Diana Sinclair and The World of NFTs
What’s the life of a creative, if not being in love with the art that you make and share with the world? Investing time and money in your creative talents can still be an option available only for a few people. It is still hard to become a full-time creative and embrace its path at an early age, with the support of family, friends, and peers.
There are endless types of communities now that can help you become an artist and appreciate your work. In addition to the emotional support, there might be also a financial one, something that the NFT (non-fungible-token) community seems to be an exceptional pioneer in this lane.
For the first time, it is possible to see a connection between the finance world (cryptocurrency) and technology (more explained in this article) explored in the arts (design, visual arts, photography, films, collectibles, etc.). For the first time, the new creative industry (art and music) challenges the traditional system on financial terms. For the first time ever, young creatives can start their journey in a community that empowers financial freedom and generational wealth.
The Curly Flower decided to talk to Diana Sinclair, a very young creative who saw the potential in NFT and its vibrant community. Her story inspires many traditional artists and new creatives, seeking a constructive pivot in their careers. Go Diana!
Who’s Diana Sinclair?
I’m a 17-year-old artist and creative. I’m based out in Clifton (NJ). I work with all sorts of different media, from photography to painting and animation. I also do a little bit of film. I try to use whatever I have available to manifest my creative vision. I’ve been in the NFT space for a while, where I launched off my artwork and was able to work creatively.
What’s your academic and artistic background?
I’ve been home-schooled all my life. From 1st grade I’ve been out of school. I stayed out of it because I was an athlete and it was just more convenient for me to stay home-schooled. When I got into high school I had to stop being an athlete because of an injury and then a surgery I never really recovered from. I thought that from being an athlete I could pay for my college, but I wasn’t able to do that anymore and that caused some tension. I just convinced myself that I would have been able to pay for college in my own way, either with my art or something else. But as the date was getting closer for college - this would’ve been my senior year (in high school) - it just kinda became clear that that sort of path wasn’t necessary for me. I was already doing the things that I would’ve enrolled in college for. It seemed to have more sense I continued working with what I’m currently doing.
Let’s talk about NFTs. What is an NFT?
I think the best way to explain without getting too much into the technology is saying that it’s a way to prove scarcity, rarity, and provenance of your work. In the traditional art space, it’s a lot harder to track your collectors, how much money your work is making and it’s also hard to prove how rare your artwork is. On the blockchain it is proven in the code, what’s minted with. It’s a much more trustable process. Different artists will create tokens out of their artwork and be able to sell them on the blockchain.
How did you come across the world of NFTs?
My partner is also an artist. They recently got into NFTs. I was on Twitter and an artist that I was following made a post encouraging 3D artists to post their work. I texted my partner “post your stuff you made, it’s so good!”. So they showed their artwork on their thread and a lot of artists started following them and started having conversations with these artists. Their timeline on Twitter transformed into a 3D artists space. These artists were talking about how they’re finally finding a space where they could find value in their work in a way that wasn’t done before, especially with digital artists, who were often told that their art was worth nothing. Now because it's in a digital space, they’re able to see their value and to sell for what’s worth. That’s how they (my partner) started to see the world (of NFTs) and started the spiral of information, learning and watching videos on the subject. That became what put me into this and then I put also my dad into it - my dad is a software developer. We were all into it and constantly learning and scouting information. That’s how we got started and that’s how I got introduced to it.
Not only were you able to work and get to familiarize with this new community through your partner, but you also brought your family on. There are times where parents don’t support their daughter’s or son’s creative path or business.
I’m very grateful for being in a position where my parents are very supportive. My dad is an artist, my mom is a writer, but because of the times they grew up in, they had to table that creativity they had to be able to support a family. I think it makes them happy to see me being creative and that I’m thriving off of it. This has also inspired them to get back on their creativity.
How do you see your art inserted in the world of NFTs?
The year before I got into NFTs, in 2020 during the pandemic, I really buckled down and got into photography because I was determined to win the Young Arts Award. I built my portfolio and submitted it, and I won! It was a huge deal for me. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to attend the live event in person in Miami for a week as a prize, that’s where you go and they test your skills while workshopping with you. Everything was held on Zoom. A lot of what they taught was how to survive and succeed as a photographer in a traditional way. I was told very specific things I needed to do to succeed as a photographer - creating a large body of work over a long period of time, while applying to college, approaching galleries, creating photo books, etc. It was very traditional. I wasn’t fully vibing with all of the advice I was getting. It was a few weeks later I got into NFTs and I minted lots of my portfolio images, but then I got to branch out a little bit more into videography. I was interested in doing moving portraits. If it wasn’t for NFTs I wouldn’t have felt so empowered. Now being in galleries that have digital screens or having people who buy my work for thousands of dollars shows me that my work does have value and my artistic experimentation can be appreciated.
NFTs are still a new thing. People are still a bit skeptical. What are the risks?
Just like in any other space, where there’s a lot of money, there’s also a lot of risk. Don’t put as much money you’re willing to lose on bids. Being smart with money and deciding what you’re willing to put on a bid as well as what you could lose. As an artist it can be dangerous for your mental health, if you don’t go in with a strong sense of self and self-worth. As much as you’re seeing a lot of people winning, there’s still a lot of people losing. It’s easy to get caught up and start struggling with your self-worth. Knowing when to take breaks, when to step away or what to consume, how much you are on social media is important to maintain a healthy relationship with your art and your community.
