Today we’d like to introduce you to Zara Lazard.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’ve been a creative spirit for as long as I can remember. As a kid I was always drawing and creating something; trying to find new ways to bring the things I felt into life. Art was like a second language for me. However it wasn’t until late 2018 that I discovered that I really had a joy for painting. During this time I was leaning on art as a form of healing while I was going through a difficult time with my mental health. I suffered from major depression and anxiety most of the time, I was also in a long term relationship that was coming to a close. If you couple all of that with the pandemic it all became a bit much for me to feel like I was truly present and a part of this world, so I decided to paint one of my favorite cartoon characters which was Huey from The Boondocks. It was liberating and reminded me of all the joy I felt as a kid when I would create, so I decided to keep going and began to paint more. Ever since then I have done dozens of paintings, multiple art shows, had a few article features, and sold pieces in multiple states across the country.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road has been far from smooth but I learned to embrace that part of the process. There’s always something to learn in our most difficult moments in my opinion. For instance, I find that the most difficult part for me right now is getting out of my own way, a little thing I like to call imposter syndrome. I have tons of ideas that float around in my mind space everyday. Taking action and implementing them has been a pattern that I noticed I had. To combat that pattern I try to keep note of my ideas somewhere tangible like my phone or a notepad and then I take little steps towards those ideas. It’s not something I force if I feel like I don’t have the capacity for it; I just let it flow. I find that being gentle with myself in this area prevents burnout and creative blockages.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a visual artist and my current style of painting could fall under Abstract Expressionism or Neo Expressionism. My pieces are strongly inspired by previous or current experiences in my healing journey. A lot of them are like journal entries for me and I think that’s why people gravitate towards my work the way they do. They’re relatable and I believe people connect with that. I love to paint just about anything I can get my hands on but my preference is whatever may be peaking my interest in a moment. Currently I’m working on hand painted affirmation cards. They will each have their own original painting tailored to a specific affirmation inside. This project along with many other of my pieces have gained traction on TikTok as well as within my local community. Being able to use social media as another form of creating and promoting my artwork has been a hidden gem. It gives me the opportunity to get more of my work out there all while interacting with other artist just like me. Building these connections is cultivating the space for other collaborations as well. I think that’s what I’m the most proud of. Being able to connect with individuals who find my art inspiring and moving. It’s the sweetest joy to me; knowing that my art is just that powerful to invoke “feeling”.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I can’t say too much on that as I really have no clue. It’s not exactly something I think too hard about. I personally believe that there will always be a space for the creative industry no matter what timeframe we’re in. Art is timeless. Like all other things though I do believe that there is always room for advancement. With AI art being a thing now I think that this challenges traditional Artist to possibly become more versatile and skilled in the art of technology. I can only speak on this as I myself am not big on the medium of digital art but I could definitely benefit from learning it. I think it will make it easier for artist to become more known but at the same time it could possibly make it more difficult too. It depends on the context and how you view it.
