Meet Soulo & Zhen | Mother-Daughter Artist Team

We had the good fortune of connecting with Soulo & Zhen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Soulo & Zhen, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
My mother and I have always had an affinity and appreciation for creative outlets. I have memories of us visiting different art fairs around town and exploring all sorts of crafts together, from homemade clay projects to repurposing recycled materials. Eventually, we gravitated towards mainly using vibrant acrylic paints that can be combined with a variety of other mediums.

We realized that creating a business would not only be an opportunity to share the unique and colorful perspective of our artwork, but also a way for us to have more innovative mother-daughter time together, whether by painting in our art studio, traveling for art festivals, or bonding over collaborative projects.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Soulo: Putting on live painting performances for festivals and events with a group called Neon Butts has been a very unique artistic experience that has allowed me to travel and create in many different environments, from the South Carolina swamps to the rock quarries of Washington state. Zhen: I’m most proud that I’m able to share my passion and vision with my daughter. What’s exciting behind my artistic process is seeing the potential for art in everyday objects and being inspired by their energies, colors, and shapes.
With the freedom that comes with starting a business, we at first found it challenging to set our own deadlines and stick to them. We have managed to overcome this by becoming more organized and checking in with each other more, but also just having the confidence to put ourselves out there and go for new opportunities! We’ve become more in-tune with what we need to create in the moment and try not to compare our art to others too often, because we’ve realized there are many different ways to portray a perspective through art.
It has been very affirming for us to know that all sorts of people have shown interest in our pieces and that our creations are displayed in their homes and businesses! We are always looking forward to more opportunities to travel, collaborate, and share our artwork.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Soulo: There are a lot of food spots I love around Atlanta! For brunch, I like Belle and Lily’s Caribbean Brunch House in Tucker and Two Urban Licks near Old Fourth Ward. For Indian food, Decatur has many Indian food options, I recommend Chat Patti Vegetarian Restaurant (try the Masala Dosa or Veg Thali Deluxe platter and you won’t regret it). Buford Highway also has a variety of authentic Asian and Hispanic restaurants to try out, my current favorites being Food Terminal and Havana Sandwich Shop. To spend some time outdoors, I go to Piedmont Park and the greenspace near Old Fourth Ward Skatepark. These are great places for picnics, painting outside, and just people watching. Arabia Mountain Park has nice walking trails and is a peaceful spot to watch the sunset (or sunrise if you’re a morning person).
Lastly, I would check out Peters Street Station to chill in the evenings and enjoy some live music and local art.

Zhen: If you like cooking, I would check out the Dekalb Farmers Market or Buford Highway Farmers Market to get unique and fresh ingredients. To get active outdoors, I would do the 5-mile walk around Stone Mountain Park. The Beltline is also a scenic walk that will get you to a lot of good food spots at Ponce City Market. To get some inspiration, I would check out the High Museum of art in Midtown.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
We would like to dedicate our shoutout to all of our close friends and family who have seen our creative potential and showed support by visiting our vendor booths, sharing our artwork, and just checking in and keeping in touch with us! We are also grateful for the many new artist friends we’ve met along the way who have been open to collaborations, offered their creative suggestions, and given us tips to help grow our business potential.

Website: soulozhenart.com

Instagram: @soulozhenart

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@soulozhenart3355

Other: Redbubble: https://www.redbubble.com/people/soulozhen/shop