digital art, NFT, crypto, artist, Nifty Gateway, personal journey, loss, presence, AI, art industry, ethical implications of AI, tips for artists
In Episode #13, MezFi Meets Justin Maller, an OG in the Digital Art space and the NFT space. Founder of the Depthcore Art Collective and previous Chief Creative Officer of Deviant Art, Justin has had a long and storied career in digital art, he developed a passion for Adobe Photoshop in High School and followed his conviction at all costs.
Justin has released 5 NFT projects including his first incredible collection, Second Storm and a collaboration with Shaq for his first NFT drop, as well as developing the art for the MezFi DFT collection.
Jerome and Justin discuss his career in art, how he got into the crypto and NFT spaces, the ethics of AI art and lots more.
To find out more about Justin and his various projects, go to:
https://www.JustinMaller.com
https://justinmaller.com/project/second-storm
https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinmaller
https://x.com/justinmaller
https://www.depthcore.com
To find out more about MezFi, go to:
https://www.MezFi.com
00:00 Introduction and Background
03:46 The Evolution of Digital Art and NFTs
09:34 From Freelancing to Chief Creative Officer at DeviantArt
13:50 The Overwhelming Response to NFT Drops
19:45 The Personal Significance of the 'Second Storm' Collection
25:47 The Connection and Existence
28:09 Justin's NFT Projects: The Second Storm and Shaq
30:01 Exploring Grief and Personal Projects
31:50 The Impact of AI on the Artistic Process
34:10 The Harmful Effects of AI on Professional Digital Artists
38:04 The Industrial Revolution and the AI Revolution
42:48 The Devaluation of Rights for Artists
45:37 The Comparison to Metallica vs. Napster
48:15 The Unethical Scraping of Artwork Data
50:03 Tips for Aspiring Artists: Making Art, Building Community, and Marketing
55:33 The MezFi NFT Collection: Architectural Inspiration and Unique Artwork
