Creator Community: Fran Rodríguez
“Creator Community” highlights some of the most interesting creators with collectibles available on the Crypto.com NFT platform.
Since Fran Rodríguez was a child, he was mesmerized by surrealism and psychedelia.
Rodríguez experimented with painting and graphic design in his teenage years, until he discovered digital collage — the medium that has led him to success on the international collage scene. In “Postcards From a Dream,” his debut drop on Crypto.com NFT, Rodríguez invited collectors on a journey into their own subconsciouses with a five-piece series of trippy, ethereal collages. On Dec. 20, the psychedelic collagist is returning with his sophomore collection: “Quantum Landscapes.”
Based in Barcelona, Rodríguez has been working as a freelance artist for almost 20 years — currently focusing on personal projects and creating album covers for international performers including Tame Impala, Weezer, Coldplay and Twin Shadow, as well as many Spanish bands. As part of the “Creator Community” series, Crypto.com NFT asked the artistic psychonaut some questions about himself and his work.
Read the Q&A with Fran Rodríguez below and visit his Crypto.com NFT profile for more information.
Where are you from and what was your upbringing like?
I was born in a small industrial town in northern Spain, then I went to live in Madrid for 10 years. Now, I live in Barcelona. I grew up in a very normal, working class family, but there were always books and music — and I was brought up in a very patient and sensitive way. I guess that influenced me to dedicate myself to something related to art.
When did you first know you wanted to be a professional artist?
I always wanted to dedicate myself to something related to art and creativity, since what I liked to do most was to draw and tell stories. From a very young age, I was clear about my inability to dedicate myself to [anything] else. I always dreamed of being able to live without having to get up early — without having to do things out of obligation. Now I can say that I have achieved it. That makes me very happy.
Are you self-taught or did you receive any training?
I studied graphic design in college and then I did several online and classroom courses. But I must say that almost everything I know, I know thanks to spending hours and hours of sleepless nights — for several years — reading in forums, watching tutorials and asking people who knew more than me. I strongly believe in self-learning. On the internet, we have access to all human knowledge for free. It’s just a matter of getting started.
Tell us about your professional experience.
I started working in advertising and marketing agencies as an art director in Madrid. After 10 years, I had a small existential crisis and decided I didn’t want to continue working for brands. It was a revelation. I quit my job and started working as a freelancer. Beginning [was] hard, but in a few years I managed to make a name for myself and [my] projects started to come out.
I have been living exclusively from my artistic work for 10 years. I accept some commissions, from time to time, because I love to design album covers — but I live from my personal work.
“I always dreamed of being able to live without having to get up early — without having to do things out of obligation. Now I can say that I have achieved it. That makes me very happy.”
How were you monetizing your art before NFTs?
I was selling prints of my work. I also sold the rights to some of my work to be used in magazines or as book or album covers. I live on passive income that my work generates around the world.
How did you get into NFTs?
I saw several artist friends starting to talk about NFTs on Instagram in February and March this year. I asked them and they told me. I spent several days studying and decided to give it a try. It’s the best decision I’ve ever made in my life.
“I like the freedom [NFTs give] artists — the opportunity to work and live [off] their artistic work without having to depend on [other] artists or brands or managers; I believe in decentralization.”
What do you like most about NFTs or working in the NFT space?
I like the freedom it gives artists — the opportunity to work and live [off] their artistic work without having to depend on [other] artists or brands or managers; I believe in decentralization. I didn’t know anything about crypto seven months ago, but now I can say that these months have been some of the most exciting and interesting of my life. I have learned a lot and met some brilliant people.
Do you collect NFTs yourself?
Yes, I am starting a modest collection... I love being able to support artists I connect with.
Tell us about the NFTs in your first collection
As the title indicates, [they] are postcards sent from dreams. They reflect various recurring dreams and visions that I have had, both asleep and awake — in a meditative and absorbed state. I would like that those who see, and hopefully buy, the pieces can be transported to mental places where they are happy — and serve them to look at reality with another perspective.
What do you consider “good” art?
For me, art has to be honest. Really honest. It must not respond to any practical or commercial purpose, nor be affected by fashions or trends. I like art that offers me an alternative way of seeing things [and] living — art that creates, somehow, a parallel universe.
What’s your favorite artistic movement, throughout time?
Surrealism and, in general, any movement or artist who tries to reflect in his work his mind — his way of seeing and imagining the world. In short, all psychedelic art.
What’s more important: technique or message?
Message, no doubt. The technique, the way something is made, seems to me totally secondary. The emotion it conveys, the impact [and] the story it wants to tell is what is important.
“For me, art has to be honest. Really honest… I like art that offers me an alternative way of seeing things [and] living — art that creates, somehow, a parallel universe.”
What do you try to say with your art?
I try to transmit curiosity, amazement and fascination for nature — for the cosmos. That’s all that matters to me. I want people who see my work to feel a part of the magic I feel when I contemplate a sky or a mountain.
What are the common themes of your work?
Outer space, nature [and] the human figure facing the immensity of the cosmos. Mysterious shapes, geometries [and] people with their backs turned.
What inspires you artistically, in general?
Nature. The universe. Everything that is not me inspires me — how the cosmos affects my mind, how it transforms it. I love the outdoors. Hiking. Music is a huge source of inspiration for me. I listen to music all the time, about eight or nine hours a day — in my studio, walking, cooking….
Who is your audience?
Any person who is self-absorbed, daydreaming all the time. Space lovers, psychonauts seeking altered states of consciousness and, in general, minds looking for something beyond [the ordinary].
Browse Fran Rodríguez’s profile on Crypto.com NFT.
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Editor’s Note (Sept. 29, 2022): an earlier version of this article was originally published on Dec. 17, 2021 and has since been edited and/or updated.
