We speak with artist VitaliyGing as part of his current exhibition. We look forward to learning more about his artistic career and his works. VitaliyGing is an artist from Ukraine who now lives in Germany and has a penchant for NFT art and combining natural shapes and textures with magical colors.
CREO: Can you tell us about your creative career and how you came to create NFT?
ARTIST: I have always admired creative individuals and looked for ways to express myself. At a certain period of my life, creativity became a way for me to get out of depression and overcome certain addictions. Gathering courage, I started an Instagram page and started sharing my works with people. Got a lot of support from the community and made a lot of artist friends. I learned about NFT in May 2021, but I did not understand how it all works and how to get into this space. Finally, in December 2021, I started Twitter and started to get to know the space. I made the first Drop on Foundation on February 22, 2022, on the eve of the war that began in Ukraine.
CREO: When did you decide to establish yourself as an artist/NFT artist and what type of art do you enjoy creating the most?
ARTIST: In the spring of 2021, I showed my work to other artists for the first time, after receiving good feedback, I decided to continue developing in this direction. When I learned about NFT, I immediately understood that I would do it, it was only a matter of time. Most of all, I like to work with micro textures and forms created by nature, to give them magical unusual colors. Most of my works are cooperation with nature.
CREO: Can you walk us through the process of creating one of your NFT illustrations from start to finish.
ARTIST: Since the object of my work is textures and shapes, I chose the perfect material for this. I travel a lot in forests and collect mushrooms that grow on trees. They are very diverse and have particularly complex forms. Then there is the process of drying and sorting, selection of the best forms and selection of colors. Most often, coloring happens chaotically and intuitively. As a result, I get jewelry-like art objects. The next stage is photography, in the absence of professional equipment, I take all photos on my phone. When enlarging the received photos, I get interesting unusual textures that resemble extraterrestrial landscapes. My first NFT collection was just such macro photos. Exploring all the possibilities of such textures, I process and change them in certain programs, giving them an even more exclusive look.
CREO: Can you share with us a special project or piece of art that has inspired you or that you have recently created.
ARTIST: I was most inspired by one of my works in which, together with mushrooms, I used ordinary pebbles, which I also painted. I was so impressed by the result that I understood the huge prospects of such creativity and began to work many times more in this direction.
CREO: What technologies have influenced or changed the way you create art?
ARTIST: I am constantly learning and using different opportunities to improve my art. So now I use a lot of different image processing programs. True, due to limited technical capabilities, these are all free applications for the phone. My goal is to learn more complex tools to work with and try to animate my images.
CREO: Can you describe a particularly challenging or rewarding moment in your creative career?
ARTIST: The most difficult thing for me was to recognize myself as an artist and share my works with the world. To do this, I had to change my circle of communication almost completely, because neither family nor friends share my passion. It was difficult to convince that I had changed, I consider it a rebirth of my personality.
CREO: How does your cultural or personal background influence your art?
ARTIST: I think that the lack of artist friends in my previous life and the lack of art education made my art original and unique. Under such conditions, everything I create is a reflection of my sense of the world and my understanding of beauty.
CREO: Can you tell about a time when you had to take a risk or take a bold step in your artistic career?
ARTIST: The beginning of my career was the biggest risk. I renounced my past life and devoted myself entirely to art, with no guarantees of success.
CREO: What challenges did you face as an NFT artist and how did you overcome them?
ARTIST: The hardest part was figuring out how to become an NFT artist from the very beginning. I collected information bit by bit, got to know other artists. Having joined several thematic groups, I was bombarded with questions. Thanks to friends who gave advice and explained the intricacies of this space, I am here now.
CREO: How did you sell your first NFT illustration and how did you establish yourself in the NFT market?
ARTIST: It was an interesting story. I talked about my art on space, since I don't speak English, so I asked one of my friends to translate. I did it for the first time and was very nervous, now I remember it with a smile. One of the members was interested and we chatted a bit in DM. After some time, I got my first collector.
CREO: Can you tell us about your Marketing Strategy and how you interact with your community?
ARTIST: My biggest mistake is that I don't have a clear strategy, I just try to be noticeable. During the time that I was in the space, many friends appeared with whom it is interesting and fun to communicate on various topics. I always try to support all the artists I know with kind words, likes and retweets.
CREO: What role do collaborations and partnerships play in your NFT artistic career?
ARTIST: I have no cases of cooperation or partnership yet. I am looking for opportunities to collaborate with other artists and I think that sooner or later I will have such an experience.
CREO: How do you find art buyers/collectors?
ARTIST: I spend almost all my free time on social networks. I try to be visible and take part in many open circles and competitions. Many works were sold thanks to shill tweets from various collectors and artists. Comments on collectors' posts also help with this.
CREO: How do you see the future of NFT art and what do you think will change in the future?
ARTIST: I am an optimist because I believe that NFT art will develop and become more popular. Even more artists and collectors will join us. There will be new platforms and opportunities to promote your artwork. I'm also very pleased with the attention to this area from well-known IRL galleries like yours. I am convinced that in the future, the art of NFT will be more closely intertwined with the traditional.
CREO: How do you maintain a sense of authenticity and originality in a world where digital art is so easy to copy and distribute?
ARTIST: This is a very difficult question to which I do not have a clear answer. I think that first of all it is necessary to polish your art, to make it recognizable and unique. I still don't know how, but it is necessary to turn the ease of copying and distribution into advantages, to make it an advertisement of oneself.
CREO: What is your goal or vision as an artist?
ARTIST: As with any artist, to be recognized by the general public. To prove that my work has the right to be next to the famous artists of our time. But the main thing is to draw the attention of other artists to the natural textures of the form, to all their diversity and perfection.
CREO: What advice would you give to those new to the space or new NFT artists?
ARTIST: Gain courage and patience, be open to the world and other views. Treat other people's works with respect and generally all people in this space, be polite and interesting. Be sure to understand all aspects of digital security.
Website: vitaliyging.eth.co
Twitter @VitaliyGing