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I am an artist ... That much may be obvious. But my body of work is born from the obscure. A life well-lived is one in which you play many roles, some of which are impossible to avoid; child, student, corpse. But most are taken on by choice. And those choices we make to play these roles, influenced by both the brain and the soul, are occasionally difficult and frequently wreak havoc on our social and economic universe. For me, the choices have been numerous, and often unusual. During my life's journey, I have been, and in many cases still am, student, teacher, technologist, consultant, programmer, cashier, graphic designer, DJ, musician, Mary Kay rep, activist, party animal, athlete, CEO, entrepreneur, father, son, husband, player (and later, 'playa hater'), frat brother, intellectual, debater, taxpayer, R. Kelly fan, pet owner, pacifist, Democrat, Christian, Agnostic, binge drinker, vegetarian, friend, enemy, ATLien, writer, editor, publisher, angry Black man, criminal, voter, patriot, Crunk, loner, asshole, confidant, outsider, insider, downsized, "right-sized," oversized, break dancer, hiker, decorator, and procrastinator, but most importantly, I have been me. Even when others didn't think I was acting like myself, I was still being me.I was me when I was born in Greensboro, North Carolina on June 17, 1971 and when my parents relocated to Atlanta before I could even walk. I have been me living in Hartford (CT), Amherst (MA), Hattiesburg (MS), Miami (FL), Chicago (IL), and New Orleans (LA). That was me graduating from Mays High in Atlanta and “The U†in Miami. I even recall being myself during a 10+ year stint in the information technology field working for everyone from BankSouth and SunTrust to UPS and IBM. I was my true self when I wore suits to church every Sunday, and still am as I now read the teachings of everyone from Jesus Christ to the kingdom of Shambhala. It is simply me being me when I draw the 'Net comic strip "Epiphany Park," or simply covet my "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "Sealab 2021" DVD collections.My true self has a healthy disdain for commercial radio but still knows all the songs in the Billboard Hot 100; gives $5 to beggars as long as they're Black and actually look homeless; tries to hit the gym 3-5 times a week but in reality only makes it 3-5 times a month; is not productive without my standard 3:00 p.m. pot of fresh coffee. I could go on and on and probably have written too much already. My soul, my spirit, my self are all poured into my art. To know my works is to know me and to know me is to know my works. Visit www.zuristanback.com or www.urbanshout.com to learn more ...Peace ...
