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

Hi Azaria, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
When I started azariag.com in 2020, I really wanted to take a risk and bet on myself. I had created really great artwork in high school, and considered giving up visual art in the professional sense when I began college. I felt like I had to chose, and because I was pursuing dance I wasn’t sure there was space for both. Then I had created one of my favorite art pieces to date, and showed my dance professor, Duane Cyrus, who encouraged me to utilize both! I looked into it and figured maybe other people would value my talents and want to invest in them, so I created a vessel through which they could do that!

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
My art is cathartic, curious, and honest. In my work I don’t focus much on being different, instead when I create I am hoping that someone can relate to my work. As an artist I am totally human, I am just as unsure, scared, and confused as anybody else may be. I document my perspective through my work and hope that it says what I am trying to say! Getting to a point where I could do that, and learning how to resolve and overcome when it doesn’t “work” is what makes me a professional. I learned in college how to ask the right questions to the right resources to help shed light on my process to make the product work. It was not easy, and it still isn’t, and I’m not in the field I’m in for it to be easy. Being aware of the practices I have in determining what my desired outcome is and how to define my success is what makes the journey less frustrating. I had to learn how to plan and how to pivot! It’s still a process accepting that I can only control outcomes in some areas while I’m at the will of the wind in others. Understanding my “why” is what gives me the endurance despite all odds, and there are plenty of odds! If I had to define what people should know about my why, I would want them to know that having access to resources to explore their curiosity as a creative person with an incredible imagination is a right everyone deserves to have, and that if nothing else, I’m using mine! Everything I create starts with a question that I attempt to answer in response to my experiences or curiosities. Everyone is sitting on an idea that could make someone’s load lighter, even if it’s just their own. Expression saves lives, and curiosity betters them!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
In the city if Atlanta, I think the best places to go are the places people dance! I suggest finding a good underground dance scene like MJQ, where you can see people of all backgrounds express themselves freely! Honestly, Atlanta isn’t really about the places, but it’s about the events! The annual Art Week is always cool! You could stroll into Piedmont park one day and discover an entire festival! Being open to explore is the best thing to do here, there are so many artist, creatives, and communities to explore! I always recommend visiting the New Black Wall Street, which is a black owned mall where all the businesses inside are black owned! I’ve discovered there are people who live in ATL that don’t know it exist, so I tell everybody!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would have to give credit to my lovely community for being so supportive and present throughout my artistic journey. The people who invested in me by sharing their resources of skill, way making, and talents! My mom who taught me to be resourceful and my mentors over the years, Keata Perdue McCain, Britney Stevenson, Sydney Sheaffer, Duane Cyrus, and again, my momma!

Website: azariag.com

Instagram: z_visuals2108

Facebook: Azaria G. Page

Youtube: Azaria G.

Image Credits
Azaria G. Branden Adams Photography Mino T Visuals LLC Azaria G.

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