Material Feels Podcast Interview

I’m excited to share an interview on Material Feels, a podcast that explores the intimate relationship between artists and their materials. Producer Catherine Monahon and I talk about my creative practice, how I discovered that paper was the right material for me, and the world I'm trying to create with my work.

Our conversation was delightful, snappy, silly, and energetic. I was thrilled to be talking to someone who not only deeply understands what’s like to work with one’s hands, but someone who is also similarly sensitive to noise! We even went on a whole long tangent about how to unload a dishwasher while minimizing clanging dish noises. (For your sake, though, Catherine edited out much of that bit.)

You can listen to the episode above, on the Material Feels website, or wherever you normally get your podcasts (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher). Enjoy!

époque évolution Interview

I recently did an interview and shoot with époque évolution, a local clothing brand. In addition to the usual topics (who am I, what’s the deal with my art), you can also read about my favorite life hack for getting annoying tasks done, tips for aspiring artists, a book that fundamentally changed my understanding of racism in the U.S., hot takes on buttered toast and ume plum vinegar, a brief rant about Trump, and a much longer list of TV recs than literally anyone asked for. Read the profile here; some of my favorite shots here.

Bob Cut Feature

Bob Cut recently did a feature on me! They describe themselves as "a culture platform and magazine that speaks to living, loving, and being in the best city on the west coast." As a Bay Area native, I'm totally honored.

In this deep-dive interview, we discuss the recent name change, my creative influences, and how I feel about metal versus paper. Check out the interview here!

What I Listen to While I'm Working

I was recently interviewed by Various Artists about what I listen to while I work. Various Artists is a neat project that features creatives and the types of music that they listen to at work. Check out the article for a discussion of the role music plays in my work, some of my guilty pleasures, and a link to my go-to playlist. Enjoy!

Interview on Tiffany Han's Podcast

I was recently interviewed on Tiffany Han's dynamic and charming podcast, called Raise Your Hand Say Yes. Tiffany and I covered a lot of ground in this deep-dive conversation: What it's like being a woman in a traditionally male-dominated field, the importance of building relationships with mentors, and how to go about finding (or creating!) community when you're running a business on your own. Listen here! 

Here's how Tiffany describes the episode: "I was so excited to talk with designer, metalworker, and entrepreneur Zai Divecha for this week's episode! You'll hear the story of how Zai went from Yale grad (undergrad and grad) to a career in tech to where she is now, specializing in TIG welding and producing gorgeous fine art wall hangings. 

"You'll also hear us talk about the steps Zai took as she was deciding to leave tech and become a full-time artist, and what helped her in her first year of the transition. Finally, you'll get the scoop on what kinds of support networks carry her through and some of the digital ways she keeps her fine art business organized! 

"If you've considered walking away from a looks good on paper career or degree to raise your hand and say yes to something creative, this episode is for you! Oh, and if you're looking for a dose of empowerment, you'll get that too! You guys - welding is so badass!"

Thank you, Tiffany, for a fun and engaging conversation! Check out the episode here, or listen on iTunes. 

Interview with Career Relaunch Podcast

I'm both excited and incredibly nervous to announce that I got to guest star in the most recent episode of Career Relaunch with Joseph Liu! This stellar podcast is all about how people like me have navigated dramatic career changes. 

Joseph is a fabulous host -- so articulate and engaging -- and every episode features an in-depth interview with a guest, as well as concrete action-items for any listeners who are considering making the leap themselves.

Many folks have asked me what it was like to make such a big career change. Here's your chance to find out! In this episode, I talk about how important it is to be in "flow" when working, what it was like to switch from software marketing to starting my own business, and what kind of homework I did to prepare for the transition. 

Check out Career Relaunch online, and give this episode a listen through the embedded player above, or via iTunes, Stitcher, or Android. Thanks for listening!

Interview with The Paper Tiger

A few weeks ago, a writer from my high school's newspaper, The Paper Tiger, reached out to me to see if she could interview me for their literary magazine. She found me on Instagram, and sent over some of the most interesting and thought-provoking questions I've gotten in a while! Here's a repost of the interview in full. Enjoy!

For this week’s LitMag interview, we interviewed Zai Divecha, designer, metalworker and owner of Elektra Steel (and an ‘06 LW alum!). As Elektra Steel’s website states, the company produces unique mosaic wall hangings. Zai specializes in the very precise, flexible type of welding called TIG welding, which allows her to create her bold, detailed work. Check out Zai’s work at www.elektrasteel.com or follow her company on Instagram at @elektrasteel.  

How did you first get involved with metalworking? What advice would you give to people looking to take a similar career path?

I first got into metalworking at age 14, as a high school student right here at Lick-Wilmerding! I knew I liked art when I first got to Lick, but I knew nothing about metalworking, and to be honest, I was a little scared of the shops. Once I learned the basics in the metal shop and started to feel a little more comfortable with the tools, I fell in love. I realized I could create furniture and home goods from scratch. It was deeply empowering.

It took me a while to figure out that I wanted to do metalworking as a career, though — I studied other subjects in college and grad school (psychology, public health) and worked in a few different fields (nonprofit, tech) before diving into the art world full-time. It’s okay to change your mind a few times.

If you think you might want to pursue art for a career, the most important thing you can do right now is to start building up your portfolio. Make as much art as you can, and take photos of both the process and the finished pieces. Research “product photography” online — there’s a lot of great information out there about how to take high-quality photos of your pieces. Once you have a few pieces photographed, create a simple website and an Instagram account to show off your work. Whether you’re applying to art programs or just showing your work to a family member, it’s incredibly helpful to have photos of your work gathered nicely in one (or two) places.

If you know you want to pursue art as a career, you could go to an art school for college, or attend a liberal arts school that has a strong visual arts program. But you don’t have to go to school for art — I didn’t! If you’re not sure you want to commit to going to art school, explore art in your free time instead: You could take summer or evening classes at a place like The Crucible in Oakland, or TechShop in San Francisco.

(Photo by Jaclyn Le)

Is there a specific person you look up to who has inspired your artwork or influenced you in general?

The most important person who shaped me as an artist was Mr. Clifford, who was the metal shop teacher when I was a student at Lick. He introduced me to metalworking, and helped me build my confidence in the shop. He pushed me out of my comfort zone, encouraging me to tackle more complex skills, like TIG welding and anodizing. Over a decade later, I still consider him a mentor. Two years ago, I went to him for advice when I was starting Elektra Steel, my company. He gave me encouraging, specific, and practical advice, and it helped me prepare to take the leap.

Many of your art works are installed or photographed in very specific places — when you create these pieces do you think a lot about your audience and the space you’d want them to be in, or not?

Depends on the piece! Some of my pieces were commissioned by clients — they hired me to make a piece for a specific location, like over their fireplace, or in a conference room. In that case, I definitely take into consideration how the space is decorated and lit, how and where the piece will be hung, and who the audience will be. But sometimes I just make a piece for fun, and then afterward try to find a customer to buy it. In that scenario, I’m less concerned about the audience and the space, and more focused on just making what I want to make.

What do you hope people learn or take away from looking at your art pieces?  

Right now, my main goal is for people to look at my work and just think it looks cool. My priority at the moment is to refine my fabrication techniques, develop a coherent aesthetic, and make stuff that people like. That said, I’d like to eventually make pieces that tell a story and have messages embedded!

There are a handful of causes I care deeply about, like HIV/AIDS in California, and I’ve been toying with the idea of doing a series of pieces that explore some angle of the history, epidemiology, or stigma associated with HIV. Every year for the last five years, I’ve participated in a fundraiser called AIDS/LifeCycle, which is a seven-day, 545-mile bike ride from SF to LA. Each year, I raise over $3,000 for the cause. Perhaps next year, I’ll make a few pieces about HIV and auction them off to raise money for these two organizations…

Obviously the field of fabrication has been traditionally dominated by men — how does this disproportionate representation affect the way you work?

Great question! My feelings about it are complex. Sometimes I love that I’m a woman in a male-dominated field. The fact that I’m a woman who learned to weld at age 14 is a unique and memorable story, and I certainly use that narrative to my advantage in my marketing and branding efforts. But other times, I feel annoyed. Some men in the field don’t take me seriously, or they try to “mansplain” things to me in a condescending way.

At a previous metal shop, where most of the folks were white men, I experienced subtle sexism on a regular basis. Staffers would ask things like, “So, are you here for the jewelry class?” just because I was a woman (I was actually there for the waterjet cutting class). They constantly made assumptions about what type of work I was there to do. Other members of the shop would come over and try to tell me how to use a tool, even when I clearly wasn’t looking for help. I felt like I was constantly on the defensive, trying to prove to everyone that I was a competent metalworker. I think it helped me grow a thicker skin, but it wasn’t always fun, and it certainly distracted me from my work.

But at my next shop, The Crucible, I had a totally different experience. The community there was much more diverse — there were lots of women, folks of color, and queer and trans people. I never once experienced sexism or felt self-conscious about my identity as a woman (or as a queer person of color, for that matter), and I had talented role models all around me who looked like me. I felt so much more confident and comfortable in that space! And since then, I’ve made an effort to find friends and mentors who are other strong women who run their own small businesses. I’ve learned so much from them, and we help each other out constantly. Their advice and support has helped me grow tremendously.

Designer of the Week at Deck Studios

I'm the Featured Designer of the Week over at London's Deck Studios! Check out the interview I did with their founders, Ed & Sin. 

They put together a really beautiful montage of photos for the piece -- a nice mix of product photography and behind-the-scenes process shots. Below is a screen capture, but  head over to the article to read the full interview!

“My color palette can be described as ‘fifty shades of gray’ — I pretty much only use silver, gray, and black.”
— Me (Look at me, quoting myself like a total narcissist)

Shop Tour with Design*Sponge

Check it out -- I'm in one of my all-time favorite design blogs, Design*Sponge! They put together a nice little shop tour that features me, my dog Simi, and my favorite metal shop tools. Come take a peek inside my studio!

Major thanks to Sabrina Smelko from Design*Sponge for this lovely write-up!