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Building bridges with solidarity, awareness and education.
R. "Zoe Blaq" Bartney is the mysterious alter ego and mind behind Piddle Productions. She was born in Los Angeles, California and raised in Munich, Germany by parents who were music industry professionals. Her upbringing was filled with influences of international flavors which cultivated her ability to value diversity as well as her fascination with human nature. Ms. Blaq earned a radio,TV and film degree with an emphasis in screenwriting from CSUN. She went on to became a published writer for Variety magazine and worked and interned for major film companies such as Warner Bros. TV and Edmonds Entertainment in Hollywood. Ms. Blaq would always find the human psyche intriguing, which led her to work in the mental health field. As a former mental health therapist with a MA in clinical psychology from Antioch University, she is now creating her own lane of expression and people are taking notice. In 2015 she curated a group art show at Rock Rose Gallery called "Personal Reflections; Honoring Black Women in Art" and curated the Julie Dash film fest at the first annual BlkGrrrl Book fair in South Central L.A. Her themes continue to foster dialogue of mental health in the Black community.
Although published since high school, Zoe Blaq's first poetry chapbook "Rage Love Complexity" was published in 2013. The chapbook is described as an edgy, clever book of haiku and poetry that deals with healing through raw emotion. “Rage Love Complexity” can be found at Skylight Books in Los Feliz, CA and Rock Rose Gallery in Highland Park, CA.
Zoe Blaq also self-published a zine called "Abstract by Nature" that covers topics like depression, human rights, Black punk rock, the DIY lifestyle and other taboo topics in a web of original artwork. The zine "Abstract by Nature" exhibited at an art show in the Ukraine and is archived worldwide including The Anarchist Library in Serbia. Her passion for psychology and sociology continues to inspire innovative projects and publications. She promotes spreading awareness, education and activism through her own work and community projects. Her vision is to use art as a healing medium.