NFT artist Marso talked to us about rediscovering herself and introducing her art in the metaverse. Marso learned about NFTs from his friend and Founder of Ownly, Ismael Jerusalem. Jerusalem has been educating the basics of cryptocurrencies and how NFTs could benefit digital artists on another level.

Ron: Is Marso your real name? What’s the story behind “Marso”?

Marso: Marso is not my real name. It used to be my street alias during college when I was trying to pursue street art and graffiti. It’s actually a short version of my full name. At one point in my life, I decided that I wanted a fresh new start. Changing my name felt like a commitment to being a better version of myself.

Ron: How do you feel when you are drawing? What’s the most common emotion that you feel when you do your art?

Ron: They say not all people will like your art. Have you experienced other’s hate towards your art? How did you cope up with it?

Marso: Yes, some people may say that they don’t understand or prefer my art, but I don’t mind at all. IMO Art is and will always be subjective. At the end of the day I’ll still do the art that I enjoy regardless of what others think about it. I do my art for me and not for others.

Ron: Besides digital art, we learned that you were into murals. Can you tell us more about it?

Marso: I just started out taking my art into the traditional scene by doing, I have always loved street art since college and I get to meet so many friends guiding me, especially my RPG crew. They taught me how to use spray cans properly. I’m still working on creating a proper portfolio for it, but I hope soon I can be as good as Anina Rubio.

Ron: What is the difference between doing digital art and murals?

Marso: Doing murals makes me feel more like an artist in the sense of letting the public see how you do it. It’s also more of an active way of making art, you get to move around, talk to the passerbys and get to inspire kids. It’s a different experience.

Ron: That sounds fun! Which do you like more?

Marso: Hard question. I am an introvert at heart, I am more comfortable at home in my room with my tablet, but creating murals takes you to a different level of making art. I’m not really sure but I love doing both.

Heavily inspired by James Jean, Raul Urias, Inkten, Sachin Teng and her favorite of all, Victo Ngai, and with the knowledge she learned from his colleagues, Marso pursued a career in digital arts and ventured into making art in web3.

Rediscovering herself in the unknown metaverse

Marso’s genesis NFT, Alice in Obsession, was finally minted on OpenSea. Unfortunately, the original account where it was minted was hacked. From there, Marso kept on going venturing and learning about a brand new space for her, with the help of her colleagues. During her free time, Marso studied the blockchain and its potential opportunities.

Marso stated her works are perfect fit for nature and psychedelic art. Marso shared artwork the origins of her artwork.

Ron: Among all your NFTs, what’s your favorite?

Marso: One of my favorite NFT pieces is “Lionheart”.

Ron: What’s the story behind your style? Is it original or were you inspired by other artists?

Marso: I guess I can say that this is an original take of so many inspirations that I’ve come into terms to what I want to see in an artwork. The moment that I just let myself draw in a way that I was comfortable was the moment that I found my style. For me, style is a preference, and it will continuously change as you grow. I tried putting on textures. I liked very fined and edged lines, then at one point, I wanted it free-flowing. I guess our artworks also represent who we are at the moment. Cliche to say, but you are your art.

Ron: What inspired you to finally take the first step and create that NFT art?

Ron: Here is a question I have been wanting to ask. What’s the goal when you entered the doors of the metaverse?

As per Marso, it’s not all fun when creating NFT art. As an artist in a brand space, Marso was learning hard on how to start out. She was doing all the work to promote and build her brand.

Ron: Were you working alone on your NFT art?

Marso: Yes and I realized that it was so hard to handle and build an art brand. I was the creator, the marketer, the social media manager, the photographer, the videographer, the networker, and so much more to succeed. I have been considering reaching out to friends to focus solely on making my art.

Ron: What has been the most effective marketing for your work right now?

Marso: Staying consistent and continuously update the people that support you. Making friends help, especially on Discord. Right now, NFTs are more of a VAR because of the market’s current condition, but still, it is an excellent time to keep on building.

Ron: I feel your passion from your stories.

Marso: When I was just starting out to pursue being an artist, I had a lot of doubts and fears that It might not work, but I always tried to remember that art is a form of therapy, and this artwork was actually made as a reminder for me to be brave enough to go on with my aspiration and just enjoy the ride.

Marso has been making a name for herself and along the way she has met and collaborated with a handful of brands and projects.

Ron: What are some of your favorite NFT projects?

Marso: I really like Project Godjira, Deadfellaz, cyberkongs and Doodles.

Ron: Can you share some of the collaborations you have worked with?

Marso: I have work and collaborated with Asiaverse, Deadfellaz, Alibatta agency, meatspace, ownly, somium space, crypto artweek asia and Jonathan mann.

Ron: What’s your thoughts on marketplace royalties?

Marso: I love royalties. It is a chance for the artist to get an extra commission whenever their art is being re-sold.

Ron: Do you do special works/ commissions?

Marso: Yes, But I only prefer it to be in my style.

Since her roots are on murals arts, Marso has been familiar with the feeling of being surrounded by people and shared her experiences on IRL (in real life) events.

Ron: What are some of the IRL events that you have been part of?

Marso: Meatspace, Likha, NFT ARTfairPh, Investagram, Wacom and Smart Com.

Ron: Do you think IRL events are important?

Marso: I think it’s a good start to spread awareness of the possibilities of NFTs.

Ron: Any memorable IRL stories/ meeting your fans?

Marso: I don’t consider anyone to be my fan, I prefer making friends at events, just you know, hanging around and connecting with other aspiring artists.

Marso on the future of NFT space

Ron: Besides collection and owning the art, do you see/plan another utility for your works?

Marso: I plan on partnering with other platforms to guide and help me with coming up with a utility that can bridge web2 and web3.

Ron: What’s the most challenging part in being an artist in the NFT space?

Marso: The hardest part of being an artist in the NFT space is standing out amongst the projects and other artists. Most artists are not marketers; since we are on our own, we tend to lean on friends to spread our work. We help each other by simply tweeting and re-tweeting works. Another way is to simply put yourself out there by joining Twitter spaces, clubhouse rooms and networking through discord.

Ron: In the past year, what’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned with NFTs?

Ron: How do you see the NFT space 5 years from now?

Marso: I hope to see real innovation and promises being made into reality in the NFT space.

Ron: What’s your advice to artists who want to turn their art into NFTs?

You can learn more about Marso, her collection and her collaboration pieces on her website. For projects and collaborations, you can send an email to [email protected].