We had the good fortune of connecting with Zushka Biros and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Zushka, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
My creative career chose me. I believe that when something becomes bigger than everything else in your life, like an endeavor into the arts, you have to run with it. It’s obviously staring you in the face for a reason. Even if I fail with it, I had to take the chance and let whatever art that’s in me, come out.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I started painting at age 7, and participated in an Art Camp at the private Wooster School in Danbury, Connecticut, each summer from the time I was 10 till I was 13. My artwork developed as a young child, migrating into more abstract and pop-style art. But I stopped painting altogether in high school, and it wasn’t until 2020 that I picked up a paint-brush again.

During my 35-year hiatus from painting, I delved into photography while modeling for a variety of photographers in my 50’s. Photo-Artistry satisfied my artistic nature, and still does to this day. But painting again fueled my curiosity for the arts.

It was my work in the “Artist’s Way” that turned my artwork toward the direction of NFT Art. (Non Fungible Token Art, or “Crypto Art”). It fulfilled my desire to combine my photography, paintings, digital edits and animation. I was making NFT art before I even knew there was a genre dedicated to it. I quickly found a place online to put them, and sell them.

Professionally, it’s been a long road, and it has not been easy. Overcoming challenges, such as becoming confident in what I was producing, juggling finances, and not giving up, wasn’t simple. I learned to allow myself to make anything that made me happy. I don’t think too much while I’m creating something. It’s all organic, allowing that spark of inspiration to come to me, instead of contriving or forcing myself to paint a masterpiece.

A day in my life looks like this: morning walks around town, taking photos; Time in my studio, drawing and painting. Digitizing what I create, animating it, and designing my own brand of NFT Art.

I think it’s important to follow your own path, your desires. Stifling those opportunities that you crave, for whatever reasons, kills the artist inside. I’m into keeping the artist alive. I think my brand and my story reflect that.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Where I live is one of the most traveled-to places in Arizona. Jerome is a historic old copper mining town, with tons of history and a whole bunch of art. I like taking friends for a walk around town, because no matter where you go here, there’s something interesting to see.

The Asylum restaurant is a special treat, and one of my favorite places to eat in town. The Gold King Mine is an attraction that is a must-see – a little “village” of preserved old buildings, vehicles, antiques, and even a fully-operational blacksmith, and livestock on site. Nelly Bly Kaleidoscope Store has the best and most elaborate kaleidoscopes in the world, a fun place to visit. The House of Joy, which was rumored to be one of the many brothels in town, is now an Art Gallery, where some of my paintings are displayed. The mine itself closed decades ago, has a museum. You can even look down the mineshaft, which is 1,900 feet deep, which is twice the size of the Eiffel Tower. Stay a night at The Grand Hotel, and try not to be spooked. Once one of the original hospitals in the late 1800’s, the hotel is haunted.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I made a commitment to myself, and dove into the 12 week course called “The Artist’s Way”, by Julia Cameron. To say it was a life-changer is an understatement. I cannot give this book, the course, the author, enough credit. There simply aren’t enough words to express my gratitude.

Website: http://www.zushkabiros.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artbyzushka/?hl=en

Twitter: https://twitter.com/artbyzushka

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artbyzushka

Other: https://opensea.io/collection/psychedelicartmixedmedia

Image Credits
Photos by: Zushka Biros Photography Artwork by: @artbyzushka

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