Releasing his NFT via Nifty Gateway later today at 20:30 UTC, it was an honour to catch up with Lefty Out There, an amazing genre-bending multi-disciplinary artist.
Hi Lefty, how did you first get into creating digital art?
My origin is in physical work, but eventually I began the journey of creating digitally after watching and learning from others. One of my biggest influences was a roommate I had who is a predominant VJ from Chicago that works in Touch Designer and Resolume.
The studio I have had in Chicago for several years is located in the basement of an advertising agency. This allowed me access to other professional digital creators and equipment such as powerful computers, and large format printers etc.
Aside from my releases on Nifty Gateway, my digital work explores graphic design, VJing, content creation, and the use of CNC and laser cutting machines to build artworks and installations.
It was a slow transition, but a crucial one in the growth of my artistry. As projects continued to grow in size and complexity, so did the need for me to create things like renderings and build files.
What are your inspirations? This could be artists (NFT or non-NFTs), TV shows, music, or any random thing on the internet!
I am inspired by contemporary artists from the late 70s-Present. Felipe Pantone, Jean DeBuffet, Cleon Peterson, The Chicago Imagists, Mike Lee, Roy Lichtenstein, Retna, and many more.
I have always been a very adamant cartoon fan, to this day I still watch the same shows I did as a kid. I hope to one day work on a cartoon in some capacity.
Musically, I am inspired by techno because of the fast BPM and energy that one gets from listening to it. I use music as a tool to achieve higher levels of confidence and focus.
What is your work process from idea to finish?
It starts with written ideas and notes. It then translates to digital renderings. From there, color selection onto the physical execution.
Cryptocurrencies and NFT have been dominating the world news for the past year thanks to the meteoric rise of Bitcoin, Cryptopunks, and of course, the famous Beeple $69M NFT purchase. What are your honest thoughts on the cryptocurrency and NFT space right now?
In the beginning, it felt like people were grasping for straws and trying to insert themselves into the NFT space in any possible way, which led to creators releasing more sub-par assets. I truly believe that the space should be a safe haven for artists that focus on video and digital art — not all art mediums make sense for NFT’s, in my opinion.
We should be using this medium to push ourselves creatively as artists to produce things that we couldn’t otherwise do. Let's say you paint a character, one should animate that character and have them interact with environments not just pump out the equivalent of a 3D render and call it a day.
Unfortunately, all the excess caused saturation in the market. It is important to emphasize curation of quantity. We’re obviously experiencing a cool down of the market, but the true artwork that belongs in the space will continue to be sold, traded and created. Regardless of the market and what the future holds, I will not stop experimenting with video art.
What are your other passions besides creating art?
Truthfully, my job is my hobby. I am constantly creating and if I am not, I’m enjoying others' creations. My life is fully consumed by art, I really don’t have room for much else. If I did have to say something besides that, my hobbies include music, partying, cars and interior design.
This is something CoinBurp asks new starters in the company as part of their Q&A interviews that get posted on the blog, but the answers are always great! What TV show or movie are you ashamed to admit you love?
I fall asleep every night with the TV on so I can zone out to the white noise so a lot of random ones get swept under the rug there. But my most recent guilty pleasure is Lego Masters.
Important Information
Cryptocurrencies are generally not regulated and investors do not have access to recourse or compensation schemes such as, for example, in the UK, the Financial Ombudsman Service or the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. Investing in cryptocurrencies can be high risk and investors should carefully evaluate their appetite for risk and their understanding of trading cryptocurrencies prior to entering into a transaction.
