my career at the right time. I was about 23 years old, and tried just about everything I was good at and interested in. All I had to do was pick one and stick with it no matter what, nurture it, master it, then let it take care of me. When you’re passionate about what you do and trust yourself, everything else will fall in place. The other part me knows I started my journey right when I was meant to, and everything I’ve experienced got me to where I am.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I have been a painter/visual artist for 5 years. My exposure to art began at the tender age of 10 years old. Growing up, my mother would show me everything she learned while she pursued her own art career. My art journey, however, would not begin until 2019. After trying many different hobbies, visual arts has always been my personal safe haven. My inspiration started with black women and over the years it grew into something more; Culture. Our personalities, style, interests, everything down to how we all communicate is what inspires me.

I broke into the art industry when I began sharing my talents on social media. After finding my style and mastering my craft, I started to receive opportunities that gave me the experience I needed to take my art to the next level. Many of my supporters, old and new, know me for my canvas paintings on social media. I like to work with portraits and add my own twist and spin with abstract backgrounds and ideas. This brought a lot of attention to my work and gave my community something they may not have felt before when viewing a portrait; an experience. Whenever I am inspired by a Muse, I capture their essence and allow the ideas I create around them to tell a story or give it feeling. This is something my clients and supporters appreciate and enjoy about my art!

I’ve had the pleasure of exploring my skills on multiple surfaces; Clothing, shoes, walls, and so much more. Collaborating with brands and clients was the push I needed to becoming a multi-media artist. When working with others, I’m not only given the vision, but the creative freedom to express that vision however I want. I’m often booked to paint live at events or gatherings where everyone can get front row seats to see the vision come to life! I learned over time that there’s a great amount of trust that a client has with their favorite artist to create something they’ll enjoy. It takes a great deal of effort and imagination whenever I work on a project, so it’s always refreshing to hear “I trust you”.

I’m proud to say that because I found my own style and created a community around it, it has given me the freedom to paint whatever I imagine. A lot of my work is a reflection of my thought process. As humans, we always have random, impulsive thoughts. When my mind says “What if…”, I grab a paint brush and get to work. Then share my train of thought with those who choose to join the ride. This is also why I curated the name “ShesArtZee” for my brand, its a play on words. My nickname Is Zee, but I’m also artsy. I always have been in my own way, even before I started painting. I’m outgoing, funny, friendly, humble, resourceful, and all this emulates through my work and personality! I’ve only scratched the surface of what I’m capable of and I’m always excited for what comes next!

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

The hardest pill I’ve had to swallow is that I can’t do it all on my own.

When I started walking down my creative path i was surprised at how lonely it was at first. Becoming an artist is like turning over a new leaf. You start to isolate yourself more and work on your craft non stop because of this obsession with getting better and better. And once you come out of isolation to show everyone what you’ve been doing, you realize they don’t like it or they don’t care. The support you thought you’d have isn’t there.

So I started from scratch. I built my platform on social media from the ground up and over time my work got better and support came flooding in. Now I have this mindset that I’ve done so much, if I can do all this, I don’t really need anyone to help me, I can handle it. But the truth is when you want your art to take care of you financially, you’ll eventually need a hand down the road. A majority of being, what society calls, a “successful artist” is non stop networking, marketing, investing, content creating, and overall making the art. Even with the support I have now, there are times I get overwhelmed because its a lot for one person to do. I’ve been burnt out many times and this creates artist blocks as well.

So now because I’ve created this sort of thick skin from the beginning I often, if not always, think I can handle anything throw at me. I had to learn that its okay for me to reach out for help if I know that there’s someone in my corner who knows exactly how to assist me. This isn’t like when I first decided to share my passion and no one was there for me. I’ve made friends along the way, that understand me and my creative career. I can’t do it all on my own and I don’t have to!

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Besides always getting to do what I love, there’s something so rewarding about knowing whatever I paint, people enjoy seeing it.

I have a very bad habit of thinking I’m never doing enough, but it’s times like these where I realize just how much I’ve done and how many people have seen my art and cheer me on. The way people react when they see my work is like receiving an award or trophy over and over again. Posting on social media, watching your work go viral, then getting a crazy amount of comments with people rooting for you is a wonderful feeling. It feels like being back in school and getting straight A’s on every report card, or getting gold stars from your favorite teacher; I feel seen. I’ve never felt invisible but people couldn’t really understand me until now.

One of my favorite things is being featured in an art show or exhibition, walking around meeting new people and they ask me what I do or why I’m there. A common thing at art shows cause there are so many people. I tell them I’m one of the artists and point towards my work, and the look on their face is always disbelief. ” You did that ?!” I smile and laugh every time cause its a priceless reaction! Even on a normal day, if i meet someone new they ask what I do, I show them my work and they’re blown away. When I’m in public I feel like a force, or quiet storm. There’s nothing more rewarding than that.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.shesartzee.com
• Instagram: @shesartzeee
• Youtube: shesartzee