A Look Inside The Movement
5-1-2017
Note from Zeterra Chief Creative Officer Ⓩ37:
This isn't your conventional blog because I am not an ordinary person, let alone not a standard artist. I'm an individual, flawed, sometimes even contradicting. I’m sometimes open to learning about as many different art forms as I can, and sometimes don’t want any outside influences, due to fear of compromising my own style.
There's a bit of everything in this project I’m creating. I’ve had one of the most eclectic lists of influences while growing up in the Pacific Northwest, a place that has naturally transformed me into kind of a hybrid between a hermit and an adventurer; this has easily been the biggest contributor to this project. By this I mean I can work both inside and outside and continue to come up with positive, creative, and original additions to this project.
You could call me a hybrid in terms of just about everything, even when it comes down to my heritage. I am from a half black and half white background, and this was a big factor of what made me into the kind of artist I am today. In a song you might have heard called 'Chum' by musician Earl Sweatshirt he raps “too black for the white kids and too white for the blacks..” basically just saying he would consider himself to be different, something I can strongly relate with. I grew up idolizing punk/alternative rock bands like the offspring, nofx, blink 182 etc.. I remember being in second grade hyped on my first CD, the Gorillaz self titled album. Once I got into high school I started to listen to some rap and more diverse music, some good old Andre Nickatina, Mac Dre and even guilty pleasures like that Lil’ Wayne & Birdman Album “Like Father Like Son” *cringe* but you can’t forget about all those mainstream hits we liked growing up, no matter how bad everyone may want to forget about them.
My point: I have a wide spectrum when it comes to my style and what I like. Growing up, people would ask me who my favorite rapper was or favorite basketball player, whatever the stereotypical question was, it didn’t matter if whoever asking it to me was white or black or any race, I wouldn’t have an answer for them. Not in a bad way, I just wasn’t interested in ‘normal’ things. I have always been open with the fact that I am creative, and when that word gets twisted into ‘weird’ or ‘different’, I don’t trip, and you shouldn’t either if you want to do something completely out of the ordinary! If you’re normally a person who stays inside, go out to a museum or festival! There are always new things to learn, which will inspire you to do even more! If you’re the type of person who always needs people around them, try solitude! Being inside of your own head can help you to figure out what you need better than anyone else can. If you don’t usually talk to people in public, have a random conversation with someone; they might just tell you something you were waiting to hear. That’s what this whole project is about, at least the originality side of things.
To explain Zetêrra in a nutshell, it is a positive long term social experiment created to spread a mindset of positivity, creativity, and originality to the melting pot of our society. Team Zetêrra manufactures streetwear to help spread positive messages everywhere you go. We also work with other organizations and people everywhere to make promotional videos and continue to participate with anyone who is actively preventing negativity, issues in society!
I personally began this journey halfway through 2016. Symbolically I was in a dark place full of confusion and the aching feeling that I needed to throw my life in a more positive direction. I started to sew buttons on a few of my own shirts; one red button, one yellow button, and one green button; positioned vertically to look like a stoplight, and kind of just rocked them around the house & in public as a nameless statement to stop and think before you act, not knowing that weeks from then I’d be compelled to make this into an entire organization.
Ⓩ37 is my artist moniker, a title abbreviated from the nickname I was given by friends growing up (BlackZach) I took away the B for black because regardless of my black pride I want to prove I could be any race in the world and succeed with the same thing I'm doing, and because instead of taking the easy way it seems society would have wanted me to take & go the route that most half black/white mixed youth caught in societies whirlpool of bad music taste and mainstream luxury worship tend to take; if I had pursued the things others want/wanted me to pursue rather than keep my own interests in mind and running after the things that made me happy, I would probably be a very different person than the one I am today, not saying there would be anything wrong with that, I'm just saying I had plans to be an innovative artist and really chased after them. This is the story of how I got where I wanted to be, but this is only the beginning and I will be writing this story as I'm living it.
The goal of Ⓩ37 is to bring a broader perspective to all forms of art and/or fields of work by innovating and forming my own style as well as encouraging other’s style to go through a beneficial metamorphosis fueled by different methods of creating. It really is all about the process. So far I've experimented with & will continue to be playing around with projects such as:
Painting & practically every other art form
Clothing design/innovative merchandise
Philanthropy/ supporting charity
Spray painting/graffiti
Stencils
Etc...
Ⓩ37 created Zetêrra for many different reasons, mostly based around showing a more positive way to experience life even if you are surrounded by negativity. The focus of this long term social experiment is to keep discovering ways to benefit society (donating to different charities, showing people a more positive mindset to live by) while at the same time working with different groups and amazing people on both fun & beneficial projects! Zetêrra is about making the best of a shitty situation. Zetêrra is about progression having to do just as much with failure as it does with success. Zetêrra is about becoming a true individual and not forming to the same style as everyone else from fear of being judged for being different. Zetêrra is about expressing yourself. Zetêrra is about inspiring you to create something even if you have been discouraged in the past. Zetêrra is about doing something to make a positive change. Zetêrra is about staying confident. Zetêrra is about showing the world that it doesn't matter who you are or where you're from, you can become a part of this, contribute, support and help make a change. Zetêrra is about inspiring someone who has maybe had a bad day or might feel like they're a failure, and giving someone the realization that even if they grew up in the poorest neighborhood or were told by everyone they'd go nowhere, that they can grow up and change the world in unimaginable ways. Zetêrra is about getting out there and enjoying your life. Zetêrra is about sacrifice and hard work. Zetêrra is about balancing solitude and company. Zetêrra is about building up the people who matter to you while they do the same. Zetêrra is about helping those less fortunate. Zetêrra is about starting small, but growing until you've eventually given back to the whole community, then THE WORLD.
No pressure to wear it. I want every individual to be wearing Zetêrra because they chose to, &because they approve of the idea/see my vision of making the world more positive, original and creative. Everyone should have the freedom of choice. I don't like to call Zetêrra a 'brand' because I don't approve of the status symbol that lives in the financially motivated clothing lines we see today. It should really be about the individual and the good things they can contribute to our world. It should not be about capitalism, it should be about constructing more positivity and originality around the world. That's what Zetêrra is out here to show.
There will always be negative influences on the world, Zetêrra represents the people working to conquer& replace them with positive influences
-IF you choose to wear Zetêrra, you become a walking example of a positive individual. Every decision you make should send change in a beneficial direction. Your actions represent who you are.
-Zetêrra is not a brand, it is a representation of the positivity, originality, and creativity in the world & it is also a window showing what the future could hold if we take positive action
-Zetêrra when spelled backwards (Arrêtez) means to stop in French. The name behind this movement is there to remind the world that fire cannot be put out with fire. The reoccurring hatred in the world must stop; the only way to stop hate is to love.
Zetêrra wants help with ideas! Tell us more that we could do to spread the message that being unique is better than following a crowd. Reach us through email at
zeterra.society@gmail.com
-Zetêrra is not about rejection or judgement. The only way to enlighten & make everyone aware is to accept all who want to bring peace, and change negative opinions/attitudes
Zetêrra is not a part of any specific race, religion, or group. Stay open minded!
Thank you all for reading this & contributing to this project!
-Ⓩ37
Ⓩ37: @z37official
Zetêrra: @zeterra_
Ⓩ37: @z37official
Zetêrra: @Zetêrra_
Ⓩ37: facebook.com/zachary.cross.14
Zetêrra: facebook.com/zeterra.vision
