At just seventeen, Sage Zoinka has created an entire universe through his artwork. Under the Instagram handle zorgasm, Sage portrays the trials and tribulations of growing up through the creation of his characters, each of which have their own interconnected backstories and individual personalities, easily recognisable in his unique and iconic art style. Alongside his artwork, Sage also releases clothing and accessories centered around the zorgasm universe to ‘help bring the characters apparel to life and put it into your hands’. Inspired purely by real life and anything and everything around him, Sage’s designs are intricate, immersive and interactive, but most importantly, they are more than just characters on a page.
Q: How did you get into art and how has it led you to where you are now?
SAGE ZOINKA: My introduction into the art realm has been constant throughout my life, with exposure to stylized film, early 2000’s cartoons, and traditional artworks viewed at my local art museums. The exposure to various media in adolescence, all of which caught my interest and inspired me to create, has subconsciously inspired everything I design today. Through numerous trials and tribulations in finding which creative outlet I wanted to pursue, I eventually just let go of any internal pressures and started sharing my digital artwork to the world with no idea of the resulting feedback. Little did I know this would lead to me generating my own clothing business, and the pursuit of fashion design.
Q: What inspires your designs?
SAGE ZOINKA: My style is inspired by anything and everything I’ve ever been exposed to because my style reflects my inner thoughts and feelings, comparable to a digital diary. More specifically, my style boils down to the inspiration of dozens of other artists, all of which I picked my favorite qualities, combined them into one, and eventually was able to come up with a style totally unique to me in which I also enjoyed. In a few words I would say my style is brain mush and stylized dread.
Q: What does it mean to you to see your art out in the world?
SAGE ZOINKA: It means everything that my art is being consumed by others because I dream of being as influential as the creatives I look up to. I also hope my art resonates with those experiencing similar internal battles because I want my art to possess meaning and value while also being something that’s simply pleasing to the eye. Putting your art into the world is scary but the positive feedback is the main motivator and the reason I continue to create.
Q: How and why did you go about making clothing pieces from your designs?
SAGE ZOINKA: I always knew that I wanted to create clothing because before even starting this venture there were various clothing ideas and business projects that had all failed. When I first started my account I didn’t plan on turning my designs into clothing but I soon realized that people were actually interested in my designs for the first time and that maybe starting a clothing line would prove successful. At first I made all my clothing by hand but eventually my capacity was full and I found manufactures which allowed me to focus solely on the design process. As I continue into the future I actually plan on studying fashion design and pursuing a full fashion design company, currently entitled Zoinka.
Q: What’s your favorite part of the creative process?
SAGE ZOINKA: My favorite part is the extensive research that goes into each piece in order to fully project the message and ideas I want to get across to the viewer. I also enjoy finalizing a piece and getting messy to prove to myself that imperfections are beautiful!
Q: What’s next for the future of zorgasm?
SAGE ZOINKA: As of now I will just continue to create as much as a can while also tweaking and developing my style along the way. I’m not sure where this will end up but I’m eternally grateful for the support thus far. When it comes to clothing, I want to further Zoinka in creating unique cut and sewn designs pursued through a fashion based university.
Keep up with the Sage Zoinka and the zorgasm universe by following him on Instagram.
