Today we’d like to introduce you to Zack Loup
Hi Zack, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I can never remember a time I wasn’t creating something, because I come from a creative family! My dad is a musician, my grandfather was a painter, a cousin who is a freelance writer, and many more. My family fostered my artistic endeavors since I was very young. I always had a massive interest in nature, so basically as soon as I could hold a crayon I was doodling animals on every piece of paper I could get my paws on. Then, once I had enough patience to learn, I began playing piano, and later guitar, to expand my art into the sonic realm as well. I’m a compulsive creator. I draw, paint, sing, make noise, write, I’ve made pottery. It’s what makes me feel like I have some bit of control in our big, wild world, like I’m leaving my mark on it. It’s all self taught by trial and error, so I’m not a virtuoso by any means. I like my creations to have a raw realness to them.
As for how I ended up in Savannah, I can thank my wife, Carmen. I grew up in Orlando, FL, but never quite found my place there. I met Carmen a decade ago while they were in Florida visiting family, and then I followed them back up here. Savannah felt like coming home to a place I’d never been before. I fell in love instantly. The rest is history!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
When I first moved to Savannah, I’d just gone through a bad breakup, so I wanted a fresh start. I was very melodramatic about it. I gave most of my old stuff to charity and put everything I really wanted to bring with me into three suitcases and a backpack, bought myself a greyhound ticket, and moved into the first available apartment the night I arrived in town. I was just discovering how to be me away from my family and away from my old life. It was hard at first because I’d never really had to be a proper adult before, having lived with my parents until then, heh.
It took me a few years to really get my feet under me as a creator in Savannah. I worked nights, so I couldn’t go to many events. Sometimes, if I was able to, I’d vend at an event in the morning and then head right over to work. Nothing really began to stick until Carmen and I decided to open Cosmic Corner. It started as a little shelf in the corner of Escape Savannah (RIP to a real one), then became a corner room in the same building. I continued my routine of working mornings at Cosmic Corner, then heading to my other job at night. Sometimes I’d do this seven days a week, and it was exhausting. But it was worth it, because we were growing something!
Finally, in January 2020 (yes, THAT Janauary 2020) we moved into our own building, so we could finally have the community space we’d dreamed of. Of course, the pandemic made it difficult to weather our first year, but we made it via the support of online orders, and I supplemented my income by taking art commissions; drawing people’s pets or book characters. Once things evened out, I had more time and space than ever to share my creations, as well as uplift other creators. My absolute favorite events we run are the community based ones like our Spring Festival, Samhain Festival, and our monthly First Friday Open Mic Nights. We have such a fantastic creative community here in Savannah and I always feel infinitely blessed when I get to be among them in full force.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
While the phase “jack of all trades” is a bit cliched, it applies. Every time I think “I should really narrow down my scope”, it feels like creative death. It would choke me. I have so many different ideas and projects that people are frequently surprised to hear about them because how could one person be doing so many different things? (The answer is coffee and determination).
I’m known for drawing funny animal stickers, a canine-themed tarot deck called The Divine Canine Tarot, an anthropomorphic small town horror comic called Psychopomp, singing y’allternative/ folk punk solo, and performing as part of a nerdy goth band called The Gekkos. All of this is, of course, in addition to running the back end of Cosmic Corner.
The central theme of my work, overall, tends to be nature and our relationship to it, but this is explored in many ways. I’ve always expressed myself via animals because I liked that I didn’t have to immediately plaster a gender or social norm onto them, they can just express raw emotion. That’s why my creative work is shared under the name Stray Songdog. “Songdog” is another name for coyote, an animal I relate to because they’re scrappy survivors who refuse to die off despite people’s best attempts to get rid of them.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
I’m always interested in being a part of community events, as an artist, musician, or even a volunteer, as long as the mission aligns well with my heart.
You can support my art and music monetarily at https://www.straysongdog.com/ or reach out to me at [email protected] with any inquiries, or just to say “hi, I like what you do”. Artists love to hear that.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.straysongdog.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/straysongdog/
- Other: https://straysongdog.bandcamp.com
