Today we’d like to introduce you to Z Reyes
Hi Z, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My experiences as an entrepreneur and artist started early in life. As a creative little kid, my teachers and family entrusted me with all kinds of art supplies, most of them sacrificed to fill sketchbooks with doodle and ZenTangle inspired drawings. Any unused supplies quickly sold off to my classmates for ice cream money. In a weird way I feel like nothing has changed: all of my sketchbooks (even my walls at this point)
are covered in tangled doodles, and selling art still funds every ice cream treat.
I fell deeply into my creativity at a young age as an escape from life due to exclusion and bullying because of my appearance, and struggled with acceptance, relevance, and freedom of expression after feeling ostracized from my
peers. Even my family members would criticize my taste in music, my eccentric outfits, and wearing “too much makeup” while growing up. It’s tough to share your aesthetics with an audience that cannot relate to your creative vision. I found very few kindred spirits in my high school magnet art program, yet found a
passion for different mediums that felt “overlooked and underrated” much like my myself at the time: sidewalk chalk and henna eventually became two of my most favored ways to create 2D art.
My first contact with henna, a medium that allows you to naturally stain your skin with intricate patterns, happened at a fundraiser for my art program during the spring of my sophomore year. Walking away with my first ever tattoo sleeve created entirely from henna, I never imagined this would launch an entire art business, career path, and means to reconnect with my community. I am so grateful for the beauty and meaning this art has brought to my life.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The ability to become a self-motivated freelance artist rewards me daily with the knowledge and tools necessary to stay organized, efficient, and professional. Many of my business-related questions were easy to find answers for, but the artist in me craved collaborators that shared an understanding of henna and its nature, so learning to properly market myself when starting out and finding an audience that would appreciate my work could feel much less intimidating.
Most people did not know about henna in my town, and I felt that my neighbors would be able to easily connect with henna after better understanding the paste application process, how to properly care for body art, and the symbolism behind designs. My lack of local peers offered little to no advice when starting my henna business, and I learned many of my best lessons through experience and continuous improvement. The historical, traditional, and scientific nuances of henna and its artistry extend far beyond myself, and I intend to respect every aspect of its symbolism by sharing correct and relevant information with those that receive henna, or those who show an interest in being a henna artist. Hopefully, sharing this knowledge can create a space of transparency and inspire growth for henna to be more broadly celebrated in Central Florida.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Most of my patrons call me the “Henna Lady” thanks to my building reputation as a henna artist in Ocala, but Grand
Design Artistry LLC’s portfolio remains much more diverse than just one medium; besides the henna and glitter tattoos I bring to markets as a traveling vendor, I have dabbled in multiple projects this year from
sidewalk chalk murals and ceramics to stage choreography and photography modeling, where I made my first publication on the cover of Matro Magazine (Volume 1)! I have also created and published the first of many coloring books inspired by my drawings, and plan to expound upon this with a respective digital gallery to showcase these coloring book masterpieces submitted by fans as an initiative to empower the artist in others. The nature of my work aims to reflect and answer the artistic needs of my community, though the heavily detailed styles of henna and ZenTangle continue to be a source of inspiration for my drawings and paintings.
As a means to ensure the highest possible quality of henna, I mix my own paste in small batches using only 4 ingredients: Henna Powder, Essential Oil, Lemon Juice, and Sugar. Homemade henna paste became extremely necessary due to inauthentic henna products known to cause allergic reactions and permanent skin conditions saturating the market. This paste gets referred to as “fake henna” or “black henna” and usually includes ingredients such as paraphenylenediamine (also known as “PPD”). Safety is my highest priority, and I intend to spread awareness regarding this issue and create a local availability for quality resources to minimize all health risks and complications associated with PPD and fake henna. Our henna art designs are freehanded without use of stencils or guidelines, the patterns are beautifully intricate and embrace an organic, hand drawn quality that each artist uniquely develops. Once the wet paste has been allowed to dry and stain the skin, henna can last 10-14 days on average with proper aftercare, though this result can vary anywhere from one week to one month! All of my clients receive the same aftercare information to get the richest, longest-lasting results every time we meet.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
THE MOST: The art scene here is so precious and keeps growing larger every year! There is something for everyone from fine arts to stage shows of all kinds.
THE LEAST: So much road work! There is always at least one major street under construction. I really hope to see their projects get finished one day…
Pricing:
- Girls’ Night 2024! Casual Henna Party Booking for 5 starting @ $150 (+$30 additional person)
- Event Henna Booth by the Hour: $80/hr
- Specialty Mehndi Services: $80/hr (Bridal, Maternity, Photoshoot)
- Traveling Fees may be applicable depending on distance
- Host of Henna Appointments receives FREE Henna as a Thank You for Booking!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://beacons.ai/granddesignartistry
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/granddesignartistry/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GrandDesignArtistry
- Twitter: https://www.tiktok.com/@granddesignartistry
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/grand-design-artistry-ocala?osq=grand+design+artistry
- Other: https://a.co/d/3YPWqUs
Image Credits
Lizzie Steger (sunflower photos)
