HOW TO BECOME AN NFT-ARTIST AND MANAGE TO LEAVE SOME TIME FOR SLEEP. Interview with the artist Melba Marat.

"Melba Marat is my pseudonym, I made it up when I was 15, everyone knows me by that name, let it remain so".

I've been drawing at the art studio for 2 years when I was at school.
After 10 years I got a degree in feature film directing at the St. Petersburg State University of Cinematography. Looking at animation directors I started to draw again.
Graduated from the University and worked for 3 years in cinema.
Then, on a 2 year online course with Vitaly Ivlev, I studied form construction, character development and environment design.
Worked on my drawing skills on a daily basis for two more years.
I got a job in the studio as a background artist.
A year ago I got a job at "Soyuzmultfilm" on the TV series "CHUCH MIAUCH". There I painted backgrounds and developed new locations, props for animation. (Props are various everyday things surrounding a character in a cartoon).

At the same time I'm taking orders for concept art and character design. Sometimes I draw frame animation. The main key phases to it.
Customers find me on their own. Probably people I know recommend me.
I drew for Honkfu Studio, for OZON, for anime horror (it hasn't been released yet) and a music video for Brainstorm - "Feels". You can see my projects in my insta-account.

It all started with a series of 6 pieces on FOUNDATION.APP about the social influence of adults on the formation of children's identities. On further psychological problems and difficulties of socialization in adulthood. The reason for this is the wrong upbringing and mistakes in the behavior of adults, parents included. This topic is close to me, this is how I started my journey in the NFT.

Besides FOUNDATION, I have an account at AirNFT. My artworks here is different in specifics. More illustrative and easier. On theFOUNDATION I have more "heavy" and social work.

Collectors who buy my art find my art by themselves thanks to retweets from my friends and colleagues.
There were occasions when collectors found my artworks on other platforms such as ARTSTATION or BEHANCE and asked to zaminate them in order to buy them as NFT.
I'm also working on the character design of DOPE SHIBAS, which is a cool NFT project with different Japanese shiba dogs.

I'm very fond of the art of other artists close to my heart. Sometimes I act as a collector by buying their art. I think it's important for artists to support each other.
My collection includes art by artists such as Roman Kosolapov, Languast Art, Trickery Twister, Roma Casus, Kosti v Gosti, Milana Juventa, Sailor Sister.

Artist: Sailor Sister

Artist : Languast Art

Artist : Trickery Twister

I'm subscribed on Twitter to a lot of talented guys from NFT community. Retweets help me notice what I can and want to buy. Sometimes the stakes are higher than I can, so I'm powerless and have to give up.
I love the fact that I have unique art in my collection. including physical works that I put up on my wall at home.

Artist : Roma Casus

I don't really like and know how to hold discussions, so all social and communicative issues are solved by my husband BolotovMotion, who is also my personal manager. I do most of the art work.
Right now we're doing a new NFT project together, "KOKO _DI".

It will be a collection of 10 generated avatars. I hope people will like it.
I come up with the world, style and characters, and my husband and his programming team do everything else.
The idea is a world where all adults have disappeared and children no longer grow up. It has its own laws of survival and social hierarchy. It's kind of like Lord of the Flies by William Golding.
I like themes related to childhood. I like to reason and tell stories with my art.
That's my main job right now. I had to leave "SoyuzMultfilm" temporarily for the project and give up more anime and animation projects. But I think I'll come back to "SM" after the project. I liked working there and stayed on very good terms with everyone.

I used to be able to paint for 18 hours a day nonstop. But, age takes its toll and now I draw for 15 hours a day. Sometimes 9 or 10 a day and I can't do any more.
I don't have time for anything else it takes a toll on my health. Sometimes I have to do some light rehabilitation.
But it can be fixed if I exercise at least an hour a day and go for walks. If I can afford an extra hour of sleep and a walk, I definitely do it.
I don't take cheap projects, health is more important. It is better to sleep or travel on the weekends.
My husband and I like to fly around Russia on weekends mostly, sometimes we go abroad as well.
We hope to have more time someday, but so far 80% of it is work. The rest of the time is for myself essentially for sleeping.

Do what you like to do. If you don't get it right away, you'll get it later. I didn't believe in NFT either, until I sold my 1st job. Anyway, I have enough commissions to never stop painting 15 hours a day.
Without NFT I would work every day. With NFT I work just as much. It's a new experience for me and a great opportunity to join the community of "firsts" of a new art expression.
In the online post-meta-modern world of crypto-art, art has finally become a self-referential connotation of itself and unencumbered by the canon of established dogmas of material embodiment. For many, this was the reason for the lack of understanding and belief in the value of NFT as a valuable segment of the art - market and objective future, the development of humanity, the symbiosis of science and culture in general.