genesis newsletter (pt. 2: studio notes) ✨
art as a means of self-expression, self-expression as a solve for loneliness, pathways to monetization as necessary for art >> in other words, a case for NFTs
hi friends - well this is long overdue, isn’t it?
a year-ish ago i left my full-time job to pursue my dream of being a visual artist + freelance. today, a year later, and i am finally getting around to writing my newsletter — truly, everything in divine time. ;)
quick TL;DR + logistics to start:
you’re receiving this because you’ve collected and/or shown enthusiasm for me/my work in the past, were on my old email list, or signed up via social 🥰
newsletter subscribers (you!) will get first access to new painting collections, NFT drops, and generally be in the know on all the (amac) things ✨
many of you are joining me from social media and might not know my whole story. or, you might be a long-time follower who doesn’t know what the hell i am talking about when i say NFT. if either of those are the case, read pt. 1 of this newsletter before you continue! it gives you an overview of my journey with business, art, and depression and a primer on NFTs. i meant for them to be in the same newsletter but it was literally too long for substack which i *didn’t know was a thing* 🤪
if neither are the case then you’ve come to the right newsletter. read on! 💓
TL;DWannaR:
we’re busy people so all important announcements will also be at the beginning of newsletters, longer form writing at the bottom. opt-in/opt-out ya know.
i have a clubhouse interview this thu 3/11 at 5p PT about my transition from biz to art (‘healing the world through art’)
STELLIUM, my next collection of paintings will launch late march (follow me on Instagram for previews)
I now sell NFTs 👽 you can find my work on opensea, zora, and foundation. if you don’t know what a NFT is, read pt. 1 of this newsletter
STUDIO NOTES #1: (in which i make the case for) CREATIVITY AS A SOLVE FOR LONELINESS
alright, now that we’re all on the same page (seriously, read part 1) let’s get to it…
a lot of you have probably heard the term ‘ikigai’ or at least seen a version of the above image floating around social media. if not, see above (self-explanatory!). in general, this is what i am actively pointed towards on a day-to-day basis. i use the concept basically interchangeably with ‘life purpose.’ the question i like to ask myself constantly is: where are you uniquely positioned to make an outsized (positive) difference? outsized implies you are good at it and you love it, difference implies the world needs it. practicality demands you get paid for it (if you need to get paid 💓).
at least at this point in my life, i believe my life’s purpose is to create beautiful things that make people feel less alone.
for me, beautiful things don’t have to be physical objects: they can be experiences, places, moments, or meaningful connections. so much of my personal journey has been feeling deeply alone - with depression or otherwise (whether this was founded or not is besides the point - and also not a question anyone who has struggled with mental illness would ask 😌). as i found my voice around sharing my experience with depression, i found myself sharing what i felt the younger version of me needed to hear and have been touched to hear it has helped others as well. 💓🥺
enter art: when i was younger, art was a way to express feelings i didn’t yet have the words for. when i saw expressive works from other artists, i remember thinking: “you get it too.” in short, art made me feel less alone in that which felt overwhelming - i.e., my humanity!
i am nothing if not a(n over)thinker, so i am constantly turning the concept of ‘loneliness,’ it’s root, and it’s solve over and over in my head and figuring out how i can be of the greatest service to solving this problem (fulfilling my purpose). at this point, i could probably write a book about this 👀 but below is where i’ve gotten to which has become the foundation for my current art/emerging NFT practice. AND SO I GIVE YOU:
amac’s current opinion (mar ‘21) on how to solve loneliness (lmfao ambitious but thoughtful):
loneliness results from a lack of connection
connection occurs when someone shares something and someone else ‘receives’ it; generally the more personal (and/or personally resonant) the share, the deeper the connection. self-expression is by definition, sharing.
seems straightforward enough and yet, people are afraid of sharing. why?
sharing is intimidating for a combination of few reasons (1) you believe you are the only one (i.e. your share will not resonate), (2) you are afraid of a negative outcome (i.e. not only will it not resonate - they will have a bad reaction) and/or (3) you do not actually know how to share (i.e. do not have the words, know the appropriate situation, etc.)
(1 - only one) is generally disproved the more you hear stories like yours
(2 - bad reaction) is generally disproved the more you share your story and are received positively
(3 - no words) is generally solved with more self-reflection (deeper understanding of yourself results in easier self-expression), professional support (a therapist or guide can be a great resource for understanding your emotions), more reps in sharing your story (refinement from practice) and the more you hear others’ stories (which serve as examples)
while we cannot guarantee (2) and part of (3) for anyone but ourselves, we can contribute to (1) and part of (3) by sharing our own stories in an attempt to normalize the harder parts of the human experience 💓
it should go without saying that i am of the belief that everyone’s story is worth sharing. i despise when people shame other people for sharing their stories. like, you don’t have to read it if you don’t want to - let them share! you don’t know the work they might have put in to getting to a point where they were comfortable sharing at all! back off! *end rant* 😤
so where TF does abstract painting come in!? as i said above, art is a way for me to process my own emotions — the self-reflection part of (3) — but has also become an effective way for me to share (1) my own story and my own feelings in a way that feels authentic to me, and i hope, more approachable and digestible for others.
for example SUPERBLOOM (pictured above) is a beautiful abstract painting, yes (shameless shill: avail as NFT and print), but it is also an exploration of how we integrate both the dark and light aspects of our life, how there are pieces of each in the other, and how the dark parts ultimately bring balance to our compositions. it can be overwhelming, but we need the dark. the light has no depth without it.
my paintings are not just about the physical paintings, they are about the words and stories behind them, which social media has uniquely enabled me to share.
ya starting to feel me? 👽
OPINION: we must normalize our feelings, we must dive deeply into them, explore them, and for those of us who are able, share them because they are so beautiful in all of their texture and complexity.
the privilege of the human experience is to feel and to feel deeply; not just the ‘good’ parts but also the ‘bad.’
the work is being able to navigate those energetic spaces without letting them overcome you. it is much easier said that done, but as someone finally on the other side, it is worth it. keep going.
and if you’ve arrived on the other side, why not help others by sharing your story?
which brings me to NFTs. why NFTs? (if you don’t know what a NFT is, seriously, read part 1!) in general, i believe creativity is one of the highest forms of self-expression. creativity is how an individual brings forth something into the world that is of their own design; i.e. shares something once existed only internally, externally. art is physical manifestation of our internal reality: art is sharing and as we’ve established, sharing is an antidote to loneliness, because it is necessary for human connection. READ THAT AGAIN.
so for me, anything that empowers, encourages, and supports art falls squarely into ‘life purpose’ land (for those of you following along at home - that is absolutely why i freelance at the landing). NFTs are therefore interesting to me for a number of reasons but in short, because NFTs enable human creativity:
the space has created a new monetization path for artists, especially artists (digital) that have been historically cut-out of the traditional art market. more financial opportunities in art = more self-expression.
NFTs create a possibility for income not directly tied 1:1 output (i.e. you can sell multiple editions of an image or for me, mint images of physical paintings that have already been sold) which financially supports someone’s creativity. it is EXTREMELY hard to create passive (or any) income as an artist - NFTs (can) be used to do both.
at the moment, there is an immense amount of activity and money flowing into the space which has created a lot of recent opportunity for artists to do the above
the energy and desire to support emerging artists is truly inspiring 🥺 shares are received, connections are made.
are there assholes in the space? of course. are there people minting just to make a quick buck? of course. is there art that is totally commercial and not really self-expression at all? sure. but are there also tons of artists who have dedicated their lives to their practice, or emerging artists who have not been able to pursue their art practice for lack of financial security who now have a new path to make money from their art? HELL YEAH.
so yeah, i’m here for it. and i am determined to put some of my sales back into the community to support other artists, either through buying IRL work or NFTs. 🥚
anyway, this turned into a bit of an art manifesto but it seemed important to start with this. 🙃
next time, i’ll actually share how i am thinking about my work (which is not at all digital-first) in the NFT space. as with everything, i have approached it with an immense amount of intentionality (building off ‘ikigai’ concepts) with an eye towards (creative) sustainability and i would recommend you do the same. there are strategies out there that will make you a quick buck, but will that be fulfilling for you? where are the trade offs there? this is a juicy topic actually that i can’t wait to opine on hehe.
anywayyy… tune into next week’s episode of (nfts) with amac to find out! 😂
ttys
that’s it! thank you for making it all the way down here- let me know what you want to hear about in the comments or replies. 👽✨ until next time! 💓
fun things in the footnotes 💋
currently obsessed with: meesha farzeneh’s snake earrings, erin gilmore’s MOVE class, 2” flat paddle brushes, limestone everything, and the landing of course 💓
currently reading: mary oliver devotions (always), everything the egg blesses me with, eugene wei (h/t ellie), bravey by alexi pappas ❤️