Meet Chris Zaccaria | Artist

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

Hi Chris, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?

For me starting my own business was an extension of my art and self-expression – but in a way that I could more easily share it with the world. I love producing fine art, but my frustration with that world is that it’s a walled garden. Beautiful, playful objects sell for very high prices that are out of reach to most people – myself included. They are also then confined to private homes, collections, etc. where the majority of people do not have access to them. I wanted to be able to share my fun, zany creatures and work with the world but in a way that they could interact with it – wear it, have it on a shelf, but at an affordable price point.
Selling fine art is also a feast-or-famine business. While more work is being produced, or if collectors are all in the Mediterranean for the summer, nothing is selling and there is no income. Having a business selling more accessible items also allowed me to broaden my audience base and have money coming in more regularly.

Do you have a budget? How do you think about your personal finances and how do you make lifestyle and spending decisions?

I do have a budget – and it’s a tight one. I have all of my expenses planned out for the next several months at any time with a daily allotment for fun – if I overspend on that allotment on one day I basically borrow from myself on future days. I try to see it as a game or a logic problem – and it has taught me a lot about what I really need to be happy.

Changing my lifestyle and expectations has been one of the most challenging aspects of starting my own business. My background was in the corporate world where I had at least the perception of income stability. Lifestyle and spending decisions have to be made with the business in mind – and everything now comes with a much higher opportunity cost. That being said, I have come to focus much more on connections to others and less on stuff or going places. This has been a huge silver lining in this period of tight finances – and has really reminded me that while in the past I may have been somewhere comparatively fancy or doing something more high-end, the thing that made it enjoyable was almost always the people that I chose to do it with. It has also taught me about the people I was keeping around – and some of us have drifted apart as those people were more interested in scene-y things. It’s all about alignment for me these days.

Risk taking: how do you think about risk, what role has taking risks played in your life/career?

I have a curious relationship with risk. I am willing to take risks, but only when I am completely comfortable with the idea of taking it. So risk-taking is always a journey. My marker has always been that when the pain of the status-quo becomes greater than the anxiety / fear of the risk then I know that I am ready. In my life risk-taking has always been a theme – coming out is the best example of this – but it got to a point where I had no choice. Same with the art, I had to be who I am – I could not be someone else any longer. In my career risks have always played a role – in my corporate life I relocated twice for work, I often spoke out with assertion against leadership where I was working for not having enough resources for LGBT people, sticking my head out the window to see what happens.

I believe that it is also important to remember that “risks” can be very small – socially I feel as though we only talk about the big risks that people take – but I firmly believe that a risk-averse person can start with small risks. Each time I take a small risk and “survive” it teaches me that I can take risks and reinforces my belief in myself and my own abilities.

Where are you from and how did your background and upbringing impact who you are today?

I grew up outside Philadelphia (Media, PA) and have been in NYC for the last 13 years – most recently Brooklyn. When I think about starting my own business my background made that harder than easier. My parents were Boomers and instilled in me that being an artist meant struggling. My father still asks me when I am “going to get a real job”. I have had to do a lot of work in therapy, shadow work, etc. – which continues to this day, to work on overcoming those limiting beliefs.
On the flip side, my mother was a very creative person. She always encouraged creativity, freedom of expression and most importantly love. She gave me a beautiful gift – the gift of art. Her death gave me the courage to share my art with the world because – if I could live through that then what was so scary about sharing the most vulnerable parts of myself with the world? In addition, my parents insistence that I “get a real job” gave me 20 years of experience in business, without which this current endeavor would have been much more challenging.

What is the most important factor behind your success / the success of your brand?

I think it’s two things – one is the design. You can do great marketing but you have to have a product that people want to buy. The other is alignment with the brand – I believe in my work and my products. When someone is selling something just to make money it comes across energetically in the offering and people can sense it.

What value or principle matters most to you? Why?

In business, for me trust is most important. It takes the longest time to build it and it is usually the first thing to go when things start to sour. No one will do business with someone or something that they do not trust – even if that business is buying a pack of gum. This ties back to the idea of believing in my work and people’s ability to sniff out something that does not “feel right”. Products give people what they want, but we as businesspeople have to give customers what they need – and trust is at the core of those needs.

Work life balance: how has your balance changed over time? How do you think about the balance?

Work life balance was a big thing for me when I was in Corporate America – but mostly because I did not enjoy what I was doing and so I needed to have an escape from it. I find that to be very different with the art and the art objects. I want to work on them, my friends and family enjoy hearing about them and what I am doing – so work and life have become more enmeshed. My work is now a part of my identity – but I am not a robot (for real, I’m not). Because of this I have to schedule time away from my work for myself and those around me. I schedule walks, time at the gym, and nothing work-related at least three nights per week. It’s an up-hill battle to be sure, and again here I find myself in a self-negotiation, where too many events or opportunities can come up at once and then I have to prioritize them. When you are the only one responsible for you that can be really tough.

What’s the end goal? Where do you want to be professionally by the end of your career?

I don’t want to be in a museum, I want to be in your living room. For me I want to reach the masses with my products and my work. I want playful, zany design for everyone. I also would love to raise the vibration of the universe with my work – Schnerds in particular are designed to give you a moment of joy and happiness. Looking back I would like to say that I brought that joy and that happiness to people I don’t even know – perhaps when they really needed it.

Why did you pursue an artistic or creative career?

In a way I did not have a choice here. When I was not producing art or being creative I was miserable – completely misaligned with myself and my soul’s purpose. I was irritable at times, had a lot of “ticks” and was generally restless and lost. The people around me who love me bore the brunt of this – but they saw what was going on and wanted me to be happy. Something clicked for me the day I decided that I am – in fact – an artist. It was long before I had a show, or any attention at all. None of that mattered in that moment – it was about me finally being able to acknowledge and honor who I am at my core. Once that happened I started to flow. My outlook on life changed and so did my relationships and interactions with people. I am much happier now – I know because I don’t have the regular paycheck or the cushy life but I also don’t really miss them. They came with so many strings – handcuffs even – that it’s just not worth sacrificing who I am for a paycheck.

Tell us about a book you’ve read and why you like it / what impact it had on you.

Childhood’s End. First of all, I love the concept of people no longer needing bodies but – when evolution allows – us just joining a collective consciousness. It speaks to me because I am a very spiritual person and I believe that when we die we just change – we are souls with a body and not bodies with a soul. I also resonate with the message of being careful what you wish for – sometimes getting what you “want” is the worst thing that can happen. As an artist, it’s easy to get lost in fantasy and stuck in a place of thought without action. I try to remember that while my mind is a beautiful place, it’s not what reality actually is.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

For me my art is all about showing people the world that exists inside my head. I see the world in an almost cartoon-like way, where people are muppets and our actions can be exaggerated or funny. I am most proud of my style – it is very much a representation of me as a person – very colorful and bold. Not something that most people have seen before and pretty out there.

My biggest professional accomplishment is believing in myself and that I can pursue my art and make a living off of it. That was so hard to get to – and to overcome not having “stability” with a regular paycheck. Overcoming that lack of stability is an ongoing challenge – a journey that I expect to be on for some time. It really boils down to the pain of doing what is not right got greater than the fear of doing what is.

Artist Statement:

My mind has always been a refuge from the scariest parts of reality – facing rejection, loss or invisibility. The art that I create is a window into my mind – and how I use different characters that I created to sort through the lessons life is trying to teach me. The characters allow me to understand how those forces impact my everyday life. The creatures tell a story – my story – in a way that allows me to explain it to others while feeling safe from judgment. My hope is that by sharing my story with others that I can help another person to realize a life lesson with that same sense of safety.

Artist Bio:

Chris Zaccaria (AKA Abusive Robot) is an LGBT artist based in NYC who self-identifies as a zany person. As a child in suburban Philadelphia, Zaccaria developed a keen imagination and a propensity to escape the reality of being an LGBT child by going into his mind. Chris’s imagination – overactive at times – was fostered by his loving mother – who encouraged creativity and expression. Her tragic death is what drove Chris Zaccaria to finally launch Abusive Robotics.

Since then, Chris has worked to portray the realities of his mind in acrylic on canvas from his studio in Brooklyn. Formally trained in data analysis, Zaccaria applies a similar skillset to his art and is known for his ability to take complex concepts or emotions and break them down into a relatable image that tells a story. Just be sure to pay attention to the details – as sometimes something is nothing – but other times it is something… Zaccaria considers his inspirations to be Dr. Seuss, Spirituality, Eastern European religious iconography and the everyday happenings of life.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

When I travel I tend to go to one place for an extended period – that way I can live there and feel what it is like to be a local. If I were trying to capture that feeling in Brooklyn, I would do the following:

First – if you are my best friend you are probably gay and you probably want to go to the gym – so we would work out each morning and gawk at / gossip about the other people around us. Then, we would have to go to L Train vintage with $20 and buy as many things that you would have worn in the 1990’s as possible – then go get coffee in my neighborhood – I like Variety or Rosewolf – and sit there for a while drawing on an ipad or writing in a notebook and just observe the world. I find so much inspiration in the mundane – the woman walking her dog turns into a muppet with a plush toy dog that she is yelling at to poop – but it is not even real, etc. Then I would wander aimlessly through my neighborhood and go to different shops searching for curiosities, a vintage Elvis lamp, anything. I would stop in every cafe along the way and buy something to eat – something dessert-like. Maybe even McDonald’s because I like their milkshakes (strawberry, no whipped cream). For dinner I would say we get pizza – something delicious like Roberta’s (controversial maybe but I love it), or Chinese food (in my neighborhood probably Kings Imperial). Then I would say walk over to the river and see the skyline for sunset or – if it’s too late, the lights of the city. Both are equally compelling.

I go to bed early and so do most of my friends, so that would probably be a thing. I’m a 40-something year old man who does not drink so don’t look at me for nightlife recommendations. Although there is a cute bar called Exley. Maybe stop there one night?

We would also take the L into the city and go to the galleries in Chelsea, Downtown and then go to the building by Little Island where you can walk in and go upstairs to see a beautiful view – I love it but don’t know what it is called. It’s also not on google that I could find. Finally, I would go to the Met to see the Egypt room, Central Park because I love it and then get some Thai or something in Hell’s Kitchen and remember why I live in Brooklyn.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

I would like to thank my late mother. She was always there for me and encouraged me to think outside the box, be creative and above all be loving. I will forever carry her with me in my heart.

I would also like to thank the late Jill Clark of Magnet Art Group. Without Jill’s support and belief in me I would have really struggled to realize that I can make a living with my art. Jill was a bright spot in the lives of many people and is dearly missed – she was an energetic mix of unicorns and rainbows, sprinkled with glitter and outshining the sun.

Website: www.chriszaccaria.com

Instagram: CZaccaria22

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chriszaccaria

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61553677897475

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@abusiverobot101

Other: CZaccaria22 on Threads

Image Credits
Ada Trillo Christopher Zaccaria