a conversation with kazmik

When I revisited The 413 Joint, one of the first pages I checked on was Kazmik’s. I was excited to see an active page still around, and surprised to see that she had posted our old interview that same day. It felt like the universe giving me a small sign that things were locking into place.

Picking up the thread, we shared a beer at White Lion. Big Marcus Camby fan over here. Our conversation followed self-discovery and exploration, similar to our last discussion, but in a new way. Despite a strict upbringing, Kazmik finds herself opening up more, traveling with friends, and visiting new places. Originally from Amherst, but finding herself in Springfield, MA, the self-taught painter continues to be a student of life.

Traveling by bus, train, or wherever the road takes her, she shared memories from a chaotic but unforgettable Coachella trip with her best friend. The conversation sprawled between music, fashion, and self-expression. We talked about her favorite sets, Megan Thee Stallion and GloRilla, and the chaos of things not always working out as planned, like festival outfits, but still finding joy in learning through life’s challenges.

Hearing Kazmik speak and seeing her work, she easily strikes a balance between chaos and calm. Her work lives in a world of peculiar and pretty. It is bright, shimmering, strange, and fluorescent. The different faces become characters in a disco-esque horror show.

It was nice to catch up on the growth from the last five years, and to recognize similarities in where we both find ourselves now. From Tumblr girl representation to the feeling of relearning, there was a familiar thread running through the conversation.

In the following interview, Kazmik talks about returning to the practice of drawing, almost like learning how to ride a bike again. I share a similar feeling with returning to this project. I’m still finding my groove, and each conversation has become a way to relearn.

Lightly edited for clarity.

THE 413 JOINT: It’s been about five years since we last talked. A lot of our previous conversation was about self-exploration and self-discovery. Do you think the work is still grounded in that?

KAZMIK: It definitely is. It has been, you know, five years. I've been transitioning so much. It's been sort of like art itself. There's ups and downs in it. And I've been discovering things, then taking little breaks and then discovering more of myself.

THE 413 JOINT: In both art and life, what are some of your favorite or most surprising discoveries you’ve made?

KAZMIK: It's the fact that sometimes, I think art really is my escape from what's going on.

Even though I don't share a lot of my work anymore, it really has been my safe space. If I'm stressed out about a relationship, I paint or I draw. I'm leaning more into that as being like a safety blanket.

THE 413 JOINT: Have you been exploring any different kinds of mediums, or do you find yourself drawn to anything in particular?

KAZMIK: Recently I've been doing a lot more just sketching, pen and paper type of thing or pencil and paper. Pencil specifically, just because I get to blend more.

And shockingly enough, I’ve kind of forgotten how to draw a basic face over like a year or so, just because I was leaning more towards stage work and working with my friends and stuff. So I didn't get to do a lot of drawing and painting.

So I kind of had to, you know, like learning how to ride a bike again, get back into that and keep working at it. But pencil and paper right now, it's great.

THE 413 JOINT: Your art tends to balance beauty and horror. It crosses those lines while still being pretty. Do you find that balance difficult, or is it more natural?

KAZMIK: I think it's definitely just really natural. Just because life is sort of in that duality of beautiful or really shitty a lot of the time.

It's just one of those easy things that I can work through, not even work through. Just do.

THE 413 JOINT: A lot of the paintings stand out like they’re their own people, but they tend to live in the same world. They have bright colors — kind of disco, kind of euphoric. Do you find yourself drawn to certain colors or references?

KAZMIK: Different colors, yes. I think just because I do draw so gross, I do draw some weird shit. So I think I lean towards pink and orange and bright colors just so I can have that sort of balance.

Plus I love pink and I feel like too many times people think, “oh, weird and grotesque should be dark and gloomy.” But I feel like it should be the opposite. Like it's already fucking shitty. It might as well make it a little pretty.

THE 413 JOINT: I wanted to talk a little bit about fashion too. That’s a different way to express yourself, and I really like your aesthetic and your photos. Do you have any influences there?

KAZMIK: I think I would consider my aesthetic when it comes to, like, do you remember the Tumblr art girl thing?

I was never really able to express myself in high school when it was all going on. So now I'm kind of getting in touch with that side of me.

Especially because I had a Tumblr, but I never really had a fashion sense or an aesthetic back then because I couldn't. I didn't put myself out there enough to have one.

So now I'm kind of finding out what my taste is through my aesthetic and my looks and how I want to present myself.

I'm even learning how to sew now. It's really fun.

THE 413 JOINT: Are you working on anything now that you want to talk about? I know you’re not really sharing a lot of it.

KAZMIK: My boyfriend's kind of been a big supporter of mine since he found my art, so I've kind of been doing some bigger stuff for his place.

He's kind of considering it not even his paintings right now. He's like, “I'm keeping it in the meantime until you decide you want to show it off or you want to sell it.” But I'm like, no, those are for you.

But working on things for him and just sketching, getting back into learning how to draw a human face after not doing much of that for a while.

It's a little frustrating to me, but at the same time, you got to start somewhere.

THE 413 JOINT: In the previous interview, we talked about bigger, more extravagant pieces. Is that part of the work that you’re doing now?

KAZMIK: Yeah, yeah. He's forcing me to actually, which I do like, but I have to get out of my comfort zone because I do like working small. Even in my sketchbook, I still work small.

But I have noticed even myself, I want to have more details in my art and I really can't on a small sheet of paper.

So he's being practical and I'm being stubborn, but I'm moving in the right way.

THE 413 JOINT: Is it mostly canvas work?

KAZMIK: Yeah. It's mostly been canvas work. Just because he bought me an easel for Christmas. So I've been trying to make good use of it. It's great.

So lots of canvas work. I still do paper paintings and stuff, but leaning out of my comfort zone.

THE 413 JOINT: Is there anything else you hope to explore in the future, or any mediums you want to push further?

KAZMIK: I think just because I am doing more sewing, I want to eventually incorporate that in some way somehow into my art.

I've seen a lot of modern artists work with fabric and painting, and that's something I want to try.

Just I don't know how it would fit in. But I have some idea, you know?

from the archive

Thank you to Kazmik for taking the time to chat with us and for letting us share her work.

I’m always really proud to share work like this, especially when it’s coming out of the 413. Make sure to keep up with Kazmik’s work and future projects on Instagram.

And really, these interviews are just excuses to post dope shit and drink beer with cool people.

So, thanks for reading.