What an honor to sit with Aiko Szymczak, a true artist of the community. Aiko’s vulnerable interview gives insight to generational addiction, mental health and the struggles she has faced through it.
"I know that pain, and I don't want to spread it to other people. I just want to be happy. That's really what I want."
Zane
Aiko's brother, Zane, passed away in 2022 from a fentanyl overdose. One of the most meaningful projects of her career grew directly out of that loss, a mural of Zane, painted at a festival in Boulder.
"It was really healing for me, because — grief, heavy grief stuff — and I feel like it also allowed me to connect with a lot of people as I was painting, spreading awareness about opioids and the issues around them. That was a really awesome opportunity, and very healing."
A mission, or a vision
Aiko brings mental health awareness into her work deliberately.
"As a public artist, I have a real social responsibility to support in the way that I can, to be of service to whatever community I'm serving. I always wanted to be an artist on a mission who does really good things for the community, and now I feel like I have those opportunities."
"It's not a mission, it's a vision — of creating a better world through art, because art equals positivity in so many ways. And to nurture that curiosity for the next generation."
Drowning out her own voice
"I was drowning out my own inner voice with alcohol. After my brother passed, it got so much worse — I really felt like I was depending on it to drown out the noise. My partner would have to pick me up off the laundry room floor, carry me to bed, make sure I was on my side so I didn't choke. I didn't want to live my life like that."
"The greatest thing about sobriety was that the first two weeks, I could hear Aiko again. I could hear myself, my inner voice — that awakening was so special. I was never going to do that to myself again, never going to drown out the noise."
Staying sober in a using world
"I want to hang out with the artists and connect with them, but I want real connection — I want to be invested in somebody's story. It's really hard to do that when somebody else is drinking. So I go, I have my fun, and then I leave."
"When I meet somebody who's sober, we immediately have that conversation of what we've been through, and how we got out of it, and how we can support each other. It's beautiful — immediate, deep conversation, which I live for."
Closing thoughts
"Even though it's been one tragedy after another, it's still beautiful, and I can still find the light in it. I want to be happy. I want to live a flourishing life."
Follow Aiko
- Murals and paintings: @aikoyougo on Instagram
- Upcycled clothing, notebooks, and other crafts: @aikosemporium on Instagram — custom pieces available
Interview filmed and edited by Lex Chamizo. 2025.
Aiko is wearing the Overdose Awareness T-Shirt.
TWNTYSVNCLUB exists to hold space for both grief and celebration. Remembering the lives lost to addiction and raising awareness with those who found a way out. Meet more artists in 27 Interviews, honor someone you love on our Remembrance Wall, or find free support on our Resources page. Proof that 27 can mark a beginning, not just an end.