Today we’d like to introduce you to Zaid Kirdsey.
Hi Zaid, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I started to take a serious interest in making a living through my art circa 2011. Around that time i was very interested in street wear, i wanted to learn how artists made the art and graphics that were on some of my favorite clothing brands. I learned that some were using adobe illustrator therefore i decide to take graphic design classes at my local community college ACC.
Long story short i ended up dropping out because i realized that i could just learn the program on my own, and that’s what i did through good old YouTube university. However I do want to say thank you to my color theory teacher because i did actually learn some good things in his class. With all my new knowledge i started to release Tshirts here and there, as well as prints and stickers. From the very beginning I was always very mindful of playing the limited game. I would only release things in limited quantities and i would never reproduce/reprint when items sold out. It was, and still is a good way in my opinion to give those who support you an extra sense of pride when they decide to invest in you. Knowing that they’ll own something that’s very limited can be very exciting for a lot of people.
Fast forward to 2021, i discovered NFTs ( yes i know they’re not very popular among a lot of artists) but i have to admit that this entire culture changed my life forever. I became acquainted with some of the best people i know, some which i now call lifelong friends. I had success in 2021 selling 1/1’s pieces for incredible prices. My genesis piece, which is what one calls their first piece on the blockchain sold for the equivalent of around 12k. Prior to that, the most i had ever sold a piece of art had been 1,000. Needless to say, i felt like my art was finally being seeing by people who could potentially change my life for the better. I continued to have success that year & was able to accomplish a goal that was always in front of mind. This goal was being able to pay off my parents house with money i made through my art. To be able to provide to the people who have always cared for me since day one was an experience i will never forget. In my mind it was somewhat a validation to let them know “ see, it was worth it, i knew you wanted me to go to college, but look, i made it” obviously this is just how i felt at the time and there’s still a long road ahead. I am excited to keep growing.
Thanks to web 3, i was also able to secure work/collaborations with certain companies that lead me to work with Nike. Another item of my bucket list was crossed off because of this. I now have my own very exclusive official Nike Air Force one shoe. Truly a dream come true! I’ve also been blessed to have met Jeff Staples and collaborated with him on his web 3 project that ultimately resulted in a limited Tshirt for his brand. This was also the first time i was actually being flown out because of my art. This leads me to the times I’ve been able to travel because of my art. From one of my favorite places, New York, to Paris & back to LA, it really is incredible that I’ve been somewhat all around the world because of my art. For some context, I come from an incredibly small town deep in Mexico with less than 200 people. I came to the states when i was barely in 2nd grade speaking zero english, needless to say, all of this seems like a dream at times.
I want to end this section by stating that in August of 2021 i started what i like to refer to as my Magnum Opus. Its a piece that I’ve been actively working on til this day (2-14-2025) and will probably keep working on until the end of this year when i hope to complete it. Currently this piece is around 4,058 hours at the time of writing and i am excited to share “Friends” with the world once I am done.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I have to give huge props and much admiration to those who decide to embark in the journey that is to be an artist. From doubts of my own parents at the beginning, to working commission after commission just to get by, it definitely has been a bumpy road at times, but ultimately i believe that without struggle, you can’t really appreciate your wins.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
For the past couple of years I’ve been focused mainly on digital art, more specifically on my iPad. That being said, i do work using different mediums when the muse calls for it. Graphite, spray paint, acrylic, ink, markers etc.
Currently within my community, i am definitely most well known for my Friends piece. The one I mentioned earlier, the Magnum Opus. I really have been working on it since August of 2021 and its still being worked on til this day.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I think one of the biggest risk I’ve taken so far, again ties back to my Friends piece. In summary the space that i am currently operating in, web 3 is a very fast paced and short attention span monster. By focusing on a single piece for as long as i have, I’ve left a lot of potential money, possibly even collaborations on table due to being hyper focused on this piece.
That being said, deciding to pursue art as a career around 2011 was probably the biggest risk I ever took.
No risk, no reward.
Contact Info:
- Website: Zaidkirdsey.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/zaidkirdsey
- Twitter: twitter.com/zaidkirdsey
