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BY Langston Thomas
August 01, 2022
In 2021, we witnessed the birth of a new creator economy on the blockchain. Since NFTs took center stage, artists have achieved NFT superstardom, billion-dollar brands have been forged in the span of a few months, and lives have been utterly transformed time and time again. Yet, the most inspiring thing about the NFT space is the number of artists of all creeds and mediums who have found community and support by embracing this technology.
In keeping with our mission to empower creators, we present Next Up — our monthly franchise dedicated to showcasing rising artists. In our August edition, we’ve curated a list of five ascendant talents who are poised to make significant waves in 2022.
Spending a lot of time working on myself…. pic.twitter.com/x0IMbr9wTf
Faith Love is a visual artist who translates her emotions and personal experiences into surrealist conceptual art. When she’s not creating, she’s actively working on the administrative side of the NFT space at MetaMask. Because she’s been involved in NFTs since 2020, Love is widely respected as an OG, and considers herself to be a community curator.
We had the opportunity to ask Faith Love a few questions about NFTs and her artistic process.
How did you first become interested/involved in NFTs?
Back in September of 2020, An from SuperRare reached out to me and told me that they really wanted me to be on the platform. I had no clue what NFTs were at the time, but I saw that one of my followers [FEWOCiOUS] had started doing them, and I had been a fan of their work for a few years. I noticed that they were enjoying it, and that made me feel a little less scared about jumping into it. I didn’t understand the tech at first but I still had an interest in learning and hopefully understanding it more as time went on. I ended up selling about 35 1/1s across multiple platforms, mainly SupeRrare and Foundation.
How would you describe your art? What’s your process like?
My art feels like a constant visual representation of the emotions (some more personal than others) that we as humans feel on a daily basis. I can create a visual concept from any and every emotion that a person comes up with. During my process, I try to allow the meanings of my pieces to speak through visual representation and I enjoy doing this in a simple yet extremely deep and interesting way. I’m a stickler for perfect lines and that’s something that currently stands out about my work, as well as its lack of color while still having the ability to be bright and loud.
Do you have any drops/collections on the horizon we should keep an eye out for?
I’m currently dropping a few new pieces on SuperRare once a week or so. Once a piece sells, I usually drop a new piece. As of right now, ‘Everyday you have a choice (Remastered)‘ is my only available piece on the market, and I’m excited to see who gets it. It’s an absolute masterpiece.
NEW NFT DROP!!!
MoRuf – Overjoyed produced by @GoodFoodMusic is now live on @catalogworks 🔥🔊🔥🔊!!!!
The artwork for this drop was created by the one & only @OrganicStonez . Thank you seeing the vision bruv!
Catch a vibe&enjoy!
Reserve Price: 1ETHhttps://t.co/qfyGMYI16I pic.twitter.com/xOgC4PK3Pl
MoRuf Adewunmi, better known simply as MoRuf is a New Jersey-based Nigerian-American artist who has charted his own path through the music NFT landscape. Taking influences from 90s R&B and the early 2000s battle rap scene, he’s quickly grown a following through honest, clever rhymes, and a genuine knack for storytelling.
Embodying a principal of L.O.E. — an acronym for his self-started movement, Love Over Everything — MoRuf’s music paints a unique juxtaposition between the golden era of Hip-Hop and the boundary-pushing technology of the blockchain.
We had the opportunity to ask MoRuf a few questions about NFTs and his artistic process.
How did you first become interested/involved in NFTs?
So I’m in LA working on my album with the bro Jesse Boykins lll around August 2021. He brought it to my attention that I should tap into the NFT world. I wasn’t really hip at the time and all I knew of it was the Bored Apes so I declined but then he mentioned that you could actually sell your music, and I became more interested. He then introduced me to my now good friend Derek Taylor of The Park. He broke it down to me — the ins and outs of what ETH was, the blockchain, etc.
Some days later, I had a new track I created with my engineer Matt Cody uploaded to Catalog and priced at 1 ETH. It sold in a matter of two to three days. I was in complete disbelief. A few days later, I uploaded the next one and it sold, and so on. I had editions as well and I’ve been blessed to sell over 100+ NFTs. This has been a beautiful experience in a matter of less than 12 months and honestly, it’s been pretty life-changing.
It’s allowed me to invest in my art and support my family, all from my laptop in my home. While at the same time building a whole new community of amazing people I never knew existed. Not to mention dropping on Zora, three drops on Sound, and being part of the Snoop Dogg mixtape drop. I’m just completely grateful and happy I took the time to learn and step outside of my comfort zone.
How would you describe your art? What’s your process like?
I would describe my art as a feeling. It’s really hard to put it into words, so it’s more so a feeling. I love telling stories within my music because they just stick. And with my background with battle rap, the bars are always up to par — that is a must. It’s a mixture of great lyrics, melodies, and storytelling. Like a gumbo of A Tribe Called Quest, J Dilla, Anita Baker, and Jadakiss; that’s the best way I could explain it.
My process ranges. Sometimes it comes automatically but I’m very intentional. I try to take advantage when inspiration hits. I don’t take it lightly, I seize the moment. So even if an idea comes to mind I might throw that in my notes or even a voice memo and come back to it later.
Do you have any drops/collections on the horizon we should keep an eye out for?
Yessir! Been working on an album and creating for the past few months, but I’m super excited for the drops on the way. I have a few things brewing in the month of August. 1/1 plus collections. I’m just super excited to share within the Web3 space again. I’ll also be having my Love Over Everything Back2School Drive on August 28, which was funded via Web3 with a Mirror crowdfund. Super grateful that I’m now able to assist the kids in my community with ETH, bridging the gap in real-time. Thank you, Web3.
#empressisters on @opensea and @foundation #NFTcollections #NFTCommunity #NFTcollectibles pic.twitter.com/NeBpNxrMej
Or Yogev is an independent artist from Israel who has been drawing his entire life. While majoring in illustration at Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem, he found a knack for sharing personal and familial experiences through art.
For his graduation project at Bezalel, Yogev channeled the story of his grandfather coming to Israel from Ethiopia by foot, setting in motion the desire to explore his African roots which he has remained true to with his crypto art. Through his many projects on the Ethereum and Tezos blockchains, Yogev continues to distill his African roots into various aspects of his art.
We had the opportunity to ask Or Yogev a few questions about NFTs and his artistic process.
How did you first become interested/involved in NFTs?
I think the first time I heard about NFTs was on Instagram. Some marketplace asked me to join their platform and I had no idea what it was. I learned a lot from my friends Amir Zand artist and MadMaraca who helped and supported me in my first steps into the NFT space.
How would you describe your art? What’s your process like?
It’s really hard for me to describe my art/style because I love to explore. I try to create in many different mediums like illustration, 3D, and animation. Lately, I’ve gotten more into 3D art, but I really miss illustrating.
Do you have any drops/collections on the horizon we should keep an eye out for?
I have a big collection on Foundation called Empress Sisters, which features 150 hand-painted African female Queens. I’m also working on a big imaginary excavation expedition project that will discover some more of my Venuses and 3D sculptures.
“T[ether]”
My genesis piece is now live on @SuperRare pic.twitter.com/B1RCODo7lg
Summer Wagner is a fine art photographer from the midwest who has recently taken the photography NFT space by storm. Originally, she started out taking portraits of individuals, families, and couples, but quickly began exploring deeper stories by both finding and creating scenes to capture. Her work rides a fine line between serenity and eeriness, featuring an often muted color palette and surreal events.
We had the opportunity to ask Summer Wagner a few questions about NFTs and her artistic process.
How did you first become interested/involved in NFTs?
I started posting my work on Twitter after getting shadowbanned on Instagram for exploring nude fine art portraits. I just wanted somewhere where I could post my work and find a community of people who loved photography as much as I did. I quickly fell in love with Twitter’s photography community and was soon approached by Chadwick Tyler, who convinced me to mint my first collection on Foundation. Three months later, ‘The In-Between’ was sold out. It was absolutely surreal and definitely changed my life. Really grateful for how far I’ve come.
How would you describe your art? What’s your process like?
My work has been described as fantastical, surreal, and lyrical photography. I would describe my art as scenes of the subconscious. My process is sometimes very spontaneous, just capturing fleeting moments, and I try to bring my camera everywhere with me. Other times it’s like a rehearsed ritual, where the subjects in frame hold a specific pose that tells a story, or cultivates a deep feeling. I do most of my special effects in-camera — like orbs, ghosts, and light trails. But then I pull the photos into Lightroom and paint with the light and color till I find an edit that feels right.
Do you have any drops/collections on the horizon we should keep an eye out for?
‘The Parody of a Tangled Thread‘ is a large collection of 53 pieces that took eight months to shoot and put together. I am absolutely ecstatic about the fact that it sold out so fast — it was much sooner than expected! So it will be a few months before I am ready to announce any new collections, but I am minting 1/1 work on my SuperRare that I’m extremely excited about.
"…but what if i'm afraid to feel again?" (2022) pic.twitter.com/LQH2ofXCsC
Tampa-based artist Yosnier is a rising digital illustrator that distills his own personal worldview into each of his pieces. As a creator, he prominently features themes of freedom, hope, growth, and pain through his own unique, shimmering version of Art Nouveau.
Laden in pastel colors and characterized by thick black linework, Yosnier’s work evokes the feeling of looking at grandiose stained glass windows or tarot cards. Although the young artist says he isn’t quite sure how he ended up with his distinctive style, his creations are highly regarded within the NFT community.
We had the opportunity to ask Yosnier a few questions about NFTs and his artistic process.
How did you first become interested/involved in NFTs?
I discovered NFTs shortly after I started posting art on Twitter in late 2020 and delving deeper into the art community with my friend Tom Orchard. I’ve known about crypto for many years but NFTs were new to me. The idea of being able to sell my art digitally genuinely fascinated me, so I began my research. Through this, I learned what NFTs were and discovered multiple platforms where I could potentially sell my work. I ultimately decided that SuperRare would be the best bet for me, so I sent in my application and got accepted shortly afterward and the rest is history.
How would you describe your art? What’s your process like?
I would describe my art style as heavenly. From the pastels used to the common motifs used. I’ve heard that my work strongly resembles stained glass and tarot cards, and I definitely have to agree with both of those comparisons. I think my work encapsulates vulnerability even without looking at the themes presented. It’s genuinely hard for me to describe my work most of the time, contrary to the themes presented, but it definitely is something special to me. I consider every piece as a page in my story. Windows to the soul, if you will.
All of my work begins with a spark that is caused by whatever emotion I’m feeling at the time and the desire to free myself from that emotion in some way. The thought lingers until that initial spark becomes something more, and the piece becomes clear in my head. Most of my work requires a part of me and teaches me more about myself, in a way — so it’s hard to just create with no clear vision.
Do you have any drops/collections on the horizon we should keep an eye out for?
I’ve been constantly dropping work on SuperRare and I have some editioned work on Coinbase NFT, as well as on Nifty Gateway. As for collections, I have some ideas but I’d rather keep those under wraps for now.
