Meet Zaira Baker

Today we’re excited to be connecting with Zaira Baker again. If you haven’t already, we suggest you check out our prior conversation with them here.

Zaira , thanks for joining us again. Just to level set a bit for folks who may have missed our last interview together, can you briefly introduce yourself?
My name is Zaira. I am an Artist that paints customized portraits of everyday people. I mainly go by my first and middle name, Zaira Iman, that is why my brand name is “Zaira Iman Art.” I began my journey as an artist in 2020. That year encouraged a lot of creativity and soul searching for me. I discovered my hidden talent of painting. I always knew how to draw but I had never actually painted. But, that year someone I knew challenged me to do a portrait of her close friend and the portrait turned out amazing. From that point on I’ve been painting every since. The first portrait I did is still very special to me. It was for a person I went to high school with and we are from the same hometown. He and I became friends after this painting and he graciously shared my art on his platform which helped more people discover me and my art. I want to say thank you Sharron Townsend, you hold a special place in my heart for that.

Awesome, so we reached out because we wanted to hear all about what you have been up to since we last connected.
Since my last interview, something very beautiful took place in the beginning of 2025. I had the pleasure of painting an adorable portrait of NFL player, Omar Bolden’s daughter. The opportunity came about by social media. I saw a picture of her that melted my heart and I asked him if I could paint her. He said yes, he would love a painting and that’s how the opportunity unfolded. Both he and his wife shared my painting on their social media platform. They both showed gratitude and appreciation for my art work and shared it with their following by shouting out my business. I was so happy and my family and friends were very proud and cheering me on. I appreciate moments like this because as an artist, they don’t happen often, so you have to be grateful when they do. This also showed me that opportunity is always around, you just have to be intuitive enough to see it. I plan on using this moment as inspiration to pour into my business so more moments like this can happen. I’m working on finding a way to grow my business so I can travel more! Who knows, maybe I’ll get an opportunity to display my art in other countries in the future!

We have now arrived at one of our favorite parts of the interview – the lightning round. We’ll ask you a few quick questions to give us all some fun insights about you.

Favorite Movie: Woo starring Jada Pinkett Smith

Favorite Book: The Kybalion: Three Initiates

Favorite TV Show: Martin!

Favorite Band or Artist: Led Zepplin and Rick James

Sweet or Savory: BOTH, what’s one without the other?

Mountains or Beach: BOTH, I enoy the peace of the mountains and the sound of the ocean

Favorite Sport (to watch): I’m not a big sports person surprisingly. But please invite me to the sports parties!

Favorite Sport (to play): Volleyball, honestly any sport where I have a to run with a ball.

Did you play sports growing up (if so which ones): Yes, I ran cross country surprisingly. I only did track for the practice then I would leave before the track meets lol

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up: I wanted to be a hair stylist. I always saw my mom styling her hair and my dad is a barber so, I thought it was my calling.

French Fries or Onion Rings: Fries!

Chuck Rhodes or Bobby Axelrod: Who are these people? lol

Favorite Cartoon growing up: Rugrats and Spongebob

Favorite Childhood movie: The rugrats movie

Favorite Breakfast Food: Egg & cheese sandwich!

What do you want people to remember about you and your brand? What are some of things that you feel are most important, unique, special, etc?
I want people to remember me as being a romantic and soulful artist. I want to be remembered as a person who romanticized her life and captured it in a unique way that only my eyes could see. By this I mean, through my art, pictures, videos, and writings I want you to see different glimpses of who I am in a way that says, She knew a secret and she wants me to figure it out through her works. I feel that it is important for me to leave behind a legacy of art that showcases the beauty of who we are as people. I want people to discover me once I’m gone by finding my works of art and falling in love with the bold, and vibrant person that I am. I understand that the reality of life can be tough but, if you capture those moments in a way that makes them look beautiful, people will only remember the beauty. That is how I want to be remembered, as a beautiful person.

Website: https://www.zairaimanart.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zairaimanart

Image Credits
Faceshot by Nigel Taylor, instagram @kidd_lamar