ARC4G Interview
The NFT world is full of creators that have long been at the mercy of corporate clients. Digital artists have always been respected (companies pay well for them to create advertisements, special effects, and other brand assets), but they haven’t ever received the same acclaim as traditional, physical artists (think painters).
However, with the rise of NFTs and the attention being given to digital creators, animations and other forms of digital art have never been more popular. Evidence of that fact is the $372 million done in revenue by the top 3 NFT platforms (NBA Top Shots, OpenSea, and CryptoPunks) in February, up a whopping 400% over January.
We had the pleasure of sitting down with one of those digital artists who has been able to focus on the art that they are passionate about, instead of just working on the stressful client projects that often result in months of revisions and tweaks.
ARC4G (ARC on some marketplaces) has released beautiful animations on sites like Nifty Gateway, Makersplace, SuperRare, and Foundation.App (among several others).
He also is not shy about his personal struggle with SMA, which severely limits his ability to create digital art using traditional tools like a keyboard and mouse. His incredibly inspirational workflow is detailed in a blog post he published on Medium; read that here.
Before I detail the interview below, I feel compelled to stress how humble ARC is and just how much Zach and I enjoyed our conversation with him. He is funny and just oozing with talent. We hope you enjoy his art and this discussion as much as we have. Thanks again to ARC for his time!
I N T E R V I E W (Our questions are in BOLD)
What has your experience with NFTs been like so far?
ARC: “So far it feels like a dream that I'm afraid of waking up from…[it’s] very surreal. I can make work that I enjoy making and make a living as well; best of both worlds. But I don't know if it's just a honeymoon stage, might be quite different in the future when the scene is cutthroat and full of competition.”
That is a really important component of this whole movement, the fact that you are able to make art that you enjoy and still make a living...Had you primarily been doing commercial/client work before doing NFTs?
ARC: “Yes I've been doing client work before, but not a lot because it was stressful. After every client, I tell myself I'm not going to take another.”
Was that because you were making work that you weren't as connected to, or because of the demands of the clients?
ARC: “Both; we're talking 2 months of constant edits and revisions".”
When you are working on a passion piece, how much time do you typically spend on it?
ARC: “Since I have SMA, I have to manage my energy wisely. I would love to work on a huge Nifty Gateway drop with so many complex layers, I really would, but it's quite impossible for me. So, most of my work I make in 4 to 6 hours.”
It's really incredible the quality and amount of work you have produced given the SMA and just battling something like that. Does your work give you an escape in a way?
ARC: “Hmm, I don't think about it that deeply. It's just a fun thing I do to entertain myself. I'm not trying to be a cliché tortured artist trying to express deep stuff through art - I'm just having fun making fun stuff for people to enjoy as well.”
Have you explored dropping your art on other NFT sites? If so, what is that experience like?
ARC: “I've been on almost every NFT platform since I've been in the scene for a year and a bit. So I like most of them. I'm on SuperRare, Nifty Gateway, Foundation, Bitski, Zora, Terra Virtua, MakersPlace, etc.”
Who are some of your favorite artists that you're following/collecting right now?
ARC: “Too many to count - plus, I don't want to name someone and forget others.”
Are you planning any new drops?
ARC: “Vaguely yes, but I don't like doing too many drops and sales. I like to chill for a bit after large ones. I guess it's bad for business if you don't ride the momentum.”
I think that is important though, to not flood the market at the same time…
ARC: “I always felt uncomfortable with jumping from [one] large sale to another. I see a lot of artists making millions then announcing another event 2 weeks later.”
I noticed you did a really cool collab with Han - How did that happen?
ARC: “We've been in contact before. The scene is small, before the recent expansion, so you see a lot of the same people in the hallways of the world of NFTs. We chatted a bit here and there and then I DMed them to collaborate and they were glad to.”
Very cool - so a lot of your work is very digital in nature, screens, devices, etc. are you passionate about tech in general?
ARC: “If you scroll through my Instagram it wasn't always that, I changed styles a bit. I used to do a lot of colorful sims.
Definitely - but even early on, way down your feed there is a Playstation logo…
ARC: “Yeah I like tech, I just find making those random devices really fun…[and the PlayStation logo] was just fan art.”
Have you always used the same software for making your art or have you changed over time?
ARC: “I've always used Blender - but it's irrelevant in my opinion.”
Do you consider Blender to be as effective/capable as C4D which is getting all the attention lately? (re: beeple, etc.)?
ARC: “Of course there are some differences in tech and workflow, but Beeple can make the same general artwork in other tools. I just don't like to give the tool much focus. It might make people think if they learn that specific tool it will suddenly make them better at the art they're trying to make. My analogy is: If you want to become a painter, Paint, just buy whatever brushes and practice. Don't focus on the brand of brushes, or different types of canvas. You're just wasting your time thinking the tool will do all the work for you. Just pick whatever and practice, and later on you start learning the best tools for what you want to make. Don't think downloading the most expensive and powerful 3d software will help you learn faster or be better.”
Have you ever done physical art?
ARC: “I have not, I would love to - especially making those random devices as art. But it's a huge undertaking…people think just 3d print the parts etc, But once you look deeper, it gets complicated fast.”
