NEAR Artists & their NEAR Journey: a MyNearWallet Deep Dive. Part I
Yes, MyNearWallet is launching a series on NEAR art and NEAR artists, together with our friends at Apollo42 and amazing artists from the NEAR community!
In this, very long but very exciting article, we meet NEAR artists, learn their stories, explore their art and try and get a fuller understanding of what their art is telling us.
We also discuss how NEAR art boosts NEAR adoption. So, open up MyNearWallet account, get NEAR NFTs, start your collections and explore the possibilities with us, together!
- If you are a NEAR artist, reach out and contribute to this article!
- If you are a NEARian, get to know your favourite artists, comment and share your feedback
- And if you just came across this article and don’t know anything about NEAR Protocol or NFTs on NEAR — this is your chance to learn something magical today!
In this article (there’s more to follow), we talk with Kenzeroart, Ericson, GenX Artist and Ligaya.
Let’s go!
Kenzeroart
NEAR: not just the high quality ecosystem … but the people in it!
Hey Kenzeroart! Thanks for being here!
Check out Kenzeroart work on Apollo42 and on Paras (and you can login there using MyNearWallet)
Tell us a bit about yourself. How did you first hear about NEAR?
Art became my passion when I was in grade school. I have never imagined that this passion would become the source of my income and now my job!
The first time I heard about NEAR was from a friend. Most of the artists that he knows are selling their art via Near NFT Marketplaces.
What’s your favourite thing about NEAR?
I love how NEAR brings the legitimacy of community. Not just the high quality ecosystem it provides but the people around it.
Let’s talk about your NEAR art. How did you get into it?
I am just enjoying what I am doing right now and thats creating art. I have lot of styles to show if you ask and I love how the people on the Web3 specially on Near Blockchain engage with my art and that’s the reason why I felt more love in doing such art like this.
What are you focusing on when creating NEAR art?
I am eagerly want to convey message and positivity in my art. I want to move someone by sharing my art to them. To let them feel the emotions and bring them to different spaces.
Your favourite NEAR artwork by you?
“This artwork represents the Near ecosystem and Apollo42 Marketplace. Futuristic and elegant”,
Kenzeroart
What are some of your favourite NEAR art pieces by other artists?
I love 1of1 art on Near.
How does NEAR art help spread awareness about NEAR?
NEAR Art attracts most of the people. It makes them feel the enjoyment of joining and staying on the Blockchain.
Ericson
My favourite thing is that the community in NEAR is so welcoming and solid!
Hey Ericson, happy to have you here!
Check out Ericson’s art on Apollo42! You can explore it using your MyNearWallet account.
Tell us a bit about yourself. How did you first hear about NEAR?
I am a self-taught digital artists from Philippines, i draw to express everything about myself and life experiences thru making art. I heard about NEAR about a months ago from one of my art guild-mates.
What’s your favourite thing about NEAR?
My favourite thing is that the community in NEAR is so welcoming and solid!
And, as a creator, the gas fee is so affordable :)
Let’s talk about your NEAR art. How did you get into it?
Before NFTs, I did Digital Portraits using Android phone and in 2021 I met people who helped me to upgrade it to an Android tablet.
As for my art, I just realized there are a lot of untold stories of mine that need to be expressed so I do it through making art.
What are you focusing on when creating NEAR art?
Quality over quantity im not a pro artist, im still a newbie artist but i preferred to take time to finish any of my art piece and it allows my to self critized my work.
Your favourite NEAR artwork by you?
Check it out on Apollo42!
Why is this one your favourite? What is it about? What does it tell the community?
So far in my art journey this one is my favourite because of the details I put in here. There are only a few people who could appreciate it but me as the creator I’m so proud of myself because I have improved a lot compared to my previous works.
That’s my goal to make a better version of myself everyday.
It’s all about a common sleep disorder “INSOMNIA”. After the pandemic we’ve been through a lot of struggles in life, and on my side those struggles became my everyday thoughts so I can’t fall asleep normally. (while answering this form, its 3:50am here in the Philippines 😆😆)
I think yes, I know I’m not the only one who’s experiencing this kind of sleeping disorder but the good thing is they can relate to my works so it can make them feel they are not the only ones experiencing those kind of things .
What are some of your favourite NEAR art pieces by other artists?
Kenzeroart! He’s the reason why I discovered NEAR. In fact, his doodle artworks and his newest collection are so damn good.
How does NEAR art help spread awareness about NEAR?
As I noticed from different blockchain like ETH and Tezos, there are a lot of investors in art especially on 1/1 art. If NEAR ecosystem supports artists, it will spread a lot of awareness that NEAR is one of those blockchains which fully supports art/artists.
1/1 is for long-term. That’s what other investors want.
Art is one reason why NFT become well-known, and Art already proved that its for long-term, even in the bear market artists are making art.
GenX Artist
NEAR: I can see this as a secure alternative to card payments and with NEAR’s low gas fees, it’s a very usable and good opportunity for people to adopt a web3 payment method
Hey there! What’s your name or your art nickname?
My name is Andy AKA GenX Artist
Tell us a bit about yourself. How did you first hear about NEAR?
I’m a freelance web designer, artist and digital creator. I was commissioned to build a website and design the project’s theme and a character for a BSC coin.
This was my introduction to web3, and the same client onboarded me to NEAR, recommending that for me, as an artist and builder, NEAR would be perfect because of its open ethos, upcoming potential, and cheap gas fees.
What’s your favourite thing about NEAR?
Firstly, the low gas fees enticed me to explore, secondly, the community made me feel like family. And finally, it gives me hope for the future.
I work with people who sell online. Web2 payment methods for small businesses can be expensive in fees and ongoing security updates.
I often wish I could offer them to use NEAR or even USN as an option. We’re not there yet but I can see this as a secure alternative to card payments. With NEAR’s low gas fees, it’s a very usable and good opportunity for people to adopt a web3 payment method in the future.
Let’s talk about your NEAR art. How did you get into it?
As an artist, many years ago, I came to terms with the fact that I couldn’t make much money from 1/1 art. Even a few years, back when NFTs went boom, I looked at it, and with ETH gas fees, I didn’t think it was really that much better. In fact, there was a very real chance of losing money rather than making it trying to sell art this way.
NEAR changed this perspective for me. Now, Artists can not only put out their work for sale in form of NFTs, but they can also find work doing the same from within the community.
What are you focusing on when creating NEAR art?
On one hand, for the first time in my life, I can create art, a story a vision for myself. I present as an artist, and people who support the arts can purchase from me and support this creative journey.
On the other hand, I have a project called Goatboy360 which on the surface, is a PFP style NFT project with a talking Goat that focuses on a story of an artist coming into the web3 world whilst meeting the community. But It’s More than just The Goat, my ambition is to build something that expands use cases for NFTs integrated into websites using the NEAR wallet.
I feel every NEAR NFT project and NFT artist should be able to offer their holders to login to a website with their NEAR wallet and be offered functionality there, unique to the project.
Be it unlocking extra content, access to purchasing merch or physical prints etc
I’m working on paving the way for this to happen with the Goatboy project, let’s see.
Could you show us your favourite NEAR piece made by you?
I don’t have a favourite and I create in a myriad of styles. I’ll just refer you to my website and you can see a selection of my work which as my tagline states is spreading around the interweb like a fungus tagging the metaverse in the process 😎
But if you had a favourite one, what would it be about? What would it tell the community?
OK, if you’re forcing me to choose it’s gotta be Goatboy. Because of the story I’m telling and the fun I’m having with it.
Goatboy’s story is about someone who travels to live in light city to become an NFT artist. However, as they struggle to make it, they are forced to take another job (this is how Goatboy ended up working for LCN News reading NEAR community updates).
Although people might not connect the dots fully yet, eventually they will, as his success in the story will become the communities’ success in reality.
What are some of your favourite NEAR art pieces by other artists?
Hmmmm, I love Mr Brown and Mara because because as artists, they’ve proved art can be successful as an NFT just for the Art.
I love Savage Girls Guild as they have built a massive community active and dedicated to supporting and collaborating with artists.
I love Calcamonia, Ev3 and Studio Voodoo for pushing the mixed media AI gen art scene.
But really there’s many more I could go on and on.
How does NEAR art help spread awareness about NEAR?
Hmm, well… Paras is the largest to-date market on NEAR. From my understanding Paras wouldn’t exist and possibly the adoption we’ve had so far neither, without the surge of artists who first used it and contributed to circulating and spreading awareness of it. I could be wrong, I wasn’t here for the very early days but I imagine they played a pretty big part.
Ligaya
On NEAR Art & Adoption: Through arts, challenges and bounties, people get curious and want to learn what NEAR is, and more and more digital artist get eager to learn and explore what NEAR can offer.
Tell us a bit about yourself. How did you first hear about NEAR?
Hi! My name is Ligaya, I am from Philippines, I am a digital Artist since 2018 and been in NEAR since July 2021.
I heard about NEAR when my friends from Digital art groups shared some links of NFT marketplaces back then with the help of NEAR Philippines.
Since then, more and more artists are trying to explore NEAR ❤️.
What’s your favourite thing about NEAR?
My favorite part is when people acknowledge me as Ligaya and not as a simple NFT creator. I love to see my art everywhere, and also sales from NFTs is, of course, a bonus :)
Let’s talk about your NEAR art. How did you get into it?
The inspiration of my arts are my Art friends and my emotions. I draw Art pieces and create collections based on who or what inspires me during these times.
And I love what I am doing because my art is my friend ❤️
Could you show us your favourite NEAR piece made by you?
Check it out on Paras!
Why is this one your favourite? What is it about? What does it tell the community?
The image I attach is one of my favourites as I gave all I had in that artwork. All efforts, time, excitement are in there, and it’s precious for me.
What a great experience as an Artist - to have something what you can call your masterpiece!
What are some of your favourite NEAR art pieces by other artists?
Crypto Ape Gang, Near Doodle, Runes of Uttoria.
How does NEAR art help spread awareness about NEAR?
It helps a lot: through arts, challenges and bounties, people get curious and want to learn what NEAR is, and more and more digital artist get eager to learn and explore what NEAR can offer.
Conclusion
Well, not a conclusion — this is just Part I. More parts to follow.
Thanks, Community Artists! Builders be building, artists be creating, and NEAR use cases be growing!
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