As I grew up I told myself I wouldn’t be an artist, like my mother. As multi-faceted and talented as she is, she still struggled with a sense of certainty and guilt, for not being business savvy. Well, I was denying my nature and inheritance.

My first creative endeavor was designing a bikini line. That invited me to producing, directing and styling photo shoots, for my own brand, at first. I fell in love with the entire process. Stepping into the creative world and getting to work with people I’ve been looking up to, who now recognized my work and cheered me on, solidified my dedication to staying on this path.

As I grew creatively and became more confident, I decided to go for what I’ve always dreamt of doing - DJing. I spent most of my teenage years practicing dance and have always been an audiophile, so, frankly, the musical environment felt even more natural than visual arts.

In my DJ sets I try to do the same as in visual arts - take my audience for a journey, tell a story, detach them from their surroundings. I often accompany my music with a visual set, as it seems that with the development of modern media, sound and sight are becoming inseparable.

However, creating isn’t only what meets the eye/ear. It’s just as much about the collective involved in the entirety of the process - models, photographers, music and event producers. What’s the most important to me is having a network of professionals, who are not only hella talented, but also wonderful humans who bring light to this world. Anyone involved in ZIMANI CREATIVE always leaves their ego at home and brings nothing but good vibes to the set.

ABOUT ME

My aesthetic, aka ZIMANI CREATIVE, is raw, has an analogue feel, very often looking like a still frame from a movie. It honors what’s natural - emotion, nudity, sexuality but also… human fantasy.

Art to me is about telling stories, stories that evoke emotions and provoke thought. Sometimes humorous ones. But it also has a function in bending social norms and giving voice to conversations that need to be had, on a collective level.