We were lucky to catch up with Zion Smith recently and have shared our conversation below.
Zion, appreciate you joining us today. One of our favorite things to brainstorm about with friends who’ve built something entrepreneurial is what they would do differently if they were to start over today. Surely, there are things you’ve learned that would allow you to do it over faster, more efficiently. We’d love to hear how you would go about setting things up if you were starting over today, knowing everything that you already know.
Looking back, with all the knowledge and experience I’ve gained at my current young age, I realize how much I wish I had started sooner in Graphic Design and Photography. During my teenage years, I was always certain about my dream of playing soccer professionally, but I struggled to identify a career path that would allow me to serve both my community and the world in a meaningful way while identifying a career path I would genuinely love and respect. During my teenage years, I didn’t fully grasp how vital networking and continuously strengthening my foundation could be for long-term success. As I’ve grown in my Graphic Design and Photography journey at my current young age, I’ve realized that every connection, collaboration, and opportunity plays a crucial role in shaping my career. Whether it’s building relationships with clients, fellow creatives, or mentors, networking has become an essential tool in expanding my skills, refining my artistic vision, and turning my passion into a thriving endeavor. Now that I understand the importance of building credibility through a strong portfolio and website while networking with fellow Graphic Designers & Photographers like me, I can’t help but wish I had developed these creative and hard skills earlier. If I had begun honing my craft in Graphic Design and Photography as a teenager—actively putting my work out there and gaining experience—I could have built a stronger foundation much earlier.
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?
About Me
My name is Zion Smith. I was born in Brooklyn, NY, and raised in Newport News, VA, where I’ve spent most of my life. I am currently in my senior year at Old Dominion University, majoring in Graphic Design and minoring in Photography.
How I Got Into My Craft
My passion for photography began in 2017 when I found joy in capturing self-portraits, as it became an expressive artistic outlet for me. By the summer of 2018, I expanded my focus to photographing animals, flowers, oceans, and trees, as it became my peace of mind and gratitude. However, it wasn’t until February 2024, during my Intro to Photography course, that I truly realized my desire to pursue photography as a career. With the guidance of my professor, Crystal Huffman, and the support of my classmates, I gained a deeper appreciation for the craft, solidifying my commitment to turning my passion into a profession. My passion for Graphic Design took shape in August 2022 when I officially began studying the major. Courses like Digital Basics and Intro to Graphic Design became a gateway for me to express myself and push the boundaries of my creativity. Through these classes, I discovered my ability to bring ideas to life—whether through cover art for music artists, flyers for events, logos for businesses, or even posters inspired by WWE or professional soccer players. I realized that crafting visually compelling digital art isn’t just something I enjoy; it’s one of my greatest strengths. Each design project allows me to blend storytelling, artistic vision, and technical skills, reinforcing my passion for the field and my desire to make a lasting impact through my work.
When I first arrived at Old Dominion University on August 25th, 2021, Computer Science was my 1st major. I started with that major because I thought Game Design was a path I wanted to pursue since I’d already taken courses similar to Game Design and was in the Governer’s STEM Academy in High School. A few months in, I realized it wasn’t my destination, so on April 15th, 2022, Graphic Design became my 2nd major. Since then, Graphic Design has allowed me to express my creativity in ways I never imagined, strengthening my confidence and reinforcing my belief that I can accomplish anything in this field.
My Creative Work
In Graphic Design, I specialize in creating banners, cover art, flyers, logos, and posters. On the Photography side, I’m primarily focusing on portrait photography (mostly documentary) for the time being until I eventually look ahead and dive deeper into landscape, nature, sports, street, and travel photography. I also capture various events at my school and within the Norfolk and Newport News communities. These events include Pride Day, food festivals, graduations, and more.
How I Help My Clients
For clients who struggle with confidence—whether in themselves or their business—I strive to create a comfortable, fun, and uplifting experience. In Photography, I use a reflector to enhance the lighting and atmosphere of a shoot while offering words of encouragement or humor to boost my clients’ confidence and happiness. In Graphic Design, I take the time to understand my client’s vision for their brand, ensuring they feel heard and valued.
What Sets Me Apart
What distinguishes me from others in Graphic Design and Photography is my patience. I never rush through the creative process because I believe in putting forth full effort rather than settling for mediocrity. In Graphic Design, I focus on alignment, color theory, typography, attention-grabbing elements, and composition—ensuring that every detail, such as location, time, and branding, is visually cohesive. In Photography, I pay close attention to angles (bird’s eye, low, high, etc), lighting (using a reflector based on my client’s skin tone), colors, composition, focus, perspective, scale, and storytelling (like facial expressions, time of day, or weather) to create compelling imagery.
My Proudest Achievements
One of my proudest accomplishments is designing the Asian Night Market & Black History Month banners for the ODU Office of Intercultural Relations during my Graphic Design internship in Fall 2024. Additionally, nothing brings me greater joy than seeing my clients’ smiles when they receive their photos—it’s a testament that my work can give hope to their confidence and self-expression.
About RTS801Photography&Arts
Through RTS801Photography&Arts, my mission in Photography is to capture the best version of you, ensuring you feel confident, comfortable, and radiant—like you’re stepping into a million-dollar moment. In Graphic Design, I bring your unique vision to life by creating designs that align with your personality, brand, or message. With every project, I am committed to delivering high-quality results that exceed expectations while ensuring your needs are met with care, creativity, and expertise.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Falling Outs of Summer 2024
During the summer of 2024, I experienced two painful falling-outs with close friends I once considered lifelong. These friendships were built on deep, relatable, and vulnerable conversations, which made their loss even more difficult to process. Despite the emotional weight of these situations, I remained committed to my personal growth and responsibilities.
First Falling Out (July 17, 2024)
July 6th started as a night meant for enjoyment but unexpectedly turned into a misunderstanding that forever altered my friendship with her. That evening, I had a conversation with her mother about the possibility of therapy for her, as I knew she was facing immense hardships, including anxiety, depression, OCD, and suicidal thoughts. Wanting to be supportive, I agreed that therapy could be beneficial. Later, when I informed her about our discussion, she broke down in tears and left the room.
Upon returning, she asked if I had told her mother she needed therapy. I answered truthfully—yes—because I didn’t want to lie. My honesty, however, upset her even more. I tried explaining that my concern for her well-being was my reason for supporting the idea of therapy, but she felt betrayed because I had agreed with her mother. She claimed I left out my part in agreeing with her mother when I initially told her about the conversation. I admitted I did because she left the room before I could explain fully. I didn’t chase after her, wanting to give her space instead.
Later, I attempted to comfort her, but she rejected it. I repeatedly apologized, but she was still upset. She then called her brother and left the room, likely telling him about the situation. While she was outside, I sat in her room, confused about what had just happened. Eventually, I knocked on her mother’s door to let her and her stepdad know that she was upset with both of us. We all tried to talk to her, acknowledge her pain, and reassure her that she was supported. Her mother even told her not to be mad at me because she knew I was being a friend to her daughter.
Later, around 1 AM, she and I went for a walk. I once again tried to explain why I believed therapy could help, but she refused to listen and instead compared our situation to something completely different. She told me about a time when her friend said her sister was ugly, but she never told her sister because she didn’t want to hurt her feelings. She used this as an example to argue that I should have kept my thoughts about therapy to myself to protect her feelings. I disagreed because I was trying to protect her life.
During this conversation, she admitted that she was broken and no longer wanted to be in this world. She said that if a car were coming, she would step in front of it, essentially saying she wanted to disappear or die. When we returned to her house, I told her mother and stepdad about her suicidal thoughts. This time, her stepdad tried to reason with her. We even prayed for her and hugged her, but she refused to accept the prayer. Before I left, I tried to hug her, but she wouldn’t hug me back.
On July 8th, we had a conversation where I believed we had reached an understanding. I thought we had made amends, but on July 16th, she confessed that she was still deeply hurt by what had happened. When I asked if she wanted to discuss it further, she declined.
On the afternoon of July 17th, I sent her a message explaining that I would give her space to process her feelings, intending to step back for a few days until she was ready to talk. Unfortunately, she misunderstood my words, believing I was permanently distancing myself from her. That evening, she told me she agreed that we needed to separate but also stated that she no longer trusted me and now saw me in a negative light.
Her words stung because I tried my best to help her. Frustrated, I responded, “It’s your loss.” She fired back, saying it was my loss instead, then told me to never speak to or mention her again before abruptly hanging up.
Second Falling Out (September 3rd, 2024)
The beginning of the fall semester at Old Dominion University started smoothly. On August 26th, the first day of senior year, she and I spent time together, working out at the gym and having dinner. On August 27th, I even took the time to show her some soccer techniques. However, by August 28th, everything shifted unexpectedly.
She invited me to the ODU Library, where she unexpectedly confronted me about something I hadn’t seen coming. She accused me of being dishonest with myself when I said on August 26th that I no longer had romantic feelings for her. She based this on an interaction from August 2nd, when I had given her a long hug to express gratitude for her support while I was sick. According to her, my behavior had shifted after that moment, and she felt I had crossed her boundaries. She also told me to stop saying phrases like “I love you” and “Until next time,” implying that they made her uncomfortable. I was caught off guard and confused because, from my perspective, I had done nothing wrong and had only acted out of appreciation and respect.
Then, she revealed that she had spoken to someone I didn’t know—an outsider who had convinced her that I secretly liked her and that she should no longer be friends with me. His words held more weight to her than my own, and based on this influence, she decided that our friendship wouldn’t be the same.
She went on to compare me to other male friends, even bringing up how she had once made out with one of them, yet their friendship remained unchanged. She then told me that we had supposedly had this same conversation in January 2024 (I genuinely don’t remember.), March 2024, and April 2024, though I recalled those discussions being about different topics.
To reconcile, I apologized for unintentionally crossing her boundaries. However, when I attempted to explain my actions and assure her that my intentions had never been inappropriate, she walked away mid-sentence.
On August 29th, after my soccer practice, I saw her again and told her that the situation felt like a complete 180, and I needed clarity. She coldly responded that I didn’t need clarity—that I had already said enough—and that she was the one who needed clarity. Then, she began verbally attacking me, calling me delusional, emotionally manipulative, and claiming that I only cared about her looks rather than her personality. However, she also admitted that she knew I was never capable of physically harming a woman before she made that claim. She then compared me to past negative experiences she had been through, unfairly projecting onto me. I listened without defending myself, knowing that nothing I said would change her perception. I refused to meet anger with anger, even though I knew her accusations were false.
Then, out of nowhere, she tried to quiz me about what she enjoyed doing the most. When she asked, I told her she liked working out, spending time with her two cats and friends, listening to music, and going to parties and clubs. She dismissed my response and insisted, “No, what do I like to do?” I answered that she liked poetry because she wanted to be a voice for the voiceless. She said, “Exactly.”
On September 1st, I texted her, asking if she was open to talking so I could clear the air. She left me on read.
Then, on September 3rd, during soccer practice, I saw her again and decided I couldn’t leave things unresolved. I stopped my training to approach her and attempt to settle things. I told her I needed to clear the air and confront her ego. She reluctantly gave me five minutes to speak. I tried to be reasonable while standing up for myself, but she continuously interrupted me. In an attempt to make things right and explain myself, I admited I appreciated affection; trying to make sense as to what happend on August 2nd. I then decided to set a boundary after remembering that, a week prior, she had touched my waist instead of simply telling me two people were coming when I was unknowingly in their way. I wanted to ask her to let me know next time instead of touching me. Instead of acknowledging it, she threatened me with a threat assessment if I ever spoke to her again.
How These Falling Outs Demonstrate My Resilience
The first falling-out occurred while I was in my third year as a Monarch Orientation Leader at ODU. Despite dealing with the emotional distress of losing a friend, I remained committed to my responsibilities. I continued assisting incoming students and their families, delivering morning presentations, and ensuring that freshmen felt welcomed into the ODU community. Even with the weight of personal struggles, I completed my duties as an Orientation Leader on January 10, 2025.
The second falling-out happened during the second week of the semester, meaning that from September to December 2024, I had no choice but to move forward while potentially seeing her on campus. I did my best to keep my head down, stay focused, and remain strong whenever I encountered her.
Fall 2024 became the most challenging semester of my academic career—not only because of these personal conflicts and the looming threat of a “threat assessment” but also because of my demanding schedule and the heavy overload of my classes. I was enrolled in six classes, played club soccer, and worked two jobs, including a Graphic Design internship with ODU’s Office of Intercultural Relations.
Yet, despite everything, I persevered. I earned a place on the AB Honor Roll, designed two banners for OIR (one for the Asian Night Market and another for Black History Month), and continued playing the sport I love.
These experiences tested my resilience in ways I never expected. From July to December 2024, I faced emotional, academic, and professional hardships. However, I didn’t let them break me. I proved I could endure, grow, and emerge stronger, regardless of hardship.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most fulfilling part of being an artist is staying true to myself, embracing my authenticity, and creating artwork that flows naturally, allowing me to express who I am in a fun and engaging way without words.
At ODU, I’ve discovered that creativity is one of my greatest strengths. As a Graphic Design major passionate about Photography, I use my creativity to think outside the box and showcase my individuality. Through this, I’ve also learned how to initiate meaningful conversations and ensure that those around me feel acknowledged, heard, and appreciated.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://zionsmith420.wixsite.com/rts801foundations
- Instagram: @_zionsmith, @rts801photographyandarts, @roadtosuccess801designs
- Facebook: Zion Smith
- Youtube: Zion Smith
- Other: Pexels: Zion Smith
