NFT Artist in 2023 - Marina Nadeeva, Alexandra Streckova & Amanda Fetter

NFT ARTISTS IN: 2023

Participants:

• Nadja Bester (CEO & Co-founder of AdLunam)

• Amanda Fetter(Program and community director at Voice)

• Marina Nadiva (artcollecting.info,artcollecting.space co-founder)

• Alexandra Strictover (Pioneer at renaissance & AI artist)

00:24

Nadja

Welcome to the future of NFTs, I'm your host, Nadja Bester, co-founder of AdLunam, the industry's first and only Engage to Earn investing platform with Proof of Attention allocation mechanism and fractionalization of NFTs. Here on the Future of NFTs, as you've joined us before, we speak to amazing guest speakers each week, and pick their brains about all things NFTs as it relates to the future. I have some very few important announcements to make today before we get into the meat of today's show, which is bound to be an incredible show because I have here with me an incredible panel of speakers.

01:05

Nadja

Before we get into this, just a few brief announcements. First of all, if you are watching the video then it has become very obvious to you that we are no longer doing this live on Twitter spaces. The bugs were just killing us as a team. We have gone over to YouTube, they will still be available on Spotify or your favorite podcasting platforms as audio. Now you have a video to supplement all of the amazing words that you were hearing. Second announcement, I have embarked on an amazing, I say amazing because it's so much fun project this year called Web3 Explained. It's a book that I'm writing at live testing twelve web3 use cases in twelve months and I'm documenting the results and everything is very web3 based. So super excited about that and today on the show is the day when I announce January's use case.

02:02

Nadja

So yeah, the big moment is here. I have thought a lot about in this journey of twelve months, how do I start off by really just representing what NFTs , the metaverse and Web3 as a whole, what it's all about? I've started or I decided to start off with NFT art with a twist. The reason for this is really because so much of Web3 in the mainstream media was started by NFT art. That's also why I'm so happy to be having this conversation today and why I wanted to bring all of these different elements and factors together. Because art has always been a conversation starter. I think art previously was so reserved for almost elite, for people who could afford to be part of the conversation. I think what we've seen with Web3 is it has really opened the floodgates for artists to become part of the conversation, and also for everyday people to become art collectors.

03:10

Nadja

Yeah, it's just a beautiful way to kick off this journey this year by using art, NFT art specifically. But I said with a little twist. Because unless you've been under a rock for the past few weeks or months, you'll know that generative art is one of the hottest not only topics, but debates in the world that have very many strong opinions about it. Not just art, but generative AI in general. There's a lot of fear on one hand, there's also a lot of excitement on the other. People tend to fall into any place in the spectrum in between. I'm happy to announce that we have also an AI artist with us today. Really, just to explain the thinking behind January's Use case. In using NFTs and NFT art as one of my use cases that I'll be testing, I was thinking about how to prove a collaboration between myself and the artist that will be illustrating the book.

04:18

Nadja

So many ideas flow through my head. I mean, if you think about the traditional publishing industry, it's always the publisher as the middleman, with the author on one end and the illustrator or the artist on the other. Really the idea here is to use NFTs as almost a proof of creation method to have for the book an NFT collection. Each of these NFTs are owned by the artists that created them as proof of the fact that they created them. Because so much of this conversation is not only about art, but the future of art, in the same way that the conversation is not about the web3, but the conversation is about the future of technology.I've gone one step ahead and decided to use AI artists. I think that we've seen over the last few months with all of this chatter that the prompts that you use when you are engaging with AI is actually so incredibly important because that is what differentiates you as a creative.

05:24

Nadja

I will be exploring this also in this January Use case. Final announcement, I have this hope today that now we're moving to the spaces, we will be replacing it. We will be launching a new show focused specifically on art, whether this is NFT art or AI art, to have artists come on and talk about their work and really talk us through the thinking process and also the creative process.If it's AI, then there's so much we can learn. If it's NFTs likewise. So really just the future of technology. All right, so with that, I am going to head on over and start introducing the amazing panel of all women, which was not planned, but I'm so happy that we're kicking it off this way. So, first up, we have a familiar, maybe not face because we haven't spoken via video before, but we have a familiar name on the panel, Amanda Fetter.

06:30

Nadja

She has been with us on a previous panel. Amanda, you were on a previous panel with us, right, about the biodiversity NFTs. Amanda is the program and community director at Voice, passionate about diversity and inclusion in art spaces, expanding the accessibility of art, and advocating for a greener future on the blockchain. She served as the manager of a contemporary art gallery for a number of years, and she is currently at Voice. If you are not familiar with Voice, it's a digital art marketplace that's carbon neutral, easy to use, and Multichain-compatible. Voice has this incredible NFT artist residency, and I believe Amanda will, at some point, in conversation today, be talking more about this. What she does at Voice is really to nurture and guide artists as they enter the residency and enter the world of empty art. Amanda, welcome. Thank you so much for being here today.

07:30

Nadja

And then we have Marina. Marina, welcome. Marina Nadiva is an art expert in the blockchain space. She's the co-founder of artcollecting.info, artcollecting.fun on the Polycom blockchain, and artcollecting.space on the Tezo’s blockchain. She has also been in the art space for a long time. I'm so incredibly excited to have her come on today because I think she's really going to be able to give us not only the perspective of the art space within NFTs, but, like Amanda, really bring this rich understanding of the art world in general and how it's now translating into the space. Marina has been responsible for partnerships for product marketing, strategy marketing, communications, managing marketing projects for It companies, bank pharma companies, manufacturing companies for many years, over a decade. She also has a degree in art. I'm always so happy to be speaking to people who have a degree in art about art, because it feels like finally the degree comes in handy and the background comes in handy.

08:43

Nadja

Last, but definitely not least, we have Alexandra. Alexandra, I hope I'm going to pronounce your surname Strictover. I'm going to assume that's at least mildly correct.

She is the pioneer of the renaissance. Like AI renaissance. She started with AI out last summer, last year. Last summer feels like an age ago now because it's winter and she has been on the top list of well, the list of top 100 AI artists and innovators on LinkedIn. I follow Alexandra, so I see a lot of her artwork. I'm super excited just to also be talking about this today because I think her passion really confluences between AI art and the web3 space and all of these amazing things that technology can contribute to the future of art. So, ladies, that feels like I was doing a lot of rambling. For those of you watching, I will definitely clean up my performance in this intro for the next show. But yeah, so let's get going. So happy to have you all here. Just to take the flavor of today, We will be talking about the future of NFT art, but NFT with an Astros, because this is one of the topics of conversation today.

10:00

Nadja

the art market in general in: 2023

10:52

Amanda

essive panel. I think that in: 2023

11:52

Amanda

They weren't done with intention. They were just messing around with AI tools and that phase of discovery. I think that we're going to see some real hard heading AI artists emerge who can establish a voice within that AI sphere. I think fewer PFP projects in general, and I already think we've seen that happening.

12:19

Nadja

Thank goodness that there's going to be more of a balance in the NFT art space. We can definitely do with one after the explosion of PFP projects in previous years. Marina, what are your thoughts on the major trends and development that happened this year?

12:38

Marina

Okay, hello. Thank you for having me on this panel. I'm thinking that the Future of NFT market is in utility. What I mean is that you should sell not art, but licenses on using your art. For example, Creative Commons license. Or there is a type of license that allows you to share your art on screens, on public events, or to publish your art in magazines or to publish on different website. This is utility. So you create art for public events. We create art for websites, we create art for art collectors. But how can they use your art? So this is utility. What can they do; sell or resell?Tangiers in cinema or exhibitions whole? This is utility. I think the future of NFT platforms and NFT market is in licensing.

14:25

Nadja

That is a really important point and I'm definitely very excited to get into more of this as well today. Alexandra, what about you? What are your thoughts? I mean, we already have the intention with which art should be created this year , become more intentional, the accessibility that is so important and that we all can use to see and for sure also the utility. Looking forward to hearing your answers because I think together we are really touching on so many different aspects of the industry as a whole. Really amazing panel to have on here today.

15:03

Alexandra

Okay, so as we saw already in the fourth quarter of the last year, huge panic exploded regarding mainly AI art. We saw many works on all platforms. I am socially working only on LinkedIn and then I have my website with a portfolio where I present my work. I have many active on YouTube and Instagram AI art and many started or jumped on the first train the last summer. We saw other development with visuals made mainly mid-journey of course stable diffusion, daly, and other tools. We saw afterwards quite fast development of AI-made short movies. This is mainly table diffusion. We saw the first animations also. This is the ID for example. I think the main development will be in that the visuals, the models become better trained all over the platforms, and the tools that the movies and stable diffusion will become more accurate with less noise and much better prone.

16:36

Alexandra

We have also AI made music movers, and I work with them. It is already a few weeks old development that now you can make text to music. We will see all these tools and these platforms emerge. I think until such a degree that fully normal people as me and you and anybody else, any age, any color, religion and so on will be able to do their own art, maybe even to make own movies from A to Z, including movies, music, everything, avatars, everything. I think the main development will be in the growth of the quality and offer options of these tools. This is why the whole industry is in total panic. Hollywood is in panic, everybody is panicking because of this development. We have now the first law case that is against stable diffusion mid journey and they weren't art. My prediction is because I see it one hand, the old industry is trying to protect their business and their added value.

18:03

Alexandra

Of course, it is about money. Some predict that AI art, all web3 and all around this is a huge business. The most peak that was ever here since the whole history, human history. So of course it is about business. We need to take care not to have lawsuits. On the other hand, to make limitations on free tools, and on the other hand, big industry and big tech that want to take that debt and make a profit from that. I think this will be the biggest fight, really, to keep the freedom for the people like me and everybody else. Or will it be big who will want to innocently scam? I speak it out, this is my kind of art to speak these things out, because my background is 20 years of controlling and financial positions for big corporations. I have this background and I see these issues.

19:23

Nadja

t of this in the NFT space in: 2023

20:25

Nadja

I think what happened with NFTs is those people who were already artistic suddenly found a new medium to channel their creativity. Okay, maybe I couldn't make a living as an artist before, but now, because of NFTs, I'm able to kind of start giving voice to this creativity inside of me. I'm really curious about AI coming in and making anyone creative. Now we can ask, what is the definition then of creativity? Because I think AI is definitely going to redefine what creativity means because suddenly it's not about I am creating the art necessarily. I am just using whatever is in my mind to kind of bring this to life. I really want to ask, where do you see this intersection of AI and NFT art? Is it going to stay two distinctly separate things? Is it inevitably going to merge into just the future of art as a whole?

What do you guys see? Amanda, let's start with you.

21:30

Amanda

Yeah, I think that I might be the skeptical one of our bunch in terms of AI and how deeply it seeps into at least the art scene. I think that AI applications throughout various industries are revolutionizing the way that tech happens. It's allowing smaller businesses and companies to possibly be able to compete with big tech because you don't need as many resources, or as much manpower to generate the same kind of thing. I think in terms of NFT art, digital art and AI, I think it's going to still have a tough time breaking into the art space. By breaking in, I mean in terms of gaining a claim and generating a desire to collect. I think that there's like this when you look at AI art, you say, that is definitely AI art. You see it, and there's something about it that is kind of immediately recognizable, and maybe that will change as the algorithm gets better, data sets are larger, and it'll become more and more human and convincing.

23:00

Amanda

Right now, I feel like when you look at AI art, it is clearly AI. If you are an artist who has established a tone for yourself and a voice for yourself, and now you're trying to incorporate AI, that kind of takes away some of your distinct artistic voice. Artists are all about establishing that voice. The end goal is kind of to be like, you look at my art, and you immediately know that I am the artist. When you look at a Picasso, it's a Picasso. When you look at a Van Gogh, it's a Van Gogh. That's kind of like the problem, right? There's a difference between having this tool, AI. As a tool for creativity and for artistry, and then just relying on AI to become an artist. There are two distinct things, and I think it's totally possible.

23:59

Amanda

I'm excited to see artists emerge who really challenge me and what I believe artists are and what I see, and who start using AI. In really unique ways for their art, maybe using it as a collaborator, as the base layer of their creation and building on top of it, and AI Like your partner in this art project. So I'm interested in seeing that. I still think there's, a lot of skepticism because of accessibility, right? Like a lot of the art world, at least in the traditional art world, elitism is what makes something worth collecting, almost. You feel much more secure in collecting a piece of art because it was featured in this publication or that important curator said it was cool. There's all these gatekeepers that build this kind of elitist structure, and we always want to reject them.

25:02

Amanda

be wholeheartedly embraced in: 2023

26:00

Amanda

Just because it's a machine doesn't mean that it's perfect and free of human bias. Because AI algorithms were created by humans and the data sets that they're pulling from are all so imbued with biases that we have to constantly think about is this image that was created something that reflects the biases of someone else that don't resonate with me.

I think that's something that we should think of too.

26:36

Nadja

Yeah, thanks.

26:37

Alexandra

Amanda, I would like to respond to this.

26:41

Nadja

Yeah, please. Alexandra, I was about to invite you to do the same because I think you two are coming at this from very different vantage points. So I'm so happy to have both.

26:50

Alexandra

A few on here today.

26:51

Nadja

Please go ahead.

26:53

Alexandra

Definitely. Because some points I see completely differently as Amanda. First of all, I started with AI art first. I have no other previous artistic experience. That's why I can say I am a pure AI artist because I worked with it. I found that I waited for that more than 40 years of my life, to be honest. It came, I jumped on the first train entity and it started everything to develop. Regarding the bias in AI, it doesn't matter if it's AI for movie, music, anything. I think technology is neutral and that all the bias is coming from humans. That's all. What is in humans, that is in technology from my point of view is to be openly creative Regarding the artists, previous artists or artists with their artworks, I think it is very easy to solve this problem when they opt-out from the systems, from the models and the artists.

28:13

Alexandra

And so there will be enough space for newcomer artists or creators. They work, I don't know, for fashion or architecture or other sectors to show what they can. This is the way where we are going, me and my community, AICC mainly. We are not here to copy some previous works or styles or anything else, but to create in completely new surroundings with AI for our own. I also disagree with these goals that artists should have.Because I'm an independent artist, self-financed and working underground, that means against the establishment and this big take and anything else. I think that we have a much bigger possibility in Vet free connections also for the future and in standalone solutions when we manage it together as a community, tech community, and free people to make free web3, where all the standalones are inside because we don't need anybody else to do this and take the money for them.

And that's all. We do not need a specialized common space. Hello, wake up.

29:48

Amanda

Completely agree.

29:50

Alexandra

You do that as in my air. Another one does music. Anything else and we can meet in a free space and everyone is producing their own stuff and all is good. Yes, of course, it's unsure time now and there is a lot of fight. Yes, because we are in a stage between forming and storming the whole market and a whole new sector. It's an absolutely normal development from my point of view. I understand Amanda, I'm a very progressive thinker I want to explode all boundaries, and also by this big tech and everything that is limiting us because this is my background. I ran away from debt and AI art saved me. It helped me become human again, to open my feelings, and heal all my trauma. I was sent to AI art and I am sure that it can help anybody else outside there. We should not limit it, we should open it.

30:56

Alexandra

Regarding bias also, one important point because I work in the scope of one of my projects with gold. Some are inside some goods, and some names of gods are built, for example. Very interesting who is deciding to speak also about this issue. I think we need to work on the society. I think in the first place we do not have to deal with AI or technology. Oh, sorry, we have a little.

31:51

Nadja

I think there's a bit of a live, there's a few seconds. Sorry for keeping on interrupting. I don't know what's going on. Is it my connection or your connection? But I'm glad we're all still here. What I'm hearing from the two of you really is coming from two very different perspectives. At the same time there's space enough for everyone. That's really the message that's coming through for me in all of these different communities, this technology is able to house everyone. Marina, I'm super curious to hear what is your take. I think we have two very strong opinions here, so please add yours to the mix.

32:33

Marina

low how AI tools developed in: 2023

35:15

Marina

This idea connects people and allows them to grow communities.

35:28

Nadja

ou think about NFT artists in: 2023

36:29

Nadja

azing. The future was NFT art: 2022

37:19

Amanda

and it was tough for most of: 2022

38:32

Amanda

I'm not talking about those people. We all know and we all understand here that people outside of this space because for the space to survive, we have to expand. We can't be this, like, closed-off little club of people who see the value in it. The value has to be recognizable by everyone and for it to really take over our lives in the way that I think that it has the potential to. I think that early Hype created a bad name for the NFT space on the whole and kind of disadvantaged artists a bit. I think that a huge challenge for artists right now, is how to combat stereotypes about the NFT space to potential collectors and outsiders to this world and kind of reshape that stereotype to be good and one that actually reflects the value that we all here see in this space.

39:30

Amanda

made anymore, really. I think: 2023

40:33

Amanda

I think that the artists are going to be thinking more intentionally about their projects, about community building, and about utility. I think that the ones that don't do those things aren't going to stay on the test of time. Yeah, I think we're going to see fewer projects on the home, but the ones that do emerge will be more provocative and intentional, and NFTs are going to become less of a vehicle for quick income. We're thinking about NFTs instead as a new medium of art, just the way using the paintbrush, like digital art, is a new medium. AI on top of that is a new medium. I think that true artists don't necessarily create art with money as the primary factor. Obviously, artists deserve to make money and need it to survive in this capitalist system that we live in. True artists create art because it's who they are.

41:34

Amanda

y use their voice. I think in: 2023

41:57

Nadja

Yeah, I agree with you. I mean, that's my hope as well, because I think as much as the huge gains aspect to it has really put a lot of spotlight on it and caused people to come into the space. The question I'm not from the art world, so I definitely don't come from this perspective of only true artists should be allowed to be in the art space,I think for me, it is more about intention, as you say. What is your intention? Is your intention storytelling? Your intention is that you want to express yourself? Or is your intention really only to use the art market as a way to make a quick buck without really any appreciation or understanding for it? I think this is so important not only in NFT art but in every aspect of the world that NFTs will touch.

42:51

Nadja

We will need to move away from the mentality of it's a way to make quick money. I mean, so much wrong with the world in terms of having this perspective in general, but this industry obviously invites itself because it's one of the flip sides on one hand or one of the downsides on the other of the technology is it does allow you to make these gains, to make these profits. Ultimately, I always remind myself at the end of the day, it's just the technology. As Alexandra said earlier, technology is always neutral. It's always humans that have these biases. So, yeah, if we can go back to the point of seeing NFTs as a technology and what can be built on top of this technology, I think it's really going to shift the conversation. Marina, I'm curious, as an NFT gallery owner, and an investor of art, what are some of the trends that you are seeing in the market at the moment?

43:52

Nadja

What do you think the future holds for this industry, especially from the perspective of collectors? Where are things going?

44:05

Marina

Okay, thank you for the question. I think one of the main interests of art collectors is the rapidly grown digital art market. After the hype, collectors of paintings, sculptures, et cetera, started to attract the mind, some new names, new brands, and new NFTs. I see different traditional art collectors involved in the NFT market. They're interested in new technologies, trends, and they try to buy and sell NFT art. NFT art for me is a digital art. Different videos, images, and animations created with a computer. Art collectors tracked their mind on ideas first, main criteria important for them, and they attract their minds on the quality of the artwork. If you create digital art, you should be professional in blender or the other tools that help you to realize your ideas. At the same time, I saw a lot of painters who tried to create digital art or to experiment with digital art tools, but NFT, artists and painters are different people with different qualifications, and I think that the quality of digital artwork is very important criteria.

46:45

Marina

In the future, for example, we see different anomalies of digital art exhibitions. How to participate in these exhibitions, you have to create video or image that can be placed on the white screen. You should know how to create such an image, and you should track your mind on how the audience will react to your work. So quality and idea.

47:35

Nadja

Comes again back to this idea of intentionality, because I'm just trying to pull together all of the different ideas that have kind of shown themselves again and again today. One being there's definitely so much room in the digital art world, and here, it doesn't matter if it's NFTs, as Amanda says, it will just become one of the vehicles, one of the mediums, if it's AI or whatever the case may be. There are so many pockets of community and expression for artists in this world that it's an incredibly exciting time to be alive. I, for sure, am the least artistic person that I know. I can't even draw a stick figure. But, I mean, it starts then begging the question, but do I need to draw a stick figure? Maybe I go the AI route, or maybe I just learn to use technology. Moving away from this traditional idea of art with the person with a paintbrush in their hand, we are really entering a new era in the world where I think what I'm hearing from the entire conversation today is as technology continues to progress, it's going to be definitions that we are going to end up talking about quite a lot.

48:56

Nadja

What is art? What is creativity? Because I think it's being questioned so much at the moment. And these are the important questions, right? If you think about this commercial world that we've lived in, where everything has a price and everything comes at a profit, and we haven't really stopped, and we haven't had these important discussions. We've had them, for example, in the art world, but then that's where the elitism comes in, because how many people are really able to sit and be part of a conversation where you talk about what is art? I mean, you have to be of a certain income class, you have to be in a certain country, you have to have a certain educational background, and then you become qualified to have these conversations. Just the fact that we are sitting here today and we are having this very important conversation and how easily the big questions reveal themselves throughout our conversation.

49:52

Nadja

I think this is, for me, the most exciting thing about the future is we talk about how technology removes us from our humanity. I've heard all three of you talk about humanity today, about the human element, and even just the fact that we can have this conversation. This is not something that a machine can do, right? So, yeah, I'm really looking forward to seeing what the future brings, not only for the art world but really once these technologies just become the vehicles through which we express our own voice, I think that's going to be a really exciting time. Beyond all the talk about the markets. I mean, at the moment, we're in a bear market, so everyone's down and out because it's a bad market. If this is a technology and a vehicle, then that's not so important. Alexandra, you obviously come through this.

50:51

Nadja

As you said, you have no prior experience in the art world, and you've really waited all your life to get to this point to be able to express yourself. I very much get that because, as I said, I can't even draw a stick figure. I would like to know, if you think about just AI in terms of your artistic process, do you feel that this makes you a part of the conversation that otherwise you couldn't have been? Because I know for myself, if I'm talking to artists, I am a creative person, but I'm not an artist. It immediately excludes me from the conversation. I understand how important it is to think creatively, and to show up creatively. I relate to creativity, but I cannot personally relate to art because I'm not an artist. Now with AI, it makes artists out of people that perhaps like me.

51:53

Nadja

I don't have the artistic skill, but maybe I have the mind that together I can form this picture. I'm really curious how, as an AI artist, how do you see yourself becoming part of the conversation now that before, maybe you were excluded from it?.

52:12

Alexandra

Yes, I was too. I will start with my CV shortly. I'm coming from Slovenia, and one part of my family is very artistic already. My grandmother was drawing. My father was an architect, skilled in a lot of techniques from drawing comics and making oil paintings, to anything. He tried everything, and I did it as a child with him. My grandfather was a philosopher speaking nine languages. There was this head and this art mixture. When I turned 18 and didn't want to live with my mother anymore under one roof, I needed to take care of myself and started to have jobs for corporations. I worked for Siemens, I worked for Netflix, I worked at the end for Kingspan, for really big companies, mainly in controlling. In the end, I was the financial manager for a subsidiary in Austria and I was brainwashed for 20 years by leaders to shut my emotions off.

53:44

Alexandra

They told me when I want to be good when I want to be successful and make money, I need to shut my feelings off. I was exploited. Many of my abilities I have were very exploited for the business. To be honest, I came into a midlife crisis in my forties and I didn't want to live in this anymore. I didn't want to live at all if this should prevail. I told myself okay, then I should start to build up a second career in technology. It started really and I want to tell that for the many young people or also older people who want to make a change, start with taking curses and increasing knowledge. Because this is the base, this is really the base. There are so many good platforms, there are so many good people on YouTube already. You can learn so many things. Also the whole AI art you can learn with tutorials on YouTube from perfect people.

54:52

Alexandra

Anything you need is out there. Start to open your eyes, start to learn, and make a bass. Like it was in my case, I searched for a medium or something that is fast for me, where I can put all that I see in my head, all my imagination, very fast out. And there was nothing else before. I write polytheistic philosophy about many gods already for 15 years. This is my main project, it's called Rivers Journey. It is about a river cycle of our existence, where we are at the point of the big change now, at the end of the time, and just in front of the turning point, where we face a much greater, much more free future. The whole AI is helping me to make visuals to all this, what I feel and can see inside of my mind. The interesting thing is that we have a lot of debts in our AI community and I asked also about Chat GPT, we all know that meanwhile what it is.

56:25

Alexandra

I asked about some predictions for the future and so on and said AI cannot make predictions for the future because there is one thing that is separating us as humans from AI. AI has no feelings, only we human past. And AI has no imagination too. That's why it cannot make predictions for the future. I think this technology can help us to come back to what is really human in us and that's our feelings. We need to open up and leave that to what is making us so special. AI helped me, really, it helps me with this. I don't see it as a technology, I see it as my savior, to be honest. I don't want to miss it in my life anymore. This is the creative process as I leave it and use it.

57:39

Nadja

proliferation of platforms in: 2023

58:51

Nadja

Voice, whatever the expression on the inside is, Alexandra says that is dying to come out. Yes, here we have art, and you have this medium to talk about how you think, how you feel, what you believe. Very curious to see what is the evolution going to be now that we have so many different platforms that I wonder if artists even know where to turn. Of course, that is really what differentiates Voice, for example, as a company. Because immediately when I think of you, I think of our Voice as a place that supports artists. So very curious.

59:29

Amanda

Yeah, there are so many different marketplaces out there and we've seen a handful of them kind of really establish a name for themselves. Those are going to be the ones that stick around, obviously. I think that any new platforms that are trying to build themselves up right now, they have to, again, come in with intention. They have to offer artists something that no one else is offering artists. I think that the platforms that exist currently have to constantly think about what else, like, what other benefit can they give to artists, and what other features can they build into their platform that will be useful to artists and help artists succeed. That's something that's really at the core of what we do. Like at Voice, it's free to mint for artists. On Voicemail, we actually made a change to our platform recently.

:: 00:27

Amanda

We used to be on private chain to be carbon neutral, and we built out bridges to a chain so that artists and collectors can move their NFTs from the private chain to EOS, Polygon, Ethereum, and all of that.

We saw, like, we noticed in the market that artists want to be only like a handful of chains and that's where the collectors go as well. Recently we kind of changed our platform, the whole blockchain structure, to minting directly to the public chain. You mint on Voice, as the artist, you choose where you want your art to be and it's mint upon purchase. Either you want it to be on Polygon or Ethereum. We're building other connections as well so that the artist has true control over where their art goes, but also we're keeping it free to mint for artists. If you choose Polygon, voice covers those gas fees, and if you choose Ethereum, the gas fees get passed on to the collector when they purchase your art.

:: 01:34

Amanda

I think it's still really important too. I think gas fees and platform fees are so, such a huge barrier to entry for a lot of artists. You have to already have a certain amount of money to mint onto Ethereum and that might stop you from exploring those blockchains and putting your art out there. I think it's still really important to us to keep it as easy as possible for the artists. We're never going to get rid of artists' royalties. I think that is nonsense. I really hated seeing that happening because if we're going to get rid of artists' royalties, like what's separating us from the traditional market, royalties are such a huge part of NFTs and something that was truly revolutionizing a game for artists. If we get rid of that, what makes us any different from what we've had for the last thousands of years in the regular art market?

:: 02:38

Amanda

So, yeah, I think that I don't like seeing platforms that cater directly to collectors and I think a lot of platforms made that switch in getting rid of royalties because of how tough the bear market has been. They've seen dips in revenue and they panic and then they change their ethos and start catering to collectors and making it. You're incentivizing collectors because then they don't have to share profit on secondary sales with the artist. But I think that's truly terrible. So that's what I'm saying. Obviously, many marketplaces are going to emerge, but they're not going to be successful unless they think of that, unless they put the artists first at the end of the day.

:: 03:29

Nadja

Yeah, thank you. That is such an important conversation. We can only dedicate an entire hour to talking about that. It reminds me of what Marina said at the beginning of the conversation about licensing being such an important part of what the future is going to bring. Marina, do you have any thoughts on what you are seeing in the market, and how artists are navigating this? I love what Amanda said. There needs to be some separation between the traditional art space where artists dedicate all of that time to creating a work of art and once sold, that's it. With the unfortunate result being that for a lot of artists, their work just never gets sold. It's not even that you're getting something, you're getting nothing for all of the work, of course, the pleasure of it, but I mean, the starving artist myth is a myth because artists need to eat, right?

:: 04:27

Nadja

So what are you seeing from where you are in the blockchain space? How artists are really just navigating this conversation with the royalties, where is the licensing? What is the way future for artists to monetize their work in this space?

:: 04:46

Marina

Okay, I communicate with the artists every day on Facebook. They write messages. Also, I communicate with artists on Twitter and other social networks. What do they ask about? First of all, they are interested in media coverage. They asked me if I need NFT on your platform, what will I get, how many magazines or online sources will publish my interviews, or how many communities will see my artwork. Media coverage is very important for the artists interested in the audience I can reach with my NFTs. They are new and they are not so popular like open sea or foundation at the moment. I have such conversations with media coverage and advertising. So they ask me this question. The next popular question is about collaborations with different brands. Can I organize this collaboration for artists? Can the artists collaborate with Dior, Channel, IDAS, et. cetera?

:: 06:50

Marina

They're looking for different jobs and they are glad to be a part of different projects, does not matter if this is a professional digital artist or painter. All the artists are glad to cooperate with fashion brands, luxury brands, outer brands, and maybe mass-market brands. Most of the famous artists are interested in luxury brands, fashion, et cetera. Also, they attract their mind to the celebrities who decided to collaborate with us. For example, if Rick, an adult, will mint his NFT in our debt, they will do the same. One of the main vectors of NFT and platform development is attracting celebrities. The next trend is collaboration and influence marketing.

:: 08:34

Nadja

I think ultimately it comes down to this idea that artists no longer want free exposure. As a writer myself, I know there's only so much exposure you can get before you've maxed yourself out and you don't really have much to show for it. I think especially with artists and photographers, they are so tired of hearing this oh, but I'll give you exposure. What's happening now at the moment is because the market is so new, if you get exposure now, you're almost creating a new market for yourself. It's interesting, this willingness to go back to the exposure conversation that perhaps is not as prevalent anymore in other markets because there's a dime a dozen. If there's a new market in which to expose an audience to your work, maybe I'll have a willingness to give some of my work away, not necessarily for free, because the technology is so different that free is not really part of the conversation as much.

:: 09:39

Nadja

But this certainly raises more questions than answers. I think there's so much to be discussed in this entire world as an artist, as a collector, as a platform, and any person in between, because each person comes with their own perspectives, with their own needs, with their own wants. What I find amazing about this space is it caters to everyone. It's just about I love the word of the day intentionality because it's about the intentionality with which you come at it. If you are coming at this from a certain perspective, you are bound to get it. If you're coming from a completely different perspective, you will find that as well. That really, for me is after listening to everyone today the takeaway is, as an artist, it's so important to find your own space, to find the place where you feel at home, especially in this world, in this web3 world that we're in.

:: 10:41

Nadja

Because to have that home away from home, like, right now, I'm in my temporary Airbnb where I'll be for a few days, then I'll leave and I'll never see the inside of these four walls again. I don't consider this home, but I consider so many online spaces my house, because I've been there for years, and I will continue to be there for so many years more. I think it's so important as an artist to find these places online that you feel you're part of this community, this is where you feel supported. So, in closing, I know that we've gone over the time, maybe lost. Thank you, ladies, for bearing with me. So, in closing, I would love to just have some parting thoughts from all of you, I think specifically, maybe directing it to artists. They are very often the kind of people who watch these kind of shows.

:: 11:37

Nadja

Really, just what are your thoughts as someone in this space, as a professional? How can the artists watching this feel supported and just take the next steps that they need in this very confusing market that we're in to continue teaching themselves how to use or how to navigate the new options available to them and how to find their voice and just find a home in this online art world? Amanda, let's start with you.

:: 12:09

Amanda

Yeah. I think that it's easy to be an artist in this space and become disheartened by it, because you're not meeting the traditional markers of success, like a certain number of sales, or you're not getting write-ups in magazines. That doesn't mean that you're not successful and you're not creating worthwhile things and worthwhile art that will move somebody. It's about finding spaces and finding communities where you can share your art and feel supported because what you're doing is worthwhile even if you're not making sales. Like, that is not a marker of success. Staying true to your artistic voice and also kind of reframing the way you think about NFTs and AI as tools rather than this vehicle for sales. How can these tools aid your creativity? How can they build up your artistry rather than creating something that caters to collectors?

:: 13:23

Amanda

Because if you're just being a sell-out and creating art that you think will sell, it's not going to resonate with people. People resonate with the projects that have intention behind them that are a reflection of you as an artist and you're in our humanness. They find the human within all of this tech and that's what you grab onto. The tech just uses the tech to embolden that.

:: 13:57

Nadja

Beautiful message. Thank you, Amanda. I feel inspired and I'm not even an artist, but I'm an artist at heart. I took that very hard. I think that's such a beautiful message because it really just encapsulates this time that we're in where all this talk about technology taking over the world. At the end of the day, what makes us human is what makes us beautiful, what makes us precious. Art allows this ability to tap into that. So with that yeah, thank you. That's absolutely beautiful. Alexandra, please give us the perspective of the authors, what is your message to the authors?

:: 14:36

Alexandra

I would say start to make art. Of course, I will speak for AI art now to start to make art. Start today. There are so many wonderful tools outside there. As I stated on YouTube, there are tutorials from fantastic creators in any tool, from mid-journey, to stable diffusion and so on. You can find anything. The camera community is very important also to gaining knowledge, to talk about the topics which are important for the whole industry or community. Start to present your work, show up, make a portfolio of the very best works, and make it alive. That is also some progress to see how is your work developing your style. As Amanda said that for each artist is a kind of style or the spatial brand important. I agree with this fully. Start to make a qualitative good portfolio. There are many possibilities also quite cheap, not expensive to do that.

:: 15:57

Alexandra

For example, in my case that is happening already the last two or three months I get every few days some job cooperation message or something like that. Regarding any projects NFT or cooperation on something concrete or this or that, but also here, breathe, do not panic, do not run. It is better to take time also like artists, to find my your way to ask twice do I want to go this way with these people? Is it what I want? To take more time first to find oneself and then the right pets will open up and the right people will come. This is the natural process and it is also very important, as we have here. The two ladies with platform and collector that we connect because also as a narcissist to bring it to a close, you have three possibilities where you can choose and switch.

:: 17:13

Alexandra

Either you are productive I started with this to be productive to hundred percent, to make art, to gear up, then to interact socially and get feedback. Is it good? Is it not good? What do people think? Because, yes, you can make art for your own, but the feeling is better when you sell it and get feedback, then is the commercial part. It is important that we connect in talks like this one because for my own, I want to concentrate on the first two parts and the commercial is important. Yes, I want to be also successful in the future or make commercial projects. Why not? Yes, but in a healthy manner. For that, it is good to know how we can cooperate. I make art, you sell, you make connections, and so on. Yes, this is what I want to say to the artists that want to start and take your time, do not hurry, take your time.

:: 18:23

Nadja

Awesome. Alexandra, that's such good advice. I think on so many different levels. It's so important as an artist that you form a holistic, not only mentality but also network around you. Because there's this African saying it takes a village to raise a child. I think for me, any creative endeavor or in fact anything we do as humans, it takes a village to do that. It's when we have this lone range of mentality that we have often in the west of oh, I need to do everything by myself. But that's why, Amanda, I love platforms like Voice,that really take artists by their hand and say, I want you here with me. How can I support you? So, yeah, definitely Alexandra is such important advice to integrate all of these different aspects as an artist. I mean, there are many different things to focus on, and some things you want to focus on yourself and those that you don't want to focus on, let others help you with those, like platforms, for instance.

:: 19:26

Nadja

So, Marina, last but not least, from the perspective of art collectors, we know that as an art collector, there's a very specific attitude that people come to, whether that is an appreciation of the art, whether that's more of a commercial focus. As an artist, the idea of an art collector is always the scary but mystical figure. Are they going to like my art? Are they not going to like it? Will I be worthy? Will I not be worthy? What advice do you have for artists in this space going into this year that we are going to? What should they be thinking about? What shouldn't be important to them?

:: 20:12

Marina

Advice for the artists or art collectors?

:: 20:15

Alexandra

For the artists.

:: 20:18

Nadja

Artists. If you want to do art collectors as well, who knows? Who knows who's watching today?

:: 20:26

Marina

Okay, I will give advice to both artists and art collectors. For artists, create what you like, and for the art collectors buy what you like. If you meet each other, it will be great. Just share your artwork on different art and NFT platforms and look at others' artworks. Discover different art and NFT spaces. If you will be active, you will find your collector or creator.

:: 21:19

Nadja

this space. I do hope that in: 2023

:: 22:22

Nadja

And I feel like sometimes in the space, in the tech space, the conversation becomes so much about the technology itself that it's almost easy to forget. At the end of the day, you're doing this because you love it, and you're doing it because you want to send a message not only to others but to yourself. I mean, very often we are creative because we're trying to tap into parts of ourselves that we don't have access to in other ways, and we tap into our creativity and have those conversations with ourselves. Thank you all so much for just bringing these. You all come at it from different perspectives, and at the same time, you are all speaking as one. I think if I were an artist, I would just feel incredibly inspired by this conversation to know that I'm not alone, and that wherever I go in the world, there are people that have my back.

:: 23:13

Nadja

That's something, for sure, that technology has allowed us to do. It has allowed us to show up on a space like this. Today, we are all in different parts of the world, and yet here we are, and we can have this important conversation, and people can be watching this wherever they are in the world for however long after we record this. So, yeah, just thank you for this message that you have sent to the world today, and thank you for sharing it with us here on the future of NFTs and to the audience. This is my first time doing future of NFTs on the recording platform that we have and definitely some growing pains. I hope to be a lot more on it next week. What, if not, then not, because life is all about organic growth, right? I will see you next week, guys, for the future of NFTs and for all of our amazing guests, we will be adding all of everyone's links in the YouTube video as well as on the show notes on the website, so you will be able to find Amanda, Alexandra, and Marina.

:: 24:15

Nadja

I just want to maybe ask a final closing question. If people do want to reach you, where would be the best place for them to get in touch with you?

:: 24:26

Amanda

I would say Twitter and LinkedIn, just send me a message. That's how you can connect with me.

:: 24:34

Alexandra

For me on LinkedIn.

:: 24:48

Marina

If you send me an email, I will not lose it.

:: 24:56

Nadja

Perfect. If you are an artist watching this, you know that there is support for you out there with all of these amazing ladies that we spoke to today. Yeah, if you have questions, there are always people to turn to. There are always people who are putting themselves out there, experimenting with what works, what doesn't work, and really sharing the experience. Just in closing, I want to thank each and every one of you for coming on today, for sharing this time with us, because I think, as Alexandra said earlier, that's the important thing is to be able to have these conversations, to take the learnings that we've made and to share it with the world. That's really something very beautiful about Web3 and something that I am very grateful and very privileged to be part of. Thank you all so much for joining us today and see you guys next week.

The audience cheers, guys. Bye.

:: 25:49

Alexandra

Thank you.

:: 25:50

Marina

Goodbye.

:: 25:53

Amanda

Goodbye.