moonolog
Tattooartists have found a new way to make their art known with NFTs. One with absolutely distinctive style and charm is moonolog and I'm happy to introduce her art and her person and her story here!
Maria please tell who you are!
Although I have been using art in various forms, especially drawing, as processing tools pretty much my entire life, it was only in the beginning of 2020 that I started embracing art as my calling and working towards it as a career. Since then I have been researching the field and market more thoroughly, joined artists’ groups in Ukraine – both traditional and crypto, got my works into several publications, began entering international competitions and art collaborations. It does feel like a very early stage in my art journey, yet at least now I am certain I’m moving in the most natural to me, right direction.
How did you get involved with NFTs
It is a well-known fact that time flows differently in crypto art world, but it still is crazy to think that it’s been less than 6 month since I got involved, while it seems like I’ve been doing this for years.
Like for many artists currently in NFT, for me it was a combination of news hype around Beeple’s sale at Christie’s, seeing unbelievable really smaller creators’ success stories on social media, and a number of timely, lucky coincidences like, say, coming across a random facebook comment with a discord/telegram NFT discussion invite link. Having learned basic terminology and platform names, I realized a former classmate of mine was already quite successfully selling NFTs back then, and even my dad, who is normally very skeptical and prudent, took serious interest in the subject, so overall it was just too many “green flags” not to at least give it a try. No regrets so far.
Almost right away I got into a collab project, where I volunteered to assist with twitter, which got me going with my personal twitter too. This was very fortunate as I quickly figured twitter is The place to be for an NFT creator.
What kind of impact will NFTs have to our future ?
I can easily see more people getting obsessed with NFTs as time goes by. It is sometimes hard to believe something “this good to be true” will last long, especially given how turbulent the world is these days, though I truly hope NFTs are here to stay.
The thing for me is that I personally have been sharing my art online for roughly 6 years now – I started by creating an art account @moonolog on instagram, which is also when the pseudonym came to be, way back in 2015, when instagram was also arguably a much friendlier place for creators.
Now, for the first time I have a way to monetize what I love doing, was and would be doing anyway, that feels right for me time, copyright and resources wise, that doesn’t compromise my largely introverted, independent nature and doesn’t require me to be a “salesman”. I see no reason for quitting and I know a lot of people feel the same. After all those who were here for quick money left the space already.
I am no analyst, but who knows, even if blockchain art does face a decline in the future, it very well might repeat bitcoin’s fate and bounce back stronger than ever after laying low for a while.
What do you create? What makes your work stand out?
Art is largely a coping mechanism and a sort of self-therapy for me. Very rarely I know or plan for the final result, it either works out on its own or it doesn’t – once I get started, my subconscious seems to take over and produce whatever it’s been occupied with at or around that time. As terrible as it may sound, some of my best drawings are fruits of procrastination on other tasks.
I find it entertaining and stimulating to condense serious topics/issues into short, simple phrases and corresponding illustrations. My work is a cry for common sense and adequacy, which, quite counter-intuitively, often calls for confusing and chaotic forms. I like taking normally mundane, ordinary, everyday items, phenomenon and appearances, and show them through the lens of dark'ish humor, stoicism, sarcasm. Speaking of topics, my recent works are, in some way or another, involve questions of femininity, gender, religion vs faith and spirituality, social systems and constructs.
Who do you want to promote?
I am really grateful for having met and/or discovered so many amazing, truly gifted and in addition to all supportive people in the NFT space. I love @MerchantCoppola’s works and his insane thought process, @luluixixix with unique style and tasteful execution, @AllavenaJerome’s hypnotizing animations, @toadswiback, @burkabayramart’s, @gjaq_’s , @bjorncalleja’s art, the list of awesome, inspiring artists really goes on though..
Last but not least, I would like to pass the torch and recommend @cybermistic, whose artworks are excellently composed, satisfying to look at, while always with intriguing, thought-provoking narratives.
On a large scale, my latest art obsession is Francis Bacon. I also consistently find myself inspired by Ghibli movies and science/magic fiction literature like Murakami, Vonnegut, Sheckley, Borges etc.
It sounds cliche, but inspiration can indeed be found anywhere – from Venus of Willendorf to renaissance paintings to fellow NFT artists’ works.
Where can people find you Maria?
One last word
Huge thanks to Merchant Coppola for the shout-out and this opportunity, to Sebastian Berger for this platform for artists to speak about their work, and to everyone who took time to read this article and get to know me as an artist better.