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Artist Spotlight: The Caribbean Glitch Art of IX Shells
Artist Spotlight: The Caribbean Glitch Art of IX Shells

Artist Spotlight: The Caribbean Glitch Art of IX Shells

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IX Shells, Kevin Rose
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28 Clips
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Feb 23, 2022
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Episode Summary
Episode Transcript
0:03
I think I have a lot of patience. I learned to live with very little because of things in life that I couldn't handle. And me focusing on the art meant that everything that I invested was on my computer. And I devices to create art. When I started selling in Estes. I could give back to my family, could tell them. Hey, I got the groceries today and I did some
0:30
all things like that. I was so happy.
0:42
That was IX shells. I got to say, I'm still kicking myself when I was outbid a few months back on and I shells artwork on super rare. Her generative art is just absolutely phenomenal. Highly recommend heading over to Masterpiece Gallery that will link up in the show notes. So you can get a sense of the gist huge wide variety of generative art that she produces iock shells.
1:04
Several records from the two million dollar sale of her artwork dreaming at dusk. That sale means she's the highest grossing, nft Artist as a woman, a black artist, and a Panamanian just a fantastic Human. The show was a ton of fun. Let's chat with
1:19
her. So first question
1:25
for you, I axe is, like, do I refer to use IX II? IX shells. How should I refer to
1:29
you? I think most of my friends prefer to say excels person.
1:34
Reason, this name has different meanings. So that's why. I I just let everyone just used anything that they prefer.
1:43
I would love to just touch on that for just a quick second. Like it. Can you give me the background on on eggshells? Is that like a, it's as shortening of your formal name?
1:51
Correct. Eggshells. Is it means to same and the Mayan culture. It means goddess of the moon fertility. The
2:04
Mose and the modern culture actuals translated to Spanish or letting is it cell? Which is my, my formal name. Also. I develop other meanings. Like I said, reading doing which is one of my favorite books. There's a planet called X in there where they built my kinery and they will on top of artificial intelligence intelligence has been
2:34
ban from the universe. So it just relates to a lot of but could probably happen in the future. And also, shelves is a computer program that where you can access the computers without request. So I just like doing that with everything, with my name, with art, with the people. I meet this everything around me. It has like a parallel
3:01
version.
3:03
When you talk about your interest in either AI or sci-fi or any of the stuff, did you always consider yourself a geeky person growing up?
3:13
Well, I could say that I never learn anything different. I grew up surrounded with but mostly anime when I was a kid. Now a lot of people in Panama where I'm from just grows of like watching anime.
3:33
And I remember waking up super early to watch my favorites, whenever I was misbehaving or anything. My dad will give me a book to read and I could not stand until I finish like certain chapters or he will give me like encyclopedia or he will make me right. Like anything, that was just like enhancing like, I guess know that as a kid even in English as
4:03
That's where I learned my English. It was in that form. It's reading or writing did the, I'm
4:08
curious as I'm a dad now with a couple little girls. Who was that? Like was that it would you consider that a good form of punishment? Like did it encourage you to like, you know, get into these topics or was it something? Where at the time you were just like, oh, this is the worst punishment
4:22
ever. Thank you. Well, actually learn to love it. Like, I don't know if I'm I think it's everything else can be a waste of time. Like just go.
4:33
Go to your room, do whatever in there. Anything you can do something more. Practical. My dad was an engineer. So he was always, like, trying to engineer everything around him. I think I learned a lot from hearing the said. Yeah, that's that's what I've been doing all
4:50
along in. So it was something where you did you grow up with computers in the house or what was that first kind of experience for you getting into
5:00
computing?
5:02
Yes, I grew up surrounded by computers.
5:06
Like one of the first I think my dad had like all kind of artifacts around. He was into telecommunications and satellite. So every time he was in his Workshop, building something or kind of like inventing his ways around like you also working in the farm we grew up in a and the countryside and we had a land, a piece of
5:36
Land where he used to plant stuff and just I guess plan his retirement to be an agriculture. Yeah. I remember, just growing up learning how to how to build things like that learning and seeing from him. I think a lot of what I do is I'm inspired by my childhood to
6:01
it. What brought you to this place of the combination of
6:06
Of technology and an art, was it something where you always had a Natural Curiosity for kind of coding and that led to more our? Did you have a little bit of traditional art and you as well like in school. Did you ever focus on any of that or what was that? How did those two things come together?
6:26
So a new school? I was more focused on an actual data. I Remember Loving Accounting in math.
6:36
And just doing practical things in terms of a time. And I was doing a lot of sports. I'll stay Outdoors, most of the time, and force, my brother to play with me. I guess he doesn't like sports, but I'll tell him like I've, you know, the typical just being a kid. Like, if you do this, I'll probably play with you later. Whatever you want and the console also grew up playing video games. You know, it's me.
7:06
Any other spoon? I remember clearly just spending most of my days in nature, just Outdoors playing sports. So I think I develop my, my love for art, as I as a grownup. I I've always loved art, but making it wasn't wasn't focused. I guess I was more into music too. I remember trying to learn every single instrument.
7:36
I even try to sing opera when I was a kid, amazing. Yeah, we're almost too shy to remember going to class and not really going in sometimes so, you know, your voice changes and just change the habits. Um, I've done a little bit of everything trial, my life writing. This is the artist like the one, I feel more comfortable.
8:06
So, you're someone that likes to dabble in a bunch of different disciplines is something where it is. This is like, I'll give you my example, my friends always tell me that, like, I have too many hobbies. Like I like I took a sewing class one time just because I had never learned how to sew and like that seems ridiculous. But I, you know, why not? It's like, I just, I saw it. I was like, I'd that's something I haven't done before and I just signed up for it, right? Were you were you someone that had which is always trying new different
8:34
things. I mean, if
8:36
Interesting, if I feel attracted to to it, if inspires me, for example, this month. I've been playing a lot online and it made me it reminded me of how I get very disciplined when I play a game. I think it really helps me rather than take time away from me.
9:00
I had done a lot of like difficult things in life and paperwork and move to another country while playing an open world, bro, bro, playing game and I think it's because it just guides me through, you know, follow instructions Gathering achievements and learning about other worlds. Also, I get super super focused in my brain works. That way that I get hyper focus on Art. So, when I have a lot of projects going on,
9:29
Once like a half right now. It's pretty overwhelming. I just dive into something that makes me focus on one thing and then I feel more relaxed. I feel like my brain can can handle real
9:43
words that kind of a way for you to get deep distress a little bit. Just to kind of like have something about a different Universe to go
9:49
into.
9:52
Yeah, multiple Dimensions. Also feel really, really focus when I saw sharing art, even if the project that I'm honest not related with, with it directly. I could be, you know, like a guy show, but it's not related with making the art itself or seeing the output and now falling in love with it. Like I usually do. I go into just making art and that makes me focus and have and create and
10:23
Finish the other things that I need to do.
10:25
When did you first start playing around with generative art, where you coding? Other things, I could offer you some one of these people that just had written other programs like other types of software to do not are related things and then eventually found yourself kind of playing around with it, or was there a tool that popped up that got you excited to play with this type of stuff.
10:46
So I must to turn now and 2014.
10:51
I was I started a relationship. I started going to college for architectural technology. I remember being really interested in just finishing something that I really love before doing that. I was doing married and I ministration and information technology. I will work as an i-team in different jobs since I was 18, so I learned a lot about it without ever going to college.
11:18
And then, I wanted to finish something that I could come back to Panama and get a really good job. And then I do the things I love. Like I was thinking that way and those days because I mean, it's very difficult to earn a proper income in Panama with a funeral without proper English or a degree, you know, salaries here in a developing country are way different than any other. So,
11:48
So in a developed country and I remember, just going to architectural technology and really loving it, but it was too too expensive. Came to a point where I had to take a decision and try to find another career things in my relationship got really, really bad and I just needed Escape. I needed something where I could send time around self, and I found an offer in computer science.
12:18
Study at goldsmiths University of London. They were offering a degree for developing countries at a lower price and I took it and I wrote a letter of intent and they accept that my my letter. And I was just so proud. Like, I couldn't believe I was accepted in that college because, you know, like its focus on Creative coding and a lot of like New Media Arts and then I started diving
12:48
into into that world. I started researching online for tools II found glitch art. I was interested in it, mostly and I found tools like notepad plus Claus. I'm like, really, really simple ways to alter data and images or, or music, or anything, and instead of playing with it, at the time. I was still stressed with like two jobs. Not being able to study in Toronto in a difficult relationship.
13:18
Shep. So I just hyper focused on on learning it and I love the outputs. I loved what I was seeing which was
13:30
Way, different than any time was used to see. I can see patterns, and trees and buildings, and shadows. It says a beautiful experience to discover another world inside my world. I started really looking through the art and imagining.
13:51
Imaginary and I felt like it was slowly healing prom then Society of being in a country by myself, with uncertainty in life, getting older and not being able to find, you know, stability. And I remember just wanting to make art only that. So when I decided to come to Panama and
14:19
Keep studying a computer science cool while creating this like abstract Potter's I wasn't feeling well in the sense of like I just left the country were had started from zero, and I'm now it has to start from zero again.
14:38
And get used to my country to the culture. After five years of being in Toronto and I came right before the pandemic started. So I really didn't have time to go out there. Meet people and, you know, start speaking Spanish again because I was in Spanish. Speaking in Spanish, my Spanish feels broken and it's just a lot happening in my head.
15:07
Head. I spend most of my days.
15:11
Just inside my head and my computer in my room. And I think I just develop a relationship with with my art and I what I was doing. I was creating like 10 different artworks or more every day and sharing.
15:28
And once I started sharing I've I started feeling better. I had a lot of feedback from from friends since the very start and he said it meeting people and released. I started seeing like I could connect with the world again in a digital form.
15:50
And also it myself. So yeah, this that's a little bit of how
15:55
How I got into General disorder, that's beautiful. You've been doing for
15:59
this for quite some time. I've gone back on, you know on your Instagram. What was what was the place that you found brought you that most most connection luck with other artists? And did you realize there was kind of a movement of generative artist that was emerging or that you could somehow connect with or when did you start hearing about other generative artists?
16:24
I remember sharing Hashtags with my art because I started researching how to do this. You know, the whole Instagram thing. It was just at the beginning of Instagram. I think I found within the hashtags. Other words, mostly sci-fi art. A lot of like cyberpunk art and glitch art. Was there at the beginning, or at least, that's what I could find. And they could show number of hashtags that was using at the beginning. I was just
16:53
Ghost on what I was doing and also trying to study. I remember trying to find different facts about computer science and sharing it with an image or an output that I will find during the day.
17:12
and for example, about software design, Potter's I got so interested in it that everything I see had are parallel with with the terms, for example of a cade where
17:27
Duluth and I started sharing in the caption different.
17:32
Concepts so I could remember what I was starting what I saw was doing like art just just for fun just to share this like I guess create my alternate reality and
17:48
Yeah, then I said it finding other artists and different kind of generative art. I noticed that there wasn't really a lure or concept to it, who's mostly geometry, you know, random outputs, but I always win like an extra mile for anything. I share. Like I don't think I can share anything unless it's like something that is static and I really love. But everything has a little story.
18:16
At that shit.
18:19
So with a friend eyes, I created a page called creative called are we started sharing other people's work, just for fun and I started creating a community out of it. Like I connected with so many artists, our community get out of our communities. This is quite small compared to, you know, 3dr and then other disciplines, so I
18:48
I'm afraid, I think I could say that I, I know a large percentage of during the forest just from my using hashtags or trying to discover something new to share.
19:02
So that's cool. So I didn't know you created creative Code art. That that's your your community that you put
19:08
together. Yes. I put it together with my friend. He is living in it on. We met through friends, while living in Toronto. And I had many friends from
19:18
From Tehran. And yeah, we just were just like talking online and sharing art all the time. And they were, we were like, why don't we make page that that were we can just make like a diary of what we're sharing. So I started sharing because like he couldn't trust his taste that much. He just like, do you like this? Like he will ask me all the time. So,
19:48
um,
19:49
Yep, just created it together and I kept the creation while he kept making stories. And now they, so he focused on other things and I still managed to page, and I try to share with other artists. We have a small group on Facebook and, and Discord. But the page itself on Instagram has grown uncontrollably.
20:17
And I'm really proud of it. I'm proud that the people that follow. So, what I like to share, trust me enough to follow me all the time. It's being like four or five years. Now, we created events out of it. During the pandemic. We were feeling pretty boom out that the, the year that we wanted to make digital events. We couldn't do it. So, somehow we managed to get a place in New York, a friend of ours offer us space. And we
20:47
It is a different shows with the help of some friends in New York. It was it was really fun. We were, we were doing BR shows we were using large screens and unlike digital form. And also in the physical space. We started projecting art for three days. We did that three times and in less than four months and I wasn't
21:17
I haven't, I've never been so technical with the term of creation. So is doing a lot at once. Almost 200 artists at once each time, just because I wanted to help as many as I could. When I understand, like I should focus more on like smaller groups and try to like push them that those days, it was everything. Everything was for fun. And I remember everything everyone was so excited and sharing all the
21:47
I'm sharing stories and I think we created a small space where artists had hope and inspiration, We Gather a lot of visual data from it. I also be managed to sell some tickets with that. We created NG and we gave back everything to the artists and that's what that was before. And if keys, that was before all of this craze where artists are now independent and you don't need, you know,
22:17
You can mean your own work and I can get get enough Revenue to create more projects by yourself. You don't need to depend on anyone. So, but those days I feel like I had a responsibility with the audience that I had with the creation. So I did everything. That was my hands to to make that happen.
22:41
What was the moment when you first heard about the world of in FTS? Was it something where fellow artists head?
22:47
Started to dabble or did all kind of hit you all at once or what happened there.
22:54
I heard about nft store in Winter 2020. Someone told me about super rare and tell me about etherium. Wish. I had no idea about I know about photography, but I never really dove into cryptocurrencies. So when I heard of super and like you
23:17
Had to make different videos to get in and it was was very complicated. But the time I really didn't go through that process, spend a year, just sharing our time, keep creating. And then I started seeing things happening as we all know. And if the Starks floating around October, I heard about our books around that. I'm true. My friend Demetria charniak. He he was working in the project, I kept seeing
23:47
Little teasers about it.
23:50
And then my friend who's a treaty artist, Nicole ruggero used to create together 3D art just for fun. I wanted to learn more about it. She saw one of her artworks in one of those new platforms and I just started seeing that I didn't really have to go through, you know, the process of trying to find an online store. So I could actually try to make a living out of my art.
24:20
Because I was so into it that I wasn't really working in an office. I wasn't really doing anything else or generating an income. My family was taking care of me and things were guaranteed, a fficult. So I was just thinking of ways to do, keep doing what I love while, I could bring something to my family. The, when I really got interested was
24:48
When the, our blocks I came to be with wear, with my friend Dimitri, he sold out his work in 20 minutes. And I, I saw how excited he was about everything and also how he was actually.
25:05
He didn't know that was going to happen. I started researching more on where to me and my work how to do it.
25:14
And I found the foundation platform to my sir, Nicole. I got an invitation from DC, how our was Community manager. There. She gave me advice. She told me, she loved my work. The first artist that they feature on their Twitter Banner. There were really trying to push. Like I noticed that they were really trying to push like women in the space and also underrepresented communities. Even though there was like
25:44
A lot of controversy around limitations and how it was sort of gatekeeper at the beginning. I think, I really think that creation was trying to focus on
25:58
starting amount of artists to help them succeed and they helped me a lot. They they show my work. I enough times to help me grow like social media on Twitter. I never used Twitter before. Last year. I started connecting with collector sir and sell you something my work.
26:19
Yeah, that that's fantastic. You have some beautiful pieces on Foundation. I always wondered. Why you chose because you did mention earlier you heard of it sounds
26:28
Heard of super rare first, the you ended up going with with Foundation. It sounds like the community and they're kind of how great they were at at representing. Under-represented artist was a huge factor in it for you.
26:43
Yes. I'm also developed a friendship with with some Vickery odors. They were really interested on where I was from. I noticed that the strategies of bringing people from different parts of the world and then like I could breathe.
26:58
People from my country on board, other artists that were on my laying like, generative artists. I got a lot of invitations and I started like teaching others how to use it. I think one of the one of the points toward the things that I love the most about the platform and so I get so easy to use like the user interface. One of the best is always being I could spend hours and they're just like watching.
27:28
Our from everything that was at the beginning. It was the fastest. I was just up. I've always been attracted by my user design experiences. So,
27:41
I think I create my page as well. Known only from other people's art, but my own Pages, it's like a giant collage and I didn't even plan it. I think I just
27:55
I just go with my sense of color or my sense of powders and I keep connecting dots on the way so I could do that on a foundation as well. Well, I'm just play with how I will build my collection. Yeah, it was it was a great experience. Had a lot of fun sharing and not really Shilling. I never really liked just chlorine and
28:24
Trying to sell something. I think I always loved attracting collector. So whoever was interested in my art. So that helped a lot to have like a platform where you can show your art and like, its visibility was great. I didn't have to go through all the trouble of like going thread by thread trying to share or trying to sell my work. I wasn't really even though I don't have any money.
28:54
In the beginning, I think I have a lot of patience. I learned to live with very little because of, you know, things in life that I couldn't handle and me focusing on the art meant that everything that I invested was on my computer and I devices to create art. But now i-i've with when I started selling a nasties, I could give back to my family, could tell them. Hey, I got the groceries today.
29:25
And I did small things like that. I was so happy. If you see my Instagram has I share my first cell there. Like it was a hundred million dollars, to be honest. It felt like that. It felt like it when I eat was like, wow, I can't believe I just got this support to to meant more artwork and also help my family.
29:51
Let's let's unpack that for sale little bit. So you said this was one that you saw.
29:54
Sold for it. Went 4-1 eith. When would this have
29:57
been? Yeah, that was like. That was actually my second cell ever. My first cell was through true Sora and my piece was collected by my friend
30:09
Dimitri. Oh beautiful.
30:11
You want to help me meant more artworks, but also didn't want to sell. It didn't want to ask for any help because he knows I'm a proud dad, I guess and he he wanted that. He
30:24
To collect the piece for me. He wanted to collect my first piece. So that was a gesture for me that he really believed in me what I was doing.
30:35
That I will go on until that piece that he collected with Pete, you know, more I guess more valuable. I was thinking and that in the beginning but you know with time and learned that I learned to love.
30:54
What we were building here, that is the giant Archive of art that can last. And it is not only just or somewhere else where he can get lost in all of this memories. And the diary that most of the, many of us have have been building for years, can just disappear for me. My Instagram is like a diary and like somewhere where I store a lot of stories I made like hundreds of
31:24
If you go through it, like can see every day, making him a story at least and it's just a way for me to connect with people around the world like and I can say I have a friend in like Each corner of the globe. Virus is. Yeah. So amazing.
31:43
I gotta say. That's been the most beautiful things to happen to me in this transition from kind of, you know, web to to whatnot. People are calling web. 30 is I realize it.
31:53
It's a much more. It's a much broader kind of international audience and not just about the Silicon Valley startup. You know, it's it's it's really a lot more spread out around the world. At least, it seems to me that way at least a my connections. And this went through space have been way more International than than was the, you know, small little insiders game of web to which I think is
32:17
fantastic.
32:19
My dad's definitely even before and of these as like meeting people through stories, but now you can actually work can actually trust someone through like this technology because it's transparent, right? And also we need it shows us, that we need each other a lot more than what we think. I I use this reference about mycelium networks with block chaining. I
32:48
I created a series of artworks with different fungi, fungi element and I started creating this parallel stories with what we're leaving right now. Now, we're connecting, like I have friends in Russia, Barcelona and I even, you know, Dominicana now that's closer to me. But still it's just insane to be able to connect this way. The more we share the more, the more,
33:18
Connect and like, the more we see that our tops are not so, so different. Like we have a lot to share, like, in terms of goals in terms of Dreams. Yeah. It's just a, it's a dream. This is doing to connect this way because it's hard for me to do it, I guess. And
33:42
In a normal social setting. Mmm.
33:46
I'm curious when you talk about connection, you know, some people would say there's there's so many more tools now at our disposal for connecting with people online. But yet, in some sense, there's people are becoming even they can be more Anonymous. Now, you know, that obviously in in real life. How do you think about folks that are anonymous?
34:12
This online and creating those types of personas. And then also, you know how we become more inclusive for artists, and the diversity challenges that we face in in, in this
34:24
world. I think we are all entitled to the ways that were want to leave being wanted to become an animus. I think I for a long time I was I wasn't using my real name. I was using shells. I wasn't really sharing my photos. I was
34:42
Staring art, and I personally felt like I was disappearing. I felt like I was disconnected from myself, even though the art that I created is so connected with my emotions and how I change physically or mentally.
35:03
So, not everyone in terms of diversity.
35:08
You cannot go out and say, okay. You just life will be easier. If you just become Anonymous, I you don't have to you. You don't get judge my what you say, or what you do online, like you use tend to protect your information more. Yes, but at the close of like disappearing or maybe just becoming someone else and then not being able to handle it. Not everyone is like that, of course.
35:38
People has to her online presence with the real names and has a parallel world with an anonymous account to, which I have probably done. But when you say that, there's there's no gender disparity. There's no, the social rules don't apply in crypto. I don't think that's true. Like yeah, I don't think it's gonna happen. And unlike you many years, like, obviously we're very calm him.
36:08
We're becoming more connected with data with technology, what we called, Singularity, again us, and our digital presence is stronger, or it seems to be getting stronger than our physical presence. Right? So, and I think at some point where we're going to merge, but that's not happening, right? People that are still depending on their
36:37
TT to create art to feel themselves to express to show who they are and what they want are suffering from being judged by the dominant class, right? So,
36:54
I don't believe in that argument that I don't need meaty solves everything.
37:00
Yeah. Neither do. I, for the record? I think it's people that are making that argument are just, I don't know, feels like a way to escape versus confront and at and just doesn't sit right with me. Not that some people can't be anonymous. I mean, obviously, there's a, there's, there's certain times when when I think that it's, it's essential for safety reasons, and
37:24
Slew of other things, but the people that say, that these issues don't exist in web, three or four, just like the this that's that's not that's not the case in my experience at
37:34
least. Well, yeah, you're right. Thanks. Sometimes, I want to be anonymous in my own country, even though I've managed to go under the radar with most of the things I'm doing.
37:47
Because of, you know, safety mostly Panama is really small and it's not it's not the safest compared to your neural other cities in the world. So doing what I'm doing. It's can be dangerous like depending on where I'm leaving or you know, we tend to joke that we know, we all know each other and we all know what's happening in here because it's like a small town. Basically Panama is also a very centralized like everything is
38:17
And trading in the capital and the city and the other provinces are way under develop their just the countryside. So there's this one CD that is really, you know, like has all the resources basically. And that's a clear example of like what cryptos trying to break all of the also say a lot that I love to see my country to become healthier and City, because I think it's a perfect round two.
38:47
To to test like this and trolley station and dowse, becoming their own form of governments, and funding decisions funding projects a collective rather than depending on the same corrupt circles that that get in the power, every five years. Yeah.
39:09
It is cryptocurrency becoming more more commonplace and in
39:13
Panama.
39:15
Crypto has been very coming in Panama for years. Actually. It's we don't have regulations yet, but there's a bill being proposed to get it, get it done. Also focusing on lefties. Like I've met a few people that are promoting this, that are trying to, you know, get things right in the country. So we can use this as an for our advantage rather than just keep seeing the world.
39:43
World developing in our eyes and we staying behind. So yeah, I think Panama's has except that being coin and and a theorem for a while now, and I know there's a lot of people that were early and that tried to start, you know, what true developments and products here. So if you come, you'll be surprised
40:09
kind of moving a little bit forward to some of your more recent sales and
40:14
And I mean some very historic things here. Like you have the highest grossing female artist sale 2 million dollar artwork. The dreaming a desk.
40:24
That's right. The happened in March 2010. He won. Wow. Feels like 10 years ago. What what,
40:33
what were your expectations going into that? That's sale and what have you sold today? Tanned? And what happened? Can you walk us through what happened
40:41
there? Yeah. Sure. So.
40:43
So I was approached by Antonio from from the Tor project. She is a product designer. There. She used to be. Yes. I remember her saying that she loved my work. She loved this specific piece called my magnetic flux. I think she's just attracted with this old. Cool. Old-school style of glitch art, or is it just black and white? And also the message I'd like that. I like that she fell in love with the art before.
41:13
Or anything else and it wasn't even really.
41:19
You know, known in space. I think I had like less than three thousand followers on Twitter, but for some reason, like, of not for some reason, I guess Foundation had me and their feature artists list and others. You only person from the Caribbean from Panama for Latin America selling and if these are foundations, even though I try onboarding other people that it's just not easy, when like
41:49
You see like it's so overwhelming to start.
41:54
so,
41:56
It really didn't have that. The idea. I didn't have any idea that this piece will go for some much. I did my best to create an artwork that fill like. Like that doesn't seem to create it with time, which was like the concept of the bees, their artwork represents. How tour was deprecating there? There onion servicers first.
42:26
I know service which was created our own a decade ago. I was proud. I was really proud to be part of the project before that. I was approached by other parents with us. It wasn't last as interesting as something that was really with my career also related with crypto and I with this entirely citation in general. Mmm. So I remember just sharing online on Twitter, talking about it, talking about the history.
42:56
Sharing quotes trying to get people excited and interesting about tour, like even if I didn't manage to sell for that much, even though I knew about the presence of like dolls, that care about the work and other older members of the community. And even defy, I wasn't expecting for this, but the day came were I got many messages asking me about the work and
43:26
When would it be mean to hurt at what time? And I just noted, there was much more interest than what I could imagine. So it started coming in. And
43:40
what were you what were you watching to streaming
43:42
online? Yes. I was just the first day. I was just on Twitter, just crawling away and the next day because the auction last 24 hours. I was in a club house with a lot of
43:56
People from her story down from my community, the black community people from foundation. And they were so supportive doors, hyping even before the bit started coming in. I was just frozen in front of the computer. Remember, I couldn't see anything. I wasn't even looking at the computers. I think I'll have my eyes closed or something. I just remember hearing stuff and here and how the bits will kept coming in. And I just, I just got frozen for real like,
44:26
I don't know. I was another similar Planet. Just thinking how real does this was. I had no idea how this will change my work or anything. I just, I was just in the moment, I guess. And then the
44:43
final hammerheads and you see that it goes for that much money. I mean that must have just been a life-changing moment for
44:49
you. There were just as Frozen to me my dad. My brother was
44:56
My brother was just pale and youth black. He's like he removed lactic. So Steve Tails, so funny. Yeah, actually see like his chin and he never gets excited about anything, but, just games and like, the things he loved like, he's very like, he became really cold with time. But seeing his reaction and moved by the by what I was doing and how things were about to change for us, was what
45:26
Exciting anything? Well wasn't I asked him for a hug? I remember I hug them. Told them like I was
45:34
yeah, I remember telling them about everything. I was doing my God. I was I kept silent while I was selling a Nifty piece the beginning because I was just we were in Connected that way. I was afraid that they weren't gonna understand and we've always been so independent from each other, but we know we love each other but we just like we are each on our own worlds. I just remember saying like I was, I was working pay my mom's dead.
46:04
Try not to much for like the developed country, but here like ten thousand dollars like takes a lifetime to pay. So I paid that I also told my brother to just quit his job that was stressing him out so much. I just want him to live a better life and get better like physically and mentally like I felt like before we weren't doing so well.
46:30
All of us. We were just living and trying to survive, to be honest, but now things have changed dramatically. I get, we actually just sit together, talk about our days.
46:43
We spend more time together. I feel I feel like there's hope and our environment. Now, I before we all obviously we had hoped before, but I feel like it's just you can actually
46:58
See that it's possible soon.
47:02
And your father is he not no longer with you
47:04
or my father passed away when I was 14. He had an accident motorcycle accident.
47:14
I'm sure he would have been so proud to have seen this
47:15
moment.
47:17
Yeah, I think about it a lot. I was just thinking this morning about a seeing these photos from the past link. If you go through my work on my diary, I guess I share a lot about how I feel constantly about him. Sure some photos sometimes and stories from the past and parallels of how I relate now. I'm like now I'm a lot like him. Like I'm trying to be
47:46
Be the pillar in the house so that my mom and my brother can be more free can be can lift her lives. A
47:57
role that I had to take up as well. When my father passed away. Definitely.
48:02
Changes everything, doesn't it? It's like it's like it's never the same after after something like
48:08
that.
48:10
Yes, to Anna's house as I've been living with depression for over a decade since he passed away. I was 14. Right. I've tried, I've tried to keep my head up. I have tried to just keep learning stuff while isolating while even before the pandemic. It was really an isolated. I spent a lot of time just in my computer deep living my life to you.
48:40
We basically kissed us that's the best way I could and act and it was easier for me instead of just you know, sitting in a room with a large group of people. I've never managed to do that. But I feel like I hold memories of him inside of me like the way I do things, the way I behave, my interest in technology and like the Future. I'm Just Keep.
49:10
Try to be strong like f.
49:13
I've always tried to like, do things that I feel proud of. I've worked so many different jobs even as a
49:23
In the Panama Canal. I work in the, in a boat. I was doing a lot of physical work. I says ordinary seaman than I, I switch to to it.
49:36
And then I'm going to move to Toronto's is doing a lot of, you know, cleaning jobs, walking dogs. And even I've been working this high-rise building for half a year. I was cleaning windows and one of the tallest buildings in, Toronto, my neighbor, he gave me the opportunity. I was like, I need a job that, that pays. Well, he did really pays. Well,
50:03
and yeah, that's but it's scary as shit, though.
50:05
He likes it.
50:08
That's that was a test when I was at. How many floors up were you, I was more than
50:12
50. So Jesus said,
50:14
let's put the kit when I was a kid. I used to like clear up a lot like with adrenaline gaze to jump from like a water tank, like high up and like Lose My Breath. And I will go up and do it again and then I'll just jump from like playground. I really like the adrenaline. So when I was up there doing that, I was having fun like my
50:35
My neighbor will play Like Music you play reggae, he was from Jamaica. We could relate like, it was fun. I swear, I kept saying like, oh my God. This is like extreme sports that. I don't really have to pay for it and I get paid that some days were like, scary. Of course, like the thing will
50:56
move the Crosswinds and stuff, or
50:59
I did that in the summer. So I didn't really experience experience like, strong, strong way in.
51:05
But like my hands get sweaty even with you just
51:08
talking about it. Like it's seriously. Like I used to do a little bit of rock climbing. And yeah, I got more than I have like three stories up and I my hands and really starts just pouring sweat. That's crazy. 50 stories is insane.
51:21
It was in survival mode. That's what I think. A lot of the things we do with we've done during the pandemic has been in survival mode and that's why things move so quickly.
51:35
Li, like I'm wearing that position like we get challenged or we work faster harder and like I think that's how I how I was working during those days. Yeah. I was determined to base schools determined to live there. Yeah.
51:56
It got it got really out of my hands up throwers.
52:00
That's crazy. What a wild ride that you've had over the last few years. It sounds like. So, what does that leave us off today? I mean, is this now a minute? He's in art, is I take it that your sole focus at this point. Yeah. I mean I
52:16
managed to move with my family. I managed to keep them better place or they can't feel comfortable where they can expand be.
52:25
Independent. My mom is like now. She's like five minutes of walk from from her. Wall Ark was she doesn't want to leave dad. I told her to stop working. She works in a hospital and you know, at the beginning of the pandemic is really, really dangerous or not spittle and still is, but she loved to work and she wants to retire there and but things have changed like. Now, I don't have to travel three hours to be in the city and
52:55
With people can a tree calories. I've been focusing more on on gallery shows on museums. Like I really want to see if I can get there actually. Have one of my Works in a museum and Lanes. It was created last year. The I think I want to focus on all night building, things that will give generative art that presence. And I like the artwork.
53:25
World more than what it has for the past year. It's really incredible. Shange to see people interested in what we're doing because before, if they were interested, they didn't really know what was happening, but now people are interested in learning it. It's a whole new era.
53:44
If you are approached by a new artist, you know, someone that's just getting started and says, you know, generative art really speaks to me. I think this is a very cool medium like what do you recommend?
53:55
People go out and do, is it learning like p5.js? Is
53:58
it always say skull for a cooling tray? That's, that's how I learned most techniques. I think it's fun. It's, it's not tedious for real. Like you really have really see, Daniel schiffman having fun. While teaching
54:16
also. What is that
54:17
called? The coding train
54:20
coding. Trendy. I've heard about this is a YouTube series,
54:22
right? That's right.
54:24
And so is it is that just general web development or is there? Actually some is that just p5.js on the coding trainer is rather
54:34
things. There's processing to King. The focus is R & B 5 and processing also very cool. The software data and manage has called Torres designer. All the documentation is available online and there's a huge Community. We share like a lot of
54:54
You know, information just tips weaving, like growing it for ever since Torres is hundred came out. I think it's my, how do you
55:03
spell that? I would love to check that
55:05
out. Coach like, teal uch, designer
55:11
designer.
55:11
Okay. Yeah. Yeah. It's a very versatile visual programming. Language means that you're using notes instead of just writing a script on the browser. You can also use the script the like
55:24
You can create many, many Works, without the need of it. This
55:28
looks very cool. I haven't seen this before.
55:30
It's what I've been using for a while. Let's focus on audio-visual experiences. Interactive art. What you see like exhibitions projections. It's mostly used for this software. Very cool.
55:44
And so you said your focus is on on some of the, the gallery pieces. Like how in terms of actually releasing things in minting New pieces? Do you have
55:54
Have any big releases coming up or anything? We should be
55:56
aware of.
55:59
Yes, I'm working with sort of his again. We were having it release some March and I'm working like 10 different, other things to be honest. I'm because I really think there are great opportunities last year. It was way way heavier. Like I couldn't stop bikes ever since the Tor project happened. I just didn't stop. So this year is no different except that this year, have more creation.
56:29
I'm trying to focus more on like onboarding and helping other artists now that I have a base for myself, but I never really stopped doing that to be honest. Like I've been juggling everything creating and sharing like many others. I think it's a then if this has been a learning experience, I get trained me to do things that I wasn't used to do.
56:59
I'm be more, social be more proactive. It's it really, it was really positive change. In all
57:07
aspects. It seems like the, the gender of community, at least in my experience seems to be pretty open to, to kind of sharing in terms of helping others out which you say that's, that's been you found that to be the case.
57:20
Actually, I think so, since our first way of communication is Twitter. We all know like how the algorithm works.
57:29
Works. I think sharing other people's works helps both like the the person sharing and the artist also became part of the culture like this. Like the fountain that keeps giving, right. It's not only about hoarding assets. Like this time around, we're creating things for others, were creating things for himself. That's going back to like the mycelium Network. Therefore, I think.
57:59
A lot like growing a garden growing. A plant and like we could keep like feeding each other with the minerals. We need to keep your eye. Like we are aware that we along. Can't do it. Like, we need each other. Yeah.
58:16
I'm curious when you look at other artists out there in the nft space and your mind is blown. You're just like, how did they pull that off or just something really amazing? Like, who do you think of what other artists are constantly shocking or impressing? You?
58:34
Well, okay. One of one of my favorite artists right now, A Surah, a strawberry Cola. She really has like this. This is static and comes.
58:46
So attracts. I there's artists from other disciplines that I love but obviously during the car is like my focus most of the time and I try sharing their work. I like what that deaf people saw and like he's doing a lot of like Bean touch coding and like very basic tools. I like an artist Colquitt. Sorry, computery. He makes a lot of like visual Works combined with
59:16
With with cold, he has like his own lap going on, really? I like ours are constantly experimenting using different mediums. Not just cold maze-like concept art. They create a whole story around their work during the summer. I like the moon's.
59:34
How about an artist that you don't own? Cause I know see your collector to. I went to your gallery a page which will put up in the in the show notes as well. So people can check out your collection cause you have a great antique collection as well. Anybody out there.
59:46
We are like man if Money Was No Object, I would I would love to own one of those. Any particular artists that that you don't own yet, but you wish you
59:54
could.
59:56
I think my collection is a permanent one. Like I'm not planning to sell any a lot like I'm making a story out of when I'm collecting and I guess.
1:00:09
I use a lot of, like, colors. I I know if you see my collection, so you probably know like, what do you think about it?
1:00:16
Obviously some of the like this that centuries are fantastic. I mean, there's just a and they ought to be honest. There's a bunch of things that I'm just not familiar with, like you've got a lot of stuff that is is not your your obvious artist that I don't know. Yet. You've got a Nicholas a soon which his stuff is so cruel. If there's something there's something so retro and like so awesome about it.
1:00:38
One. I wish I could own glasses on like, besides being a great friend. I love his are like for some time we were joking. Like, okay, like I think we can relate through pixels. Like this is our way to communicate. We used to talk in cold and he's one of the only persons Ives has decipher a code. I made I used to share a lot of artwork that had this like it's not more sick old, but it's something different. There's not that difficult to decide.
1:01:08
Pfeiffer, if you really, really pay attention. And that many people, I notice like, I guess that a lot of people don't have that attention span to decipher it, but he did know. It's interesting and I like the colors. So I think that's that's one artist all off to to own a piece from also. I really like Brewster shoots through stir. I think what he's doing like but photography, it's is amazing. Like I know there's people that climbs.
1:01:38
Like high altitude so there I have there's some sort of like there's a lot of story. He writes long lower in his artworks and like you can see like there's a huge Challenge and it deserves to be to be compensated. So yeah, I love to to own one of those pieces. I like just near to his course or so beautiful. I think you own one of those. I'm not sure.
1:02:08
Sure.
1:02:09
II. Remember you sharing his work, but just nearest one of those. I like telling a Serene Learners hurrying. Well, she's she paints and she creates a, she creates pieces out of machine learning like she trains. She uses her own died out to train some Sheen and then create another, there is what if of her artworks but what I like about her work is that you can often see a lot of Silhouettes figures.
1:02:39
Human faces bodies. So is he a whirlwind thing like her painting sun in its old morphed and modified a lot. Like what I do with glitch our well, is that I really like the work from
1:02:57
I need a song. I just sounds so disciplined. She really helped me when I was just starting to realize that what I was doing with generative. Art could go further like to an audience. She started sharing my work all the time. A lot of people start like seeing it and follow him. I guess she don't know what she recommends. This always, you know, yeah. She gives a lot of hot, her taste away in stories and stuff like that.
1:03:27
That I love
1:03:28
her. What I love. I love her stuff as well. She's been on the podcast before, and she was just such a fun interview, super geeky and all the right ways like, in the Sci-Fi, and just like all the, you know, like just really, really fun person to chat
1:03:41
with. Yeah. She's super, super smart. Like I think with we think alike as well, like a lot of what we do is also related with sci-fi and we create like Potter do worlds with you and you are
1:03:56
both the two of you.
1:03:57
Do a mash-up that would be amazing. Like it's some type of the collaboration
1:04:00
together. I love to love to. He wonder if she's listening to this. I love to collaborate. We plan for some time to meet him Berlin breakfast. So yeah, I think it's gonna happen at some
1:04:14
point. That'd be great. Well, as we wrap things up, is there anything else that you want to mention that it that we left out? Or you know, obviously we'll link up your Twitter and all the relevant links in the
1:04:27
Show notes. But anything else to worth mentioning,
1:04:30
just I just want to Express gratitude to her. A lot of people listened to this and I just want to make sure you all know that. I mean, I wouldn't be in the position where I'm at right now, if it wasn't for the support and believing in what I was doing.
1:04:49
And I just want to keep working, developing my skills, create a new things playing around with the technology and I trying to explore what I can do, farther, not just staying like this one position. I want to keep evolving and even like in hardships. I hope I enough people stays and I could never give up like despite the changes its bite, you know.
1:05:18
No bullet ility and everything that happens within crypto art. I, we are a revolution. I think like, there's no way back we have to keep fighting and keep creating and keep changing things around or like,
1:05:35
Not a perfect future, but a better
1:05:37
one. Absolutely well said, thank you for sharing your story today is beautiful and touching and in many ways and such a humble beginnings, and crazy, scary jobs along the way. It's been what an adventure and congrats on all your
1:05:52
success. Thank you. I hope we can sit by fire one day and just keep telling stories about
1:05:58
God's love that. I can't wait till a post covid world where we can all hang, you know, because I've had so many great conversations.
1:06:04
Oceans with artists on the show in an offline as well. Our meeting resumed or whatever and it's just like so many new friends that have been met and made online. And I just want to just want to you know, share a coffee or cocktail or something in real life. It some point, you
1:06:21
know, yeah, my friends say is that like making a movie like I have a soundtrack for every single day of my life. I think I will only say 10% of it. So there's a lot to say, that's great.
1:06:34
I think that's the only way to live life. We're all making our own movie, right? You just got to embrace that and have fun
1:06:39
with it. Yeah, that's where it's at fun. If you're not having fun, then white do it. All right.
1:06:48
That is it for this episode. Thanks so much for tuning in. If you would like to help us out head on over to proof got XYZ and click on the reviews, but at the very top and leave us a five star review, Thanks so much. Take care.
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