Meet Cyd Zambrana | Facepainter, Henna artist, Painter & Box Office Coordinator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cyd Zambrana and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cyd, can you share a quote or affirmation with us?
I always think back to an all time favorite movie of mine, “Treasure Planet”, as one of the quotes is “You’re gonna rattle the stars. You are.” And it has pushed me through a lot of dark times of belittling myself and thinking I’ll never bee good enough. That quote is always in my head, cause i know one day someone is going to take a chance of me and really start off my goal of being an artist. It always takes that one person to choose you and see you and what you can create. Although I haven’t started a business to were i can leave my job behind, i still feel for ever grateful for everyone in my life and that quote still drives me to be my best self and to create whatever i can, cause one day I’ll be that artist among the stars.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I love to explore the body paint medium ever since I worked at Six Flags. I love to come up with characters in a different style, such as the seven deadly sins but in a pop art palette with the dots and the bold black lines to separate everything. some of my favorite creations are creating characters to evolve myself into but i also love to 3D model creatures and mix and match the anatomy of a bear and boar or a cheetah and a scorpion. I don’t see enough creature creators, and I love challenging myself to create a creature that is complex and a combination of so many different elements.

One of the greatest lessons i have leaned along the way that i have been taught when i met an artist in Florida was ” If you love something, create it, over and over again.” And with that I know i would never stop creating my creatures and I want the world to know my creations and know that that’s my brand, these strange yet beautiful creatures that are complex but have a personality and some many different aspects.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I live in Jersey and I’m not a city kind of girl so even though New York city is a 2 hour drive, I avoid it. I would without a doubt take them to my favorite pizzeria Dusals, the workers are fantastic there and you can’t get better pizza. Without a doubt have to go by the shore, see point pleasant and see Jenks aquarium. Take them mini golfing there as well as its a pirate theme and its my favorite. As long as they are visiting on nice warm sunny days, I’d take them to Holland Ridge Farm to see beautiful flowers and to Lorita winery. During the week we would take a trip down south to Long Beach Island, and maybe go to Atlantic city for a show or to have a little gambling fun to hopefully make some money.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are so many people in my life that i created a rife in my creative timeline. My family and friends are a huge support system that I’ll forever be grateful for. But if I had to shout out one particular person it would be Marisa Alvarado. She was my junior and senior year art teacher, who i cannot give enough props to. Her artwork still inspires me to this day and I will forever say she is not only my high school art teacher, she is my mentor, my friend and inspiration to continue perusing the art dream. Go follow @onceuponachalker on instagram. She made me fall for oil paints, and really made me love the medium of paining and expressing myself in that artform. If it wasn’t for her I would’ve never continued the passion and would’ve never followed the job path I have had.

Instagram: Cydma_creations