“Without [art], I don’t feel like I’d be the same person.”

Asa Vaze: “I got interested in art when I was seven. When I actually started learning it, I was self-taught, and I didn’t actually join a proper class until high school. I’ve done digital art, painting, charcoal, pencil portraits — I like to keep my options open. Pencil portraits take three to four hours, but the bigger pieces I use for portfolios take around 20 to 40 hours. Before I start a piece, I always make sure that I am very passionate about it. I try not to work on more than two pieces at a time, because I get mixed up on what I was doing or what mood I was trying to portray. I have older pieces that I really like because I do detail art. I like pieces that look normal, but also make a statement at the same time. [For example], I drew acne on [the girl in the portrait], and it says ‘retouched,’ but that is crossed out to show you don’t actually need to retouch yourself just to fit into society. Anything can be an idea really, if you just flesh it out enough. I definitely think that I want to continue doing [art] in the future, whether it be my career or not, because it helps me de-stress.”