Tattoo Artist Jesse Smith Explores New School Worlds in Web3
The celebrity tattoo artist speaks on ushering his new school aesthetic into the metaverse, with his fictional continent “Carkayous,” a gang of crazy creatures, endless imagination and a little help from some friends.
Always on the hunt for a new medium to master, Jesse Smith is one of those restless artists whose creative drive is never quite satiated — with a head full of gears always in motion, and admittedly a couple of loose screws. In fact, he even owns a tattoo parlor in Richmond, Virginia named Loose Screw. Featured in the second season of popular reality tattoo competition series “Ink Master,” Smith is renowned for his signature take on the “new school” style — characterized by zany cartoonish critters with exaggerated features, warped perspectives and vibrant color schemes.
It is with the same wild imagination that the artist approached his latest undertaking, a multifaceted story-based project centered on the fictional continent of Carkayous — a concept he began developing in his head over a decade ago, serving as a home for the characters depicted in his tattoos and other art. It wasn’t until he got into NFTs, inspired by their world building potential, that he found an appropriate platform to launch his “public expeditions” into the previously uncharted territory — starting with a Crypto.com NFT collection on May 3, which will bring collectors on a journey to observe “The Blooming of the Psilofish.”
“I realized that this was exactly where I needed to be to take Carkayous to the next level. I absolutely love the world building side of the NFT space and all of its potential.”
According to the project’s lore, during the third official expedition to Carkayous in 2014, Smith and his associates traveled to Durken Forest — just northeast of Killick Falls Lagoon on Ferchett’s Island. Each spring, creatures from all over the island gather around Larkin Lake to witness the mushroom-like psilofish reach maturity and transform into jellyfish-esque beings that glow and float around the forest. These magical entities supposedly play a vital role in the ecosystem and live for about a month until they die off or get eaten by the other animals that inhabit the area. According to Smith’s research, the event has a calming effect on the forest — allowing species to coexist peacefully, making spring the ideal time to visit the otherwise hostile environment.
“I had the idea kind of brewing around in my head for a while… but one of the things that kinda kicked it over the edge was when I went to Universal Studios and was riding the Dr. Seuss roller coaster. I remember thinking, ‘I need to create a world like this.’”
Now, as the story goes, Smith is manning his eighth expedition to Carkayous and bringing along a gang of “explorers” — i.e. NFT collectors — to help document the fictional phenomenon. Enlisting the assistance of 12 other new school tattoo artists, Smith and his crew have created 15 creatures of varying rarity to be sold in mystery packs as part of the “Expedition 8: The Blooming of the Psilofish” NFT collection. His creative cohorts for the expedition include fellow “Ink Master” alumni Josh Woods and Thom Bulman as well as Daf Vador, Dave Koenig, Leonardo Socorro, Dabiz del Reino aka Hombre Arrugado, Merv Heiner, Dominic “Opire” Lessard, Scott Olive, Steve Compton, Willy Martin and Adam Aquas. Explorers will be able to collect specified sets of the artists’ creatures to fill in “mini-compositions” or all 15 to complete a full composition depicting the entire gathering of these diverse, often adorable and sometimes straight up bizarre fauna. Full details are subject to change and will be available on the collection’s drop page.
A veteran tattoo artist, muralist and graffiti artist, Smith and his work have been published in a plethora of tattoo magazines, programs, websites and other publications — most recently making headlines for a portrait of police brutality victim George Floyd that he painted on his shop entrance, and subsequently auctioned for charity, during the protests following Floyd’s murder. Smith also organizes the annual Richmond Tattoo Art and Music Festival and runs a clothing brand called One Trick Pony — with a blog where much of the Carkayous story was originally published — as well as a nonprofit called the Giving Arts Foundation, which he established to raise funds for meaningful causes through art and currently advocates for ocean and environmental conservation.
“Carkayous was born out of the need to create more depth within my work.”
Crypto.com NFT spoke with the imaginative artist about Carkayous and the project’s evolution as well as his own creative journey, interest in the NFT space and other endeavors.
Read the Q&A with Jesse Smith below and visit the “Expedition 8: The Blooming of the Psilofish” drop page for more information.
What was your upbringing like and how did it affect your work?
I was born in Tacoma Park, Maryland and raised all over the world. My father was in the Army, so we moved every three [or so] years. I think this had a pretty significant impact on me as an artist for two reasons: one, I was exposed to a ton of different art, cultures, people, situations, etc. — and two, I spent a lot of time drawing by myself, because every time we moved it would take me a while to harness any sort of social life.
I read that you really got into art and graffiti as a teen in Germany; can you elaborate?
I moved to Heidelberg, Germany in 1993. I was a junior in high school at the time — and up to that point, the majority of my artistic inspiration came from skateboard magazines, MAD Magazine, video games and Garbage Pail Kids. I had never seen graffiti before and Germany was full of it! I loved it from the first time I saw it — crazy perspectives [and] tweaked out color schemes, all at a massive size! Rather than hanging out at the clubs until the early morning hours, I would be running around the city painting walls. From that point on, I knew which direction I wanted to take my art.
I understand you kind of got your start drawing caricatures as well.
I started drawing caricatures at Busch Gardens back in ’97. One of my friends suggested I try and get a job there. I didn’t feel qualified, but I tried out anyway. They hired me, gave me eight hours of training and then threw me to the wolves. I remember hearing people behind me saying, “That’s amazing! Where did he learn how to do that?!” and thinking to myself, “Did Busch Gardens hire these people to say these things so that I’d have more confidence?” — because I thought my drawings were horrible. Eventually, I got a dose of reality when I completely botched a drawing of these two little kids. [Their] father was really upset and started yelling at me, asking me, “Who taught you how to draw caricatures?” — all at an audible projected across the park. I remember going home and practicing how to draw little kids just so I wouldn’t be embarrassed again.
How did you get into tattooing?
Between the years of ’96 and ’99, I was in the military and stationed in Fort Eustis, Virginia. On the weekends, I would spend my time hanging out with other artists — either painting graffiti or drawing caricatures at Busch Gardens. Eventually, I stumbled across this fella named Carlos who had just been released from prison and was tattooing out of his house. I would hang out with him often and we would draw together, and sometimes he would tattoo some of my designs. One day, he asked me if I’d like to do a tattoo and I said, “Sure!” He taught me how to make a ghetto gun — [a homemade tattoo machine] — and I hit the ground running. I had only intended on doing one tattoo — but as soon as the word got out that I was giving away free tattoos, I had a slew of people lined up at the door. Not because my tattoos were good — they definitely weren’t — but because I was doing them for next to nothing. Next thing you know, I [was] tattooing on almost all of my free time outside of the military.
What do you love most about working in tattoo art?
I love working with clients and helping them build upon their ideas so that they can walk away with something way different than anyone else. I feel like most people get tattooed to express themselves and their individuality, so I always try to bend them towards getting something that reflects their individuality — without giving them the same old thing that everyone else is getting.
What inspires you artistically, in general?
I gather my inspiration from all over the place. Anywhere from a stain on the floor in the gym to the social dynamics of the people around me. My work typically ranges from what I call “candy” art — art that’s fun to look at — all the way to deep conceptual work. People tend to enjoy the “candy” art the most, but I find that I get the most fulfillment from conceptual art.
What do you consider “good” art?
I really enjoy art that has a little depth behind it, while simultaneously maintaining an interesting aesthetic. I absolutely love creative artists, artists who you can tell are really thinking about different ways of doing things — whether it be their concepts, color theory, composition or content. I’m really attracted to passionate people. I’ve found that I’m more into a passionate artist who maybe isn’t as talented than I am into a super talented artist who is lazy.
What’s more important: technique or message?
I think the message is more important. Banksy is one of my favorite artists in the world and he’s not really all that artistically talented, but his concepts are leaps and bounds above everyone else. I respect technical artists, but I’m more interested in conceptual artists.
What’s your favorite artistic movement, throughout time?
I really love the tattoo movement. I feel like it’s the biggest art movement in the history of man. Not only have we had the advantage of the internet to help spread the word, we also have the advantage of a larger population. I’m so glad I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of this movement.
If you could collaborate with any artist throughout history, who would it be and why?
My first major influence was M.C. Escher. I absolutely loved his work! If you had asked me this question back in high school, it would be him — but now I feel like I’d really like to work with Tim Biedron. He’s a guy who I’ve been looking up to for the entirety of my tattoo career.
What do you think you’d create?
Some crazy, tweaked out back piece with lots of different textures [laughs].
Tell us about Loose Screw Tattoo.
I opened Loose Screw Tattoo in Richmond, back in May of 2011. Prior to opening my own shop, I had worked at almost 14 other shops. Between those shops, I learned what all I did and did not want in a shop [was] — and my goal was to build a place where the artists had everything they needed to be the best artists they could be. I found that a lot of the places I worked at prior were solely focused on profit and I was looking to create something a little different — a place that focused more on the art, while simultaneously giving the clients a comfortable place to get tattooed.
How’d you get involved in the Richmond Tattoo, Art and Music festival?
In 2015, I inherited the festival from a couple [of] fellas from Salt Lake City who felt as though they weren’t able to give it the love it needed, due to the distance between them and Richmond. This festival is one of the oldest running tattoo conventions in the world. It has been running pretty consistently since 1988 and has housed some of the best tattoo artists in the world. There is a lot of history in this convention. Over the past five [or so] years, I’ve been attempting to harness that history — while simultaneously sprinkling in a bunch of new ideas and keeping it fresh. We typically throw the show around the earlier part of October, but this year we will be throwing it from Oct. 21 to the 23rd.
How has the tattoo industry reacted to NFTs?
Initially, I got a handful of haters here and there. But over time, I think they all unfollowed me — because I haven’t heard much in awhile [laughs]. Mostly randos.
The collectors are a different story. I invited a few of my collectors over to Discord and they hit the ground running. It’s at [the] point now where they’re starting to introduce and teach me about the things that they have found [and] heard within the space. It’s really exciting watching them dive in head first and being the one to introduce them.
How did you get into NFTs? What attracted you to the space?
Over the course of about a year, I got hit up by a ton of people telling me that I should get into NFTs and that my work would be perfect for the space. Initially, I was resistant — mostly because none of it made sense to me. I carried the same opinion that most did about it not being any different than taking a screenshot of an image. Eventually, the requests grew louder and louder — so I decided to jump in head first and see what it was all about. After a month or so, I was completely consumed by the space. I realized that this was exactly where I needed to be to take Carkayous to the next level. I absolutely love the world building side of the NFT space and all of its potential.
How did you come up with the concept of Carkayous?
Carkayous was born out of the need to create more depth within my work. Back in 2009, I had been tattooing for about 11 years and had received almost every accolade in tattooing that you could receive at that particular point in time — awards, magazine articles, etc. I had a waiting list of over 3,000 people who were willing to allow me to do whatever it was that I wanted to do, so they would come in and give me a rough idea as to what it [was] that they wanted and I would do my rendition of that particular idea.
Eventually, everything seemed to become redundant and shallow. I wanted these characters that I was tattooing to have more depth, so I created this fictitious continent called Carkayous — which is located off the coast of the Galápagos Islands. Here, all my characters live and interact with one another. So now, when a client walks out the door, their character is connected to all of my other clients’ characters via Carkayous. One client’s rabbit may be friends with another client’s rabbit. Or maybe they’re enemies. Nonetheless, they live on forever in Carkayous.
I can tell you’ve really put a lot of thought into the mythology of Carkayous. What inspired the storytelling, in particular?
I had the idea kind of brewing around in my head for a while before I actually created my first blog post to unveil it, but one of the things that kinda kicked it over the edge was when I went to Universal Studios and was riding the Dr. Seuss roller coaster. I remember thinking, “I need to create a world like this.”
I understand you’re working up to a big profile picture (PFP) drop; what can you share about it, at this point?
Yes! The following 10,000 [piece] PFP drop is called “Expedition 10: In Search of the Butterfly Bat.” We will set sail back to Ferchett’s Island, a large island located on the southeastern side of Carkayous, from the Galápagos — and venture through the Akuta Reef to reach our final destination, the Shinokey Mountains. While we’re there, our job [will be] to analyze and document the thriving aerial species that we believe have all originated from the infamous butterfly bat. This time around, we will only be focusing on the aerial creatures that are primarily purple in color. From our past expeditions, we have learned that this particular group of creatures tend to be a little more docile than those of other colors.
How did you select the artists to collaborate with on this drop?
In the tattoo world, I’m considered a new school tattoo artist — which loosely translates into a cartoonist. Although the tattoo world is rather large, the new school community within the tattoo world is pretty small — so I just reached out to all of my friends and artists who I respect, and asked them if they’d like to partake in one of the largest collaborative projects ever!
What do you like most about NFTs or working in the NFT space?
One of the things that attracted me the most, when entering the NFT space, was the ability to create generative art. Before I fully understood what an NFT was, I remember thinking about how cool it would be to create a bunch of different traits and run them through a program to see how many different creatures I could create with them. I eventually got in deeper and realized all the potential that NFTs have in giving the power back to the visual artists.
Once Google, Instagram and Facebook kind of took everything over, visual media kind of lost its value. You could see anything you wanted, anytime you wanted — and because of that, the exclusivity was lost. Back in the day, if you wanted to see good art, you had to wait for the next [issue] of a specific magazine to come out. Now you’re force fed it via your feed everyday. I suspect that, down the road, visual imagery will regain its value through NFTs by essentially proving ownership of that media — so that not just anyone can share your media without either paying or asking you first.
If you could change anything about the NFT industry, what would it be?
I really wish there was a way to cut down on all the spamming and scamming that happens within the space. I suspect that over time, as the space gets more and more populated, the ROI on all of this will no longer make sense for these guys. I also hope that over time the industry puts more things into place to prevent people from getting taken advantage of. I know that’s one of the things I constantly hear about the space from people who haven’t had the opportunity to dig deeper.
Did you turn to NFTs to recoup any lost business due to the pandemic?
Not at all. Believe it or not, 2021 was the most successful year Loose Screw Tattoo has had since its inception in 2011. That was one of the things that made me hesitant in getting into the space, that I felt I really needed to continue nurturing my tattoo shop because it was doing so well. It was difficult for me to rationalize taking on another project, when I already had so much on my plate. In the end, it was a pretty seamless transition into the space — being that I was already kinda doing a lot of this stuff, just in a different capacity.
Who are some of your favorite NFT artists in the community?
Ugonzo is definitely a guy I absolutely must give a shoutout to. He has been very generous with his time and knowledge, and I wouldn’t be where I am today without him.
Another artist who really helped me out was [Javier Antunez] from the Board 2 Death Club. I had known of his work from the tattoo world, but we hadn’t formally met. When I got into the space, he was the only person I recognized — so I reached out to him for help. He didn’t hold back and helped me out with [everything] I needed. Not only is he an amazing artist, he’s also a great guy.
Frank La Natra is another artist who I really admire. Him and I have been friends for over 10 years and we both ended up in the space right around the same time. His project is called the Battle Bunnies.
The AlphaBots crew are other Crypto.com NFT alumni who have been very inviting and generous with their time. I love them and their art!
Do you collect NFTs yourself?
Of course! I bought my first NFT about a year and a half ago from one of my favorite artists, Greg “Craola” Simkins. I wanted to understand what buying an NFT felt like from a consumer’s perspective before I started to create my own. I now have a collection of about 10 [or so] from various artists who I respect and who have helped me out along the way — AlphaBots, B2DC, Battle Bunnies, etc. I think my favorite piece is the first one I bought, solely because it represents my first step into the space — plus I really love the art.
I read about the George Floyd mural you auctioned for charity; have you considered doing any charity work in the NFT space?
Most definitely! For this first drop, we will be donating 10% of [the Carkayous team’s] proceeds to the Giving Arts Foundation. This particular organization raises awareness and funds to help out with ocean and environmental conservation efforts. I’ve always loved the ocean and wildlife in general, so being able to support those efforts through my artwork definitely makes me feel good.
What are some new ways you’d like to leverage NFTs in the future?
We’ve got a whole slew of ideas up our sleeves, one of which is to create augmented reality merch from our NFT collections — so that the average person can get a taste of what we’ve got in store for them in the future of the metaverse, right from their phone.
Do you have any goals or future plans for your art, in the NFT space or otherwise?
My main goal is to continue building out Carkayous. I’ve been working on Carkayous for over a decade now and would eventually like to see it turned into a video game and cartoon. I suspect that this will be my lifelong project.
Currently, we have the artwork complete for the next eight drops and I’m super excited to unveil them all to the NFT community.
Browse “The Blooming of the Psilofish” collection.
Please note that by accessing or using this content, you agree that Crypto.com is solely responsible for the minting, custody and provision of the Crypto.com NFT Platform. Any additional products or features of the drop (including redeemable items, charity donations, utility and/or giveaways) are provided at the entire responsibility of the Creator(s) featured/interviewed unless otherwise noted on Crypto.com’s official channels. Any views and opinions expressed by Creator(s) belong to the same and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of Crypto.com. Although Crypto.com makes best efforts to ensure this article contains accurate information, it cannot be guaranteed that all information provided is up to date. For more details, please refer to the drop page and the Creator(s)’ channels. Some products or features of the drop may not be available in certain jurisdictions. Nothing in this article should be taken as legal or financial advice.
Editor’s Note (Oct. 5, 2022): an earlier version of this article was originally published on April 28, 2022 and has since been edited and/or updated.
