Featured Artist: Anastasia Zinos
"The art I create often comes from shapes and colors that I find beautiful. . ."
Yes, this is my amazing sister.
Anastasia (she/her) describes herself as a multimedia artist. She told me that art has become an integral part of her life and more so than ever in quarantine.
Let's start the new year off with her inspiring interview!
DECADENT: What’s life looking like right now? Any big plans for the new year?
ANASTASIA: I’m a student at the University of Minnesota, but I will be taking spring semester off. I am excited to have a break to breathe, explore my passions, learn more, and do more art!
I’m also going to use the time to reestablish my goals and what I want to be studying.
DECADENT: What do you do when you’re feeling uninspired? Has that changed because of quarantine?
ANASTASIA: I don’t rush the feeling of inspiration.
I’ve found that the best way to get inspired again when I’m not feeling it is to just let myself rest.
People naturally work in cycles so I just allow myself to work hard when I’m overflowing with inspiration, and when I’m not so much, I focus on other things, like the business side of my art and building my social media presence.
DECADENT: Reading anything good these days?
ANASTASIA: A friend recommended the book “Women Who Run with the Wolves” and I’ve been reading it for awhile. It's super good!
DECADENT: You're a Minneapolis artist. What's your favorite thing about the Twin Cities?
ANASTASIA: I love the art and music scene here. The community is so supportive and we are all gonna succeed together.
DECADENT: What art projects are you up to these days?
ANASTASIA: I’m currently working on an Art Nouveau inspired series that’s going to feature four different animals. The peacock was the first one I finished. The other three are coming soon!
DECADENT: You said that 2020 has changed the way you work,
“By making me have a greater interior life, leading to more time and energy to create.”
How are you hoping to carry that energy into 2021?
ANASTASIA: In 2021 I’m excited to embrace being an artist as an important part of myself, rather than just a little side hobby. Art has always been important to me, but it was never my “thing” or label growing up. I’m excited to claim being an artist for myself as one of my passions.
I think there is something about being human that makes us all some form of artist. I genuinely don’t believe that anyone has no artistic talent.
There are tons of different forms of art, and art is something that is incredibly human and nourishing that I think every person deserves to partake of.
DECADENT: Can you talk a little bit about the way that art has changed the way you interact with the world?
ANASTASIA: When I am on the lookout for inspiration for a new piece, I am hyper-aware of any colors, shapes , lines, symbols, etc. that I see in the world that I could incorporate into my next piece.
In a more abstract way, art has helped me to see the world as being less “black and white” than I used to think.
It allows me to see nuance and subtleties, and to realize that nothing is that simple.
This is because, unlike other fields of study, artwork doesn’t have black and white rules and definitions.
DECADENT: I know you have put a lot of effort into finding other artists and creatives. How do you think collaborating with other artists has shaped your own work?
ANASTASIA: Collaborating and knowing other artists plays a huge role in my work. I’m a people person, I love making new connections and meeting people with similar passions to me. I get a lot of inspiration from other artists' work, whether it's visual art or music.
Music is a huge inspiration to my work. When I hear a song that is from the heart and raw and real it really inspires my work.
DECADENT: How would you describe the creative process for yourself from the source of inspiration to the finished product?
ANASTASIA: Like I said before, inspiration for me often comes simply from shapes and colors and symbols (and bodies) that I see throughout the day.
Sometimes my inspiration comes from something less concrete and physical, like music or ideas.
This inspiration often is more like motivation, I hear a piece of music or hear an idea that gives me energy and drive, and this inspires me to create art later.
And a final form of inspiration for me is raw emotion. Sometimes I feel something so strongly that art is a way to connect my mind to the physical.
Thank you for this amazing interview, Anastasia!!
Follow Anastasia on Instagram here and here
xoxo
Tasha