Hey I'm Sarah, also known by artist alias zwist. I'm a 20 year old asian american artist and computer science Student studying at the georgia institute of technology
I am a curious individual and like trying and building super cool things.
I also box and completed a marathon.
More about me and my story
Art and writing
I started my art journey in middle school when I touched my first adobe program at 12 years old.
Inspired by the video game minecraft, I learned blender at 13 years old from youtube videos and began posting content across youtube and twitter.
After building a small portfolio, I joined boxscape studios, the company that owns and continues development of the blender rymdnisse rig, widely used in multiple viral minecraft music videos.
I soon grew out of my 3d phase and began as a freelance artist at 14 years old where I created social media assets for content creators like ninja, justvurb, banjancanadian and more. That was my very first job, i was my own boss and felt on top of the world.
I then moved on to leading branding and design for esports teams such as obey alliance founded by faze and valkyrie array.
Although design was cool, I was passionate about illustration and exited the gaming industry in 2020. That was the best decision i ever made.
I grew my twitter following to over 10k followers and landed official partnerships with nike (I have my own official sneaker!), coinbase, cameo and more.
Focusing on a more definite art style, I also had the opportunities to exhibit in super big billboards in times square, shibuya crossing tokyo, singapore, and javits center in hudson yards.
on the side, I also worked on projects and assets for call of duty: mwII including gun skins, operators/characters, and more. I also helped create a card game, Last Fish!, that has sold over 700 copies and is available on amazon.
somewhere along this journey i was exposed to on chain art and went down that rabbit-hole. I began writing guides, tutorials and general technical articles about the space as a hobby.
Product and Technical
Like most asian kids i was a tryhard in school.
Besides art i was going down the classic track of either becoming an engineer, doctor, or some other job my parents would approve of.
I now study computer science at the georgia institute of technology. I thought that They have a cool mascot.
However coming to campus was a culture shock. I am originally from a small town in minnesota and wAs one of the only non-white students in my highschool.
I felt lost, my grades weren't as stellar as they were in highschool. My technical resume was emptier than ftx's reserves.
I wasn't exactly a standout student and watched as others had summer internships and offers.
That needed to change, I joined many clubs including venture capital, product, startup exchange (an intercollegiate student organization) and blockchain.
One day it clicked.
I found a passion in product.
Whether it be product management, product design, ui/ux, or research, I knew i wanted to build cool things.
What i brought to the table wasn't exceptional skill in coding or mathematical calculations but new ideas, perspectives, and experiences i gained from working in many different sectors.
My parents owned a family restaurant and growing up i was exposed to customer service, business, and managing a team at a very young age.
I put that experience to test by starting my own art business where i interacted with clients, dealt with project timelines and ambiguous inquiries and direction.
I have also been involved in the web3/blockchain and crypto sector since 2020. I self-taught myself the fundamentals, traded, and gained insight into how decentralization brings a new perspective to financial sectors of the world.
I am now working as lead product manager on a product gt pro bono project with waterfall (a nft trading marketplace).
I am also contributing to REai.co an ai powered real estate listing tool with product development and strategy.
Lastly, although not tech focused, I manage projects and expansion efforts as an intern at forward warrior, a project in atlanta that creates murals and participates in the atlanta vision zero project as an advisor with Atlanta DOT To make atlanta a safer and more beautiful city.