Regarding expectations, set none, but do set goals for yourself. — JakNFT

Thank you @JakNFT for taking time answer some questions for our community at Hyype. This written interview continues our spotlight series, bringing access to creators within Web3, and empowering our community with advice. Let’s dig in.

Anaroth: What advice do you have for people to get beyond the limitations that keep them from believing in their ability to create?

JakNFT: Everyone has the ability to create. Just make that first stroke on the canvas and see where it takes you. Even if you don’t know what you’re creating at first, you can discover that later in the process. Many of my favorite pieces began from a place of no inspiration. Later in the process I found the inspiration and discovered what the piece was meant to be.

Also, if you practice your art every day, even if it’s just a few strokes, you will inevitably improve. Consistency and repetition are key. Lastly, don’t be afraid to make “mistakes” when creating art. Accidents, mistakes and experiments often lead to profound discoveries and the development of new techniques.

Anaroth: What is it about glitch art that captured your attention, is that still the same thing that captivates your attention for it today?

JakNFT: Besides the eye-catching aesthetic, glitch art initially captured my attention and fascinated me because it is an entirely digital art form. You cannot print a piece of glitch art, hang it on a wall and achieve the desired effect. It must be presented in a digital format. I found this profound, and felt compelled to try it out. Another aspect of glitch that I love is the ability it gives the artist to bring life into a piece of art. Many pieces I’ve created can feel alive when looking at them such as SPILLER, CYBER JAK and the more recent METAMASK and THE PRINCE.

Glitch art is not the only thing that captures my attention. I look at and appreciate all forms of art. There is an abundance and variety of art to enjoy in this modern renaissance.

Anaroth: How has the marketplace for NFT changed your thought process around how and what you create as an artist?

JakNFT: The NFT marketplace is extremely dynamic. Trends come and go rapidly. While sometimes it’s good and fun to play into relevant themes, memes and trends, I’ve learned that developing a unique style and mastering it is the best way to stand out in the market while staying true to my artistic vision. It’s also very important to create the art that you really want to create, even if the market appears to demand something different. There is power in being authentic and creating what you really want to express. Authenticity resonates.

The question of scarcity vs. abundance is also something the NFT marketplace has made me consider and has impacted what I create. An artist usually needs to create and spread an abundance of work to build a strong community of collectors and progress in the NFT space. Yet, artists are often told the marketplace demands scarcity. This presents a conflict. I’m constantly trying to balance scarcity and abundance, getting my art into more collectors hands and growing my community, while remaining cognizant of scarcity. It’s not simple.

Anaroth: Who are some artists you draw inspiration from? Do you end up seeing elements of their work permeate your own?

JakNFT: As I have progressed in the NFT space there have been many artists I’ve drawn inspiration from and elements of their work may permeate my own whether or not I am conscious of it.

For example, when I first began creating glitch art I was initially inspired by the godfather of the genre — XCOPY — and studied his work. John Karel’s skeletons influenced some of the character choices in my first glitch works and inspired me to create several “skelly” themed pieces. Towards the end of 2021 I studied Basquiat and blended what I had learned about glitch with a neo-expressionist style. Elements of Banksy and other anonymous street artists may permeate some works I’ve created that have a graffiti style to them. The intelligence and depth that ACK applies to many of his pieces inspired me to add more hidden details and additional layers of meaning in pieces like METAMASK, my Superrare genesis. Recently I was inspired by the simple genius of Sartoshi and created a few glitchy meme derivatives of a Zombie mfer PFP I collected, because they’re just fun.

With that said, although many different artists have inspired me, most of the time I’m not pro-actively studying other artists or consciously drawing inspiration from a particular person. I’m influenced, consciously and subconsciously, by everything I encounter in my day-to-day life and usually just allow my intuition to express itself on the canvas in whatever way feels most natural in the moment.

Anaroth: What has been one of the positive surprises with your interaction with the web3 space?

JakNFT: The amount of real frens I’ve made along the way. I’ve developed many incredible relationships with other artists, collectors and just cool mfers. Even though I may never know who most of these frens are, or meet them in real life, that doesn’t seem to matter at all.

Anaroth: How do you define success? What advice do you have for artists entering web3 about setting good expectations for themselves?

JakNFT: Success is being healthy, happy and always trying to do good. Anything beyond that is a bonus.

Regarding expectations, set none, but do set goals for yourself. Every artist’s journey is unique. What worked for someone else, may not work for you. Determine what you’d like to achieve in Web3, outline how to get there and keep moving towards your goals. If your goals are ambitious, there will inevitably be challenges along the way, and things may take longer than you had anticipated. Just be patient, stay focused on your goals and keep moving towards them.

Anaroth: Thank you for taking the time to share insight and perspective with the Hyype community. Check out our Medium to see more artists sharing their thoughts and strategies to empower you to create. If you are interested in being featured in a spotlight reach out to @AnarothsNFT on Twitter.