Today we’d like to introduce you to Zwist
Hi Zwist, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I touched my first Adobe program when I was 12 years old, creating animations, designs and blender tutorials centered around the video game Minecraft. This lead me down my creative route and creating current social media profiles to share my work. In highschool, I continued sharing my more digital art based work and finding a community around esports. I began leading design teams and found many peers I could connect with. These experiences paved the way for a role as a concept artist for the Call of Duty League, where I designed in-game assets such as weapons, operators, and more for millions of players. Around 2020, the demand for digital art skyrocketed as major auction houses began spotlighting emerging talents. Seizing the moment, I pitched my work to a small Twitter-based studio focused on footwear—and soon found myself collaborating with a team that was later acquired by Nike. This partnership evolved into a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: creating and marketing my own official Nike Air Force 1 shoes. The collection went on to achieve over $10 million in trading volume, with the highest-selling digital Zwist Drip collectible fetching $74,000 when I was just 17.
Beyond footwear, I’ve had the honor of contributing to other projects, including work on EPIC The Musical, which topped the Billboard, Apple Music and Spotify charts and amassed hundreds of millions of views. Seeking new ways to express my creativity, I also explored mural art, and had the opportunity to be flown out and create a mural in Union Square NYC. As a current computer science undergrad at Georgia Tech, I’m also passionate about technical interests. Building on my previous work with Call of Duty, I spent this past summer as a tech producer on Black Ops 6, where I earned an official in game credit. Because I never stopped sharing my art, looking and reaching out for new opportunities, trying different things, I got to where I am today.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
My journey was anything but smooth. I launched countless YouTube channels and social media profiles that never took off, and I even had to sneak my family’s iPad at night to draw until high school (they don’t know this). There were also many broken promises of “amazing opportunities” that never materialized. Coming from a small town in Minnesota, local art opportunities were hard to find, so I built my presence online.
At 18, I moved to Georgia for school, which lead to so many more opportunities, and about a year and a half ago, I began exploring murals. A huge shoutout to John Dirga, Cabbage Town’s incredible community manager who introduced me to some of Atlanta’s muralists. He doesn’t know this, but I used to skate five miles each week just to see the Forward Warrior murals and volunteer to help out which launched my mural career.
In the midst of this new endeavor, I suffered a major injury—breaking four bones, losing the ability to walk for four months, 4 surgeries and a recovery period for a year and a half now. It was a tough setback, but I was grateful for the unexpected pause from school. I’ve also faced heartbreak along the way—just a few months ago, nearly all of my physical collaborations and artwork were stolen. It was a tough blow, but I’m still creating and pushing forward, no matter what.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
(Similar to earlier question about how I got to where I am today.) I am an artist that specializes in digital art, painting, murals and I also like making games.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Growing up, I was on the quieter side—shy and often uncomfortable in social settings. I didn’t have a large circle of friends, so I channeled my energy into the things I found comfort in such as exploring different softwares and creative programs late into the night time. My parents owned a local family Chinese restaurant and growing up most of my free time during the day was spent helping out there.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://zwistillustration.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarjiang/
- Twitter: https://x.com/Zwistillus
Image Credits
Mural Wolf Shot, (Profile Picture): Andy Park
instagram: @asp.films
