Hey there! My name is Leslie Zielske and I'm a 21 year old whose accomplished some things being an arising artist. Ever since I appeared on the Greeley Tribune's front cover in July 2010, for the premier of my chalk art career, things have been good for me.

 

         I did a lot of local chalk art for friends such as Kat Mayhew {worked at Chilies (so I ended up doing the Create-A-Pepper event)}, Joe Lee Parker (busker media) and even doing the logo for 96.1 KISS FM 3 times at Thunder Mountain Ampitheatre in Loveland, CO thanks to my connection with Sue Sutton from Big Country. I wasn't in the paper just cause, they noticed that I had been in the 9th Annual Denver Chalk Art Festival as a solo artist of only 15 years old. I say only 15 because the next year that age was not considered as qualifying a solo artist for entry unless apart of a school group. That following year of 16, I was on the waiting list for the same festival I was just in..but then they called me with 72 hours prior and it was show time. It felt amazing to be unprecedented, my head has been in the clouds since for being able to accomplish my dreams.

 

        With tears, this was such a blessing, and I conquered the challenge with a 8x8ft square rather than 6x6 before. However, I had done a lot of mini gigs since then so it was easier. Mini gigs such as for that radio station and doing street art locally. In association of Joe Lee Parker and Stephanie Boulton, we created the Street Festival on September 8, 2012 which was pretty successful, but unfortunately that was the only chalk festival since Greeley tried to break the world record for the longest continuous chalk art walk in 2014. However, I did appear one last time for that to show my support for the efforts. realized to appreciate the inspiration of the beginning of this media of art in Greeley. The world record was broken by Greeley in 2015 with a 3.55 mile string of continous chalk art thanks to the community coming together to participate. I was the first recognized chalk artist of Greeley before it became a main stream medium of art used in Greeley.

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I had to stop chalk art because I developed tendinitis and I've even had a wrist surgery since. Some only recognize me as a chalk artist, but I want to be an artist of many mediums not just one. However I have done 4 full scale wall murals in the past as well. During high school I was into performing arts, fine arts, poetry, and dabbled in to the modeling industry.

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The beginning of 2013, January 7-11, I competed in IMTA LA representing my Barbizon Southwest Agency for acting. Proudly I can say I made a room of people laugh during my monologue out in LA, even received two callbacks that unfortunately didn't work out. However, this experience was amazing, I can actually say that I've been in a competition internationally when I was 16. This experience was the product after 5 months of hard training and being fortunate enough to get picked out of a group of 100 to be apart of the team. This was the beginning but not the end to my short model career. I have been a promotional model twice since then, so I can actually say I've been paid as a model.

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          My senior year was kicked off with the DCAC annual benefit show at the EXDO center sponsored by Erguntercan Salon. I was the Queen of Hearts and wore the brightest color of red for hair until that spring after dying it again. It was a really rough year, but so far that has marked off my modeling career. It's a good place marker set in place for my next adventure. Being a chalk artist was one chapter, modeling was one chapter, acting was one chapter, but it all contributes to the new artist that I am. An individual like me is a gamer, has scoliosis and tendinitis, has had two surgeries in 2017, currently has 5 tattoos, and tries to add color to life since I have brown eyes like anybody else. Everyday is a good day to be optimistic for me, I tend to have an idealist mindset created from modeling though, so I tend to get frustrated if I don't live up to my standards. I don't want to be a perfectionist, because I'm far from it and see imperfection as a beautiful thing. It's so easy to be hard on myself because I'm so caught up in wanting to be so much better in order to reach my dreams. However, I have to just be me through all of the hard work because stress is just going to debilitate me otherwise, as I'm sure it does for everyone. Putting things into perspective can be difficult for me as I like to shoot for the moon and hope to land on a star at least.

 

              Being a Video Game Designer has always been my dream, because I simply held on to my childlike imagination. Which quickly led to blossom into this surreal mindset that I have created for myself. I view the world as an oyster that can be taking for granted, so I want to help people appreciate their surroundings, because I feel stronger when I recognize mine as assets. The world is a beautiful place, and I can't wait to visually create how I see the world for others to experience. I truly am a dreamer, being apart of the Denver Chalk Art Festival was a dream of mine, which I've already done twice, same as competing at IMTA just like my sister had done preceding me when she was only 12. Hard work, ambition, determination, passion, is required to put towards goals. However, the only way I do work I'm proud of, is if I invest my heart, mind, and soul into everything meaningful I do. Sure its dangerous, and the worst part is getting taking advantage of, but I get stronger for next time. I'm real and simply despise anything fake because it's depriving the truth from the innocent. My goal is to make a name out of being the last Zielske of my blood line. I am my blood line's legacy, therefore I will not fail to carry pride and dignity in what I will accomplish. "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength"-Phillippians 4:13. Never settle unless your a pilgrim. If you settle you'll be stuck feeling grim.