“Everything at Once” by Zechariah Haynes, 2025, wet cyanotype, fabric, colored pencil, graphite and conte, 20×20.
ABOUT THE PIECE
“Many people have had moments where they are overwhelmed, needing to find space to calm down and find peace. By having ADHD, I struggle with overthinking everything that happens in a day, week or month. Because I am constantly thinking about multiple things simultaneously, I struggle to hold a regular conversation. My solace is found when I am listening to music and [spending] time with my cats on the couch. This is my happy place. I can find things in life that make me happy, process my day and find ways to help myself become better. My happy place has allowed me to overcome the struggles of my overwhelming thoughts.”
ARTIST BIO
From a young age, I have always enjoyed the arts. After attempting multiple different sports and activities, I always found myself gravitating back to creating art. Curiosity has allowed me to be open to trying out new art media, processes and techniques, allowing myself to always be entertained and creative. As a young child, I could not stay still without drawing, doodling or keeping my hands occupied. As I started working more on my drawing skills in school, home and even church, people and classmates began to recognize my talent. Through my continued education in the arts, I was able to build new friendships.
Through my math class, I was introduced to 3D forms and became obsessed with learning this new technique in art. Over time, I found that I would be introduced to a new art style or skill, and I would do my absolute best to try to mimic it before moving on to the next new thing. Each new art style and process captivated my attention, which proved to be fruitful as I was gaining friends through friendly rivalry. Even though there were some struggles, I always knew that I still loved art.
Art always seemed like a hobby. It was not until I took AP drawing in my junior year that I really opened the doors to multiple possibilities. Everything was new, interesting and made me experiment in ways I never thought possible. With all of the new things to learn about, there was almost too much going on in my head, which eventually led to strange experiments with using molded coffee to create staining effects on my artwork. At the end of my junior year of high school, I attended the Arkansas Young Artist Association and placed second in the expressive portrait category, and also received a five on my AP drawing exam.
In my senior year, I found that I had a mind shift. Before, art was about pleasing not just myself, but also everyone around me. Now, I believe that I should not think too much about what others want or think of me, I just want to create the art that matters most to myself. There are so many ideas and possibilities in my head, so much that I am still learning and wanting to learn. This led me to my Thea scholarship project, allowing everything that is in my head to be represented in some way and using the materials that have given me inspiration over the last few years.
My plan after I get done with high school is to go to Fayetteville University of Arkansas for a BFA in fine arts with a minor in business. This will help me to go to my next goal: to be an active artist, making art for a living. I am hoping that by attending an art program that it will give me more inspiration and to further expand my knowledge in the arts. I am excited to meet new people and to learn not only from my future professors, but also from my peers. I want to be able to gain connections, spreading my network to expand past Arkansas to further my art career.
My long term goal is to be able to show my art in galleries and museums not only in the U.S., but in other countries. I would also love to take some time to follow in the footsteps of famous artists and travel across Italy and Rome. My entire art journey has been about learning and finding inspiration, and even though that has not changed over the years, I continue to strive for more opportunities to further my education, and hope to see success in these dreams in the years to come.
Haynes, a senior at the North Little Rock Center of Excellence, took home first prize in the Thea Foundation 2025/2026 scholarship competition. See more student work and celebrate the nonprofit’s 25th anniversary in Thea’s student art show opening April 30.