We caught up with the brilliant and insightful ZERO a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

ZERO, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

Art, for me, is all about the ultimate relationship between risk and faith. As many artists know, risk exists at every stage of creation: the risk between ideation and technical materialization, the risk of expressing ones soul’s musing, and the pinnacle of risk which is to take the chance to funnel your creative passion to support capitalistic security.

Art exists at the edge of the chasm between risking it all and having faith in the creative spirit. In my own experience, your faith is rewarded by your appetite to take risks.

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.

My entire family would tell you about how I’ve been an artist from the start. As a young boy, I used to paint on coins to sell to my mother’s adoring friends. Although the path to my creative profession was by no means a straight line, dotted along the way by many distractions and roadblocks, I am blessed to have found a community in which I’ve been able to put down roots and grow my technical expertise as a tattoo artist, painter, and illustrator.

I am passionate about all things pertaining to art, but find much purpose and motivation in teaching art to youths, as well as elevating the tattoo industry for melanated individuals, to name a few.

Exploring ideas of metaphysics, spirituality, and my African culture through way of highly detailed pieces of art is my greatest passion.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

This is such a simple yet loaded question that I feel passionately about. My 12 year old self, in a spell of creative inspiration, spray painted a massive mural on the inside of my parents garage while they ran errands. Stepping back, I realized what I had done, and panicked. I waited anxiously for the sound of the garage door opening upon their return, sure of the severity of my punishment. Soon enough, the garage door rumbles, I wait for the pause to hear the car doors close, my demise nearing. My parents enter, call my name curtly, and my stomach sinks further. As the imaginary speech about “responsibility” and “shared spaces” starts playing in my head, I am shocked when my father tells me simply, “Pack up, let’s go to the art store and get you more paint.”

With parameters, I was encouraged to pursue what I was so evidently passionate about. I think the answer to this question lies on several levels, on a macro: social infrastructure that supports and builds the appreciation for art and artists, and promotion and cultivation of local creative culture at every level. On a micro: supporting the artists that you encounter in your own life, whose work you appreciate on social media, or even the child who shows a fire for creating and will surely benefit from every bit of support they can get.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Embarking on breaking into the tattoo industry proved to be a multi-year struggle marked by seemingly endless rejections. Navigating through hundreds of tattoo shops, I encountered barriers, one of which was the prevailing resistance to diversity within the industry. As someone whose skin color wasn’t widely accepted at the time, breaking through became a formidable challenge.

My dream finally reached a turning point when, against the odds, mysterious connections guided me to Vatican Studios. Standing at a crossroads, I had hopes of apprenticing under the renowned Franco Vescovi. Fate finally took a turn in my favor, offering a small opportunity contingent on my dedication to continuous study.

Yet, resilience isn’t confined to overcoming entry barriers; it extends into the realm of skill acquisition. Mastering any artistic craft demands persistent effort and a constant summoning of resilience, which is a powerful skill that must be developed in the pursuit of artistic excellence.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.divinehivemind.com/zero-portfolio
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thezeromachine?igsh=MWQ1ZGUxMzBkMA==

Image Credits
Stefan Merriweather Nichole East Emily Compton-Bwire