We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Zollie Barefoot. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Zollie below.

Zollie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

For as long as I can remember I have always had an artistic mind. I grew up playing the piano and drawing constantly and I knew that the arts was something that brought me a lot of joy. I have always been enthralled by the art and design world and have been a part of it for a while now. Being able to express myself through my art and design, is something I believe is one of the most important parts of being creative. I honestly didn’t know what I wanted for my path when I was in high school. However, once I was about a sophomore in high school I came across architecture and then interior design. I decided to go with the path of interiors because I think being able to walk into a space and truly feel immersed and taken by the design of a space is so important and connects to occupants more. I knew I wanted to pursue a career in the building arts field professionally especially when I got to college. Being surrounded by like-minded creatives has only enhanced my passion for the design industry.

Zollie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

To get a better understanding of my category of work, I am an interior and furniture designer. I got into the industry and craft when I started high school. I always loved watching home TV shows and developed later into watching more interior design-related shows and YouTube videos. Being able to watch the process of an interior being built and designed truly captured my attention. Once I got to college, I was later able to understand my niche within the field which is more of a rustic aesthetic accompanied by biophilia. I love any kind of design that would relate to being out in nature and having the ability to bring those natural elements into a space that allows that connection between the outdoors and inside environment which is so beautiful to me. However, my work is not limited to just that. I have had many projects and have been able to understand different areas of design from homes to restaurants, workplaces, retail, and facilities. Developing off of that, with my work in furniture design I want to be able to build custom pieces within the interiors I build in the future. The idea of combining my studies of interior and furniture design and applying it to the spaces I will build is something I look forward to.

When it comes to solving problems for clientele, I want to be able to work with them on their design choices and solve any issues they might have within their spaces. I think it is so important for someone to feel comfortable with any space they are in whether that is a commercial or residential project. Having the client and users in mind is always important to take into consideration, especially in residential. From problem-solving, getting an understanding of the space, and creating a functional yet aesthetic space is what is needed for the outcome of a project.

A piece of work that I am most proud of is my senior capstone project. An educational climate and cannabis resource facility for users to be able to go in and understand the impacts of climate change and mitigation which is such a prevalent issue in our world today. Accompanied by the responsible use of cannabis cultivation as it relates to those who have PTSD and climate anxiety. As well as highlight the importance of sustainability within an interior through materiality and design choices. This project was over 7 months from research on my topic, and clients, to bringing the project to life through space planning, sketches, and development of Computer-Aided Design software to the final presentation. It is a project I genuinely put my entire heart and soul into. It is not only my proudest piece of work but such a very strong piece of design that shows who I am and represents me and my passions as an artist. This project gave me an idea of where I want to end up in the design field one day which is more in the area of sustainable interior design.

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

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist or creative is most definitely being able to go through the design process from start to finish. Along with the visualization of the project, from concept to visualization to bringing it to life. The trial-and-error process is very long and hard, however being able to get to the finished product is such a good feeling.

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

There most definitely needs to be more appreciation for the field of arts as a whole. Not just the building arts. I think all branches of art can benefit each other when collaborating. Developing off of that I think there needs to be an appreciation of where art began and how fine arts have such a huge role in understanding design. Go to art museums, listen and learn from creatives. Showing up, at least for me, is one of the most important things when it comes to being supported as an artist and designer. The more you look past the base level of the art and design industry, the endless number of areas you will discover and get a better understanding and appreciation for them. With that all said, support creatives within your community and lift them up. That goes for creatives as well, being able to support one another and learn from different industries of the arts field has helped me so much as a designer, the insight I have gotten from my friends in different majors has had lots of benefits to my creative process.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @zolliebarefoot @designbyzollie
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/zollie-barefoot-26a292232
• Other: Portoflio: https://assets.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:US:a266b1ad-f4d6-4134-b59d-e90f7ce050b8?view=published Resume: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1I3FDedrXnH2XtzEMqP1_r1ujtBtAwIgy/view?usp=drive_link