Tinashe (age 5)

Hey, I’m Tinashe! I was born in Mutare, Zimbabwe in 2001. From a young age, my curiosity took hold of me and drove my passion for art and anything requiring the use of my hands. My first word was “bird” which directly reflected my environment. I grew up barefooted and free in a country rich in culture. At the age of 6, my single mother and I moved to Boston, Massachusetts to complete her Master’s degree. As a 6-year-old from Southern Africa, this new scene was world-changing. To keep me in touch with nature, my mother would take me for picnics by the Charles river while we people-watched. From a young age, I was fascinated by the vibrance of life and often found myself lost in illustrations. 

 

My mother graduated when I was 8 and we made the arduous 32 hour migration back home to Zimbabwe. The next 4 years were spent reconnecting with the country I had missed so dearly. At 12, my family (now 3 people larger), decided it was time to pursue a better education for my brother who was quickly approaching college age. Once again, we packed up and made the long journey to the “land of plenty.” Little did I know, I wouldn’t see my home again for another 9 years. 

 

As a mixed-race teenager living in the predominantly white middle class suburbs of Nebraska, my sense of identity was split down the middle. Part of me craved the freedom to kick off my sneakers, climb trees and create like I had grown up with in Africa. The other half was a chubby, black kid with an afro that wanted to fit in more than anything. As I slowly began to find my place in middle school amongst the outcasts and class clowns, my anxiety began to increase as well. It was also becoming tough to concentrate in class. Not only was I painfully bored but my creativity felt stifled. To cope with both, I started doodling on everything that touched my desk. I sank into my illustrations which took a toll on my grades but got me through the torturous period we call Junior High. 

 

High School was the first time I truly acknowledged my love of creation. The few art classes I took brought peace to my day and gave me the perspective I needed to start understanding myself. I wanted nothing more than to be a creative. Through painting, sculpting, and sketching I felt as free as I had been as a child. I graduated in 2019 with no intention of ever seeing a classroom again. 

 

On my 19th birthday, I left Nebraska in search of adventure. I began a sales job that allowed for me to work summers and explore during the rest of the year. Over the next 3 years, I lived in Kansas, Missouri, Oregon, Ohio, Utah, Texas and Chicago. By the time my last summer was wrapping up in Chicago, I had conversed with close to a thousand Americans across the US. Through these interactions, I acquired tools to battle adversity and gained life long friends. But I was still uneasy. I realized that I had experienced so much life, but had nowhere to process it. I decided I needed a creative outlet.

 

In 2022, I moved back to Zimbabwe where I have since been exploring Zimbabwean art and learning from artists and drawing artistic inspiration from the incredibly beautiful people and places around me. 

 

My artistic journey so far has been a self discovery process. What started as a creative outlet has now evolved into a floodgate of paintings I’m privileged to share with the world. As I travel and learn more about all the cultures, differences and beautiful kaleidoscope that we call our world, I express all my thoughts and reflections through the art I create. My vision is for my creations to be a place where you and I meet and can understand each other through color, image and the poetry of art.