Fot this edition of SPOt-light we’ll dive into a different direction, down another rabbit hole, namely, traditional art (not quite, but we explain further on) The artist featured is @iAnnetonly, with her pure iPhone photography traveling and capturing the world. She has some exciting news for us regarding a new line of Photographs, more NFT’s dropping on nft-maker.io/pro and an auction in a place we all know! Read on!
Hello iAnnet Tell us a little bit about yourself, what are your areas of expertise? (Tech, finance, other), how did you learn about Cardano and what led you to adopt the role you currently play in the ecosystem?
I am iAnnet, mother, rebel and international iPhone photographer. I’ve been capturing the world with my iPhone for 12 years now. I have never touched any other camera. I give creative motivational masterclasses worldwide and I execute iPhone shoots for all sorts of clients. The world is hiding stories for me, like a miraculous book. I simply reveal the pages with my lens. During the lockdown in Amsterdam I captured my lovely city with the iPhone and this resulted in the book ‘Amsterdam is oh so quiet’. It was such a lovely adventure. Me myself and my camera, that’s where I am at my best.
My ex and best friend has been into Cardano from day one. He inspired me and after I saw the Youtube video’s of Charles Hoskinson, founder and visionary, I fell in love with Cardano.
- So from getting to know Cardano, How did the steps leading up to this evolve, were you instantly hooked and thinking of NFT’s or did you have some barriers?
After my first visit to the populair Clubhouse this year everyone was talking about NFT’s. I first thought it was the holy grail or something. I decided to jump in immediately and skip Ethereum marketplaces. I am a rebel and I always want to do things differently. Cardano from now on was my platform. I had to find the best developer.
When I researched platforms like Open Sea and Rarible, I felt really uncomfortable. My work would not be at home amongst the Pixel-art and Animé. Gasfees on Ethereum were way to high in my opinion and it was all about trading, not enjoying art. I thought ‘before I start to mint, this can be way better. And then I met Patrick Tobler with his NFT Maker. We discussed a collaboration and here we are! He and I are a good team.
- So, what is your thing? Can you give us a brief rundown of your view on Art as a whole, and where do you place yourself in terms of traditional vs contemporary art?
I love the old masters! Caravaggio and Breitner are my favorites. When I was a student at the Academy of Arts in Rotterdam, I had a teacher which motivated us to observe traditional and modern art closely. My brain blueprinted all these amazing brushstrokes and compositions. I rediscover those blueprints in my photos.
I will never look at fellow photographers because I like to be original. In that way my work can’t be labelled as part of a certain style. On the other hand, within the crypto art world my NFT’s are definitely a-typical. Art has to be democratized. I hate the elite institutes which have an opinion around a table full of caviar and champaign about the value of art. No schwung, just follow the money. I like to be part of something totally different.
- You’ve recently release a project that is somewhat different from the (aforementioned) pixel-art types of projects, and you have been fairly successful! Can you elaborate?
iReflections is a series of 100 iPhone photos. I’m rolling out the selection of water reflections until october 31st; the world projected on the water surface. Upside down and miraculous. Number #001 is exhibited on Central Station but the happy owner has bought a 1/1 edition, just like all the others. The first 20 were sold out in a few days (except one which is my favorite … shhh). It overwhelms me a bit. What I really like about this new way of art selling is the connecting part. I am way closer to my buyers as on the regular market I get fresh ideas to experiment and make the series more interactive with the viewers. I will use certain methods to make the project come alive within the process.
In the beginning of october I will go to Nice and later on to Barcelona to make iReflections with my iPhone 13 Pro Max, which i am testing right now. There is a special charity auction of Pieter Nierop (@nierop_pieter) coming up in Barcalona in the Cardano hotel of Alfred (@bigezdaddy2017)for number #099.
- Were there any problems, obstacles to overcome on the way, and if yes, how did you tackle them, what resources did you use? Were there any people that have helped you along the way?
Although the smart contracts are not executable yet on Patrick’s (@Padierfind) platform, I am quite confident it will be in the very near future. What I like about NFT Maker is that it will be a whitelable platform, just as for instance Shopify. Easy to implement in one’s own brand environment. That is a smart move of Patrick Tobler.
- So, Now iReflections has been done can you give us a glimpse of any new things in the pipeline? Theres something imminent isn’t there?
I am working on a global Cardano CNFT project. I will represent high end artists with a focus on the USA and Asia. Within my network there are a few established artists who do not know the world of crypto art. I will guide them along the way. But it is more then a regular gallery. We will ask for a low commission or no commission at all, we will select art in a democratic way and we stimulate artists to be their own sales and marketing executives. Meanwhile I like to redefine gallery space. The world is a canvas, art could be exposed everywhere, augmented, physical, whether it is underwater or in a central park. Exciting times!
- Cardano has captured you because of it decentralized nature and the massive NFT ecosystem it is bolstering now. Do you see other opportunities or functions that may not have been so obvious from the get-go?
Crossovers in a timeframe! For instance: visuals as support to charity in an instant moment. More I will not say, cause I’m working on it 😉
- What can people do to stay in the loop regarding your art, is there a location where you sell or display it, and can you provide some links or other pointers? We like to make it easy for people to get their hands on artistic NFT’s.
You may visit www.iAnnet.nl for my iReflections series on NFT Maker. On this account you can also find my Discord channel. Follow me on Twitter @iAnnetonly. At Instagram I show my other projects @iAnnetnl
- We tend to get a lot of questions from people about the purpose of NFT’s, or art issued as NFT’s and most of them are based on lack of information or sheer novelty. What can you say to people that may have genuine interest, but have no idea where to start?
My advice is to figure out which blockchain platform you like most and why. Choice is commitment. Find the best developers and people with vision through Youtube and Twitter. Skip the crypto traders and haters! They don’t have a clue about NFT.
- Any final thoughts? Shout-outs or influential people you’d like us to thank on behalf of you?
My first shoutout will go definitely to Patrick Tobler! You’re a genius and the best (Check out nft-maker.io/pro) Secondly John, my ex. You are a true inspiration. And of course Charles Hoskinson (@IOHK_Charles), for making it all happen.
iAnnet, Thank you so much for taking some time out of a busy period with all the new iPhone testing and shooting. We sincerely hope the sale of the last series of iReflections finds as happy an owner as the guy who bought #001! best of luck and well be in touch once the auction comes around!
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