Artist Spotlight: Zen (Shav’ae) Johnson

Liv Bailey: Let’s introduce yourself!

Zen (Shav’ae) Johnson: My name is Shav’ae Johnson (she/her), but I also go by Zen! I’m a Sequential Arts major and Business Management & Entrepreneurship minor in the graduating class 2024. I grew up on Hilton Head Island, SC. I’m a manga artist and illustrator who creates fantasy, adventure, and slice-of-life stories with a dash of romance in a few. I want to continue exploring and experimenting with different ideas in my art though, so I might create something very different than what I just listed soon! I aspire to create works that can make others escape

Bailey: What inspired you to get into this craft? 

Johnson: My biggest inspiration is anime and manga. I’ve been watching anime and reading manga ever since I was small and it greatly influenced my art so much so that my main career goal is to become a mangaka (which is a manga author).

Bailey: When did you know this would be something you wanted to pursue as a lifestyle and a career?

 Johnson: I knew I wanted to continue creating stories when I was back in middle school. I used to draw my friend’s characters for their roleplay group and it was so fun! I eventually joined the group and contributed my own characters to the stories and it’s been history ever since!

Bailey: How do you feel you’ve evolved over the years as an artist, and how do you think you’ll evolve even further?

Johnson: Recently I’ve acknowledged that my art skills have improved a lot over the past few years, especially the past year! I think other than my art abilities, starting college and having many new experiences helped me understand myself more and I think it reflects on my art. I hope to have more new experiences shortly, especially since I’m about to graduate!

Bailey: Do you have anything on the horizon that you are looking forward to in the future?

Johnson: I’m about to graduate, so I’m very excited to have more time to participate in and make zines. Zines is something I’ve recently been getting into and after participating in one zine and one anthology so far, I can see the light!

Bailey: Is there anything you wish you could say to your younger self now in where you are today? 

Johnson: I would tell my younger self that you are an anxious person and to start working on dealing with that now. That’s because anxiety is something that was kind of “foreign” to me before I entered college and that explained a lot of the actions I made. I felt like that held me back a lot in the past.

Bailey: Is there a mentor or anyone here at SCAD that you look up to that you feel has helped you pave the way to where you are now? 

Johnson: I would like to thank all of the professors, administrators, and bosses I’ve had since starting at SCAD. Every class I’ve been in helped me improve in either art or life, someway somehow!

Bailey: Any last closing thoughts or advice that you have? 

Johnson: The advice I have is to just do it!!! Do do do! But don’t do too much that you burn yourself out! Thank you so much!!

Bailey: Thank you so much for your thoughts! Here is where you can keep up with Zen and her work!

zenkitsune.com 

https://www.instagram.com/zen.kitsune?igsh=aWZxaDg1bjZnODZu https://www.linkedin.com/in/zenkitsune/