episode 053: Zoë Pawlak

Artist Zoë Pawlak is an incredible beam of human light. She has a way of connecting with others upon first meeting them—nothing is trite or superficial when in conversation with her. To be in her presence is to go deep into life’s mysteries, and deeply laugh while at it. She is a beloved painter and product designer who has built a successful, sustainable business and meaningful body of work over the last 16 years. Born and raised in Vancouver, she was an intense child who spent her time playing basketball, singing, and drawing. She grew up attending a liberal left-wing leaning church and learned to be of service and a steward of love. This idea of service is something intimately woven into her approach as an artist, in her work, and in life. In this conversation, we explore her personality as a child and the types of questions she asked when she was young; her path to art and what she feels is her job as an artist; the way her mind starts to fire creatively once receiving a commission work or project; the challenge & beauty of creating an art exhibition in another language while she was living in Mexico; how sobriety has affected her life and work; her longtime spiritual nature and relationship with the divine; the essentialness of honest vulnerability in creating and perceiving art; and much more.