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

Zsudayka, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

I think most people think that an artist sits around at the studio all day doing drugs and playing in paint and listening to loud music. They think we are either homeless or super rich-there is no in between. People are always surprised when I draw boundaries around my schedule. When I explain to them that I paint from 9-5. That I schedule meetings only Monday-Friday between 9 and 5. That I stagger meeting because I have to prioritize working because I have deadlines. We travel a lot dropping off artwork for exhibitions. It costs $2,000 to ship 11 pieces that are relatively small one way. That an exhibition is considered successful if even one piece sells. That galleries take between 30-50% of all sales from artists and rarely do the galleries have people coming in to consistently buy. People don’t know that there is no studio space in DC and most of us end up having to move our practice to Maryland or Virginia. People don’t realize that if I make a sale I have to stretch that money because I can’t predict my next sale and I have to pay my bills on time.

Artists don’t realize that you have to diversify your art income so its not exclusively related to sales. That you have to get grants and fellowships and residencies to support your life as a creative. They don’t realize art is an actual business and needs to be run that way. We have an accountant. We have a publicist. We invest in advertising on our own. You have to do the work for the results you want and nobody is coming to save you or help you.

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

I started out a self taught multi disciplinary fine artist from Aurora, CO. I’ve been in DC for 11 years. I was always some type of artist. I made jewelry, I travelled the country performing spoken word. I started a Black Arts Festival in my hometown. That was the first time I showed my art in public. I was painting oils at the time. I changed to acrylic after I moved to DC. My work is mixed media portraiture. I focus on exploring the beauty and power of Black American culture and history. I work in acrylic, decorative paper, fabric, relief print, hand dyed paper and sewing. I build furniture for installations that are life size versions of my paintings. I’m fascinated by maximalism in interior design and fashion. My work has been shown all over the world in galleries and museums.

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

I moved to dc with nothing but a suitcase full of art supplies and a small child. I was staying with a really good friend. I thought I would be able to get a teaching job and be on my feet in a few months. Instead, it took me two years. It was a struggle. I felt like I wasn’t pulling my weight and was stressing my friend and I was constantly concerned about overstaying my welcome. But he held me down with no judgement for two years. He watched me try to get jobs and juggle childcare and take every opportunity I could to build a presence in the city. It took me several years to really build a community and following in the DC area. I did that as a mother, having gotten married and had back to back babies. In 2016 when I was pregnant with my second child I went into art full time. I was doing a lot of markets and festivals and smaller galleries. By 2018 I was starting to do larger galleries and showing more work. In 2020 I was able to stop doing festivals and markets on a regular basis and just focus on selling my art. It takes a lot of work. Art is a slow, hard climb. I had my first solo in December of 2021 and then followed with 6 solos in 2022. In 2023 I accepted multiple residencies and won a grant that allowed me to share what I’ve learned and some of my resources with 11 Black women artists in the DC area.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Having control of my time is the most important thing to me. I want to be able to spend as much time as possible with my children and husband. I am honored to be able to homeschool my three children and travel with them and show them that a mom can be a wife and a mother and also have a business that is thriving and family oriented.

Contact Info:

• Website: TerrellArtsDC.com
• Instagram: @zsudayka
• Facebook: facebook.com/zsudaykanzingadesigns

Image Credits
Images except for the one in the orange jacket, the one where I’m sitting with the church fan and the one in the red dress are from Underwood Photography