- The Mega Maxi
- Posts
- TMM x Marso TownHall Event Highlights
TMM x Marso TownHall Event Highlights
After our first Town Hall event with Bitskwela, we felt delighted as Marso came in next at our second Weekly TMM Townhall held last January 21.
She shared her inspiring journey into Web3 and the successes she achieved throughout her career.
In this article, we will take a closer look at the highlights of the event and discover what it takes to be a successful NFT artist.
Part I: Getting To Know The Guests
During the initial part of the event, the guest was asked about her background and experiences of her Web3 pursuits.
Although she’s no stranger to the digital art scene, just like other starting artists, she doesn’t have any background knowledge about Web3.
Now you may wonder how she landed a successful career despite her drawbacks.
To answer this, let’s recap the questions and the informative answers given to the viewers.
Can you tell us more about yourself? What’s your educational or professional background outside of Web3?
Marso revealed that she’s currently handling Level Art, an art community agency that helps local artists thrive in Web3.
As a fine arts marketing graduate, Marso showed her passion for marketing by integrating her real-life skills into the Web3 market. And soon to other industries as well, given the plans she’s thought for in the long term.
“kailangan ko talaga matuto ng marketing para matuto ako na mag handle ng business and it’s really hard at first and luckily i have a lot of friends na nag help me out and mga nalalapitan ko.” She added.
How did you learn about crypto and NFTs?
Connections and opportunities. These primary factors stimulated her to learn and discover more about cryptocurrencies and NFTs.
According to Marso, she had friends who introduced NFTs to their community back then.
That then became the moment when she gained much admiration towards NFTs because she felt a sense of value towards digital creators, like her, as artists, not just a workforce.
“nagalingan ako kasi it’s the first time na parang magkakaroon ng value yung mga digital artist kasi diba pag digital artist ka workforce ka lang ee. Di ka kino-consider na real artist pero dahil sa technology and NFT parang naging ano kana…collectibles so para sakin WOW finally something revolutionary sa industry ganon,” She said.
She also said that meeting with CryptoArt Philippines was a huge step forward in her career because the community gave her so many opportunities.
She then continued learning more by bumping into different communities. This eventually leads to her participation in notable local and international art exhibits.
“nag ride lang ako sa every opportunity na makuha ko within the meaning of art so nag start sya doon sa Crypto Art PH tapos noon naghanap talaga ako ng other communities lalo na sa twitter,” Marso added.
Then the rest became history after that.
What is your advice to aspiring NFT artists or to traditional artists that are interested in entering the Web3 industry?
Marso encourages aspiring NFT artists to learn the blockchain first before diving in to prevent any potential problems from occurring in the future.
She also said to have fun since regardless of which industry you’re applying for – you’re still an artist. It’s just a different market.
“kung hindi niyo siya aralin baka magkaroon kayo ng problems in the future. It’s better to be prepared,” She said.
In your perspective as an NFT artist. What can you say about AI art?
There’s an ongoing dilemma among artists on how they can overcome AI considering its rapid takeover of the art industry.
But as Marso said, it’s not about overcoming it but maximizing its advantages for beneficial use instead.
“I was anti AI, I hate the fact na in just 5 minutes kayang gumawa ng ganito or ganyan, but it’s a ticking time bomb and if hindi ka mag aadapt, nothing will happen,” She stated.
Aside from that, she also indicated that it all comes down to an artist’s brand. Your ideas and how you market yourself determine your success since it’s almost impossible to outmaneuver AI, given its fast-paced and innovative solutions.
” it all comes down pa rin sa pagiging artist brand on how you market yourself on how you present yourself as a professional and an artist in social media, because at the end of the day AI cannot be a person. It’s the person that could really stand out yung napapakita mo what’s under the craft,” She added.
The more unique you are, the more valuable. Hence, leading to more opportunities.
PART II: Q&A Segment
In this segment of the discussion, The Mega Maxi asked Marso based on random questions given by the participants.
Here are some of the questions that tapped most of our curiosity.
What is your advice to artists interested in entering this space but need to figure out how? or to those artists that are being held back by the FUD surrounding NFTs?
FUDs are normal. It even occurs not just on Web3 but also on other investments such as real estate, stocks, etc. But if people don’t act to combat this problem, it may remain a burden to them from investing.
According to Marso, studying and learning about the latest updates in the blockchain are good ways to start combating FUDs around NFTs.
“you need to know what’s happening sa crypto space kasi baka magaya kayo sa akin baka mahack kayo. And mahirap nga diba na parang hindi nyo alan paano ihandle yung finances mo,” Marso mentioned.
This is ideal, especially if you’re starting out in the space, considering that Web3 gets more sophisticated over time.
And as she’s nearing to a closing statement, she ends her answer by directly advising artists to know how to market and sell.
“know how to market kasi the beauty here in the Web3 space is that everything is manual and you can utilize the art of selling, kasi you really need that. It’s not enough you say na Im doing it for the art. No, you’re here in this kind of market because you know that there’s financial opportunities,” She added.
With what’s happening right now in the space, do you still believe that there’s still a future for artists in Web3?
In every project, some factors need to be considered. The employees sustaining it, and its creators.
By taking note of AI’s current contributions to society, this left Marso to answer the question with worry and uncertainty.
She mentioned that AI technologies are obsolescing the manpower behind every art project. Although artists may remain, the workforce behind them might get replaced.
“when it comes to manpower, parang ang hirap na dahil nga sa AI, yung mga hinahire ng mga artist mas magkaproblema, lalo na sobrang fast-paced ng Web3,” She said.
“I really don’t know, but as an artist, yes magstastay ka dito but as a manpower, I don’t think so,” She added.
PART III: Technical Questions About How To Be An NFT Artist
Lastly, Marso provides in-depth details and tips to aspiring NFT artists on how they can begin with a positive start.
Let’s learn more about Marso’s insights on the third part of the event.
What are the equipment or tools that you use to make NFT art? Are there any requirements that aspiring artists should be aware of?
Besides blockchain-related requirements, such as cryptocurrency wallets and the likes, there are no authoritative prerequisites for becoming an NFT artist.
As Marso said, all you need are the digital tools for creating art mainly – pen tablet, photoshop and illustrator.
How could a beginner or aspiring artist mint their art in a blockchain? Do you have any tips for them to do this or what blockchain they should use?
Out of all several NFT blockchains in Web3, Matic stood out for Marso’s preference due to its budget-friendly gas fees and wide brand partnerships.
She also emphasized to study about a particular blockchain first before choosing because every token has a community, and it’s essential to know if you’re comfortable with that particular community.
Moreover, she discussed about the different types of collectors within each blockchain. Based on this, she recommended Tezos as the safest one.
“Actually nagstart din ako sa tezos na marami akong nakilala na artists. Very cheap din ng mint dito if you have small capital. Pero kung mayroon onting capital and you want to venture out, then matic nga kasi cheaper at masyado nang saturated sa iba,” She said.
How do you market your own NFT projects? Do you have any tips for beginners on how they could market their NFT projects and grow their own community?
Marso explained her professional sentiments on how to market NFT projects, which is first to have a niche or story to which people can relate, much more like a theme that connects with people’s interests and attributions.
“it’s a form of storytelling din when you’re creating an art. Let’s say, yung doodles, the way they present themselves is very warm tapos nun funny, yung pastel colors are cute, yung form of story niya is parang bubbly, but when it comes to Azuki, mangaas, ganyan. Syempe anime, cool,” Marso said.
According to her, people are interested in purchasing things they can entice. Once it’s set, you can then expand your marketing strategies from there.
“Kailangan mo talaga sumali sa mga groups, kailangan mo makipag usap sa mga tao. You have to learn how to network. You have to learn how to sell at sumali sa mga spaces. Introduce yourself as an artist, just be out there. Indulge yourself within the Web3 space, just be there,” She added.
And, of course, you need to have an array of connections if you wish to excel and sell your project. As most people say, your network is your net worth.
Follow up question:
Do you think it’s possible to build your name in space just by working alone? Since most of the artists are shy and maybe scared to go out.
Coming from a former introvert, Marso disagrees with this concept because in order to gain connections, you need to socialize and have an existing profile.
“kung mag isa ka lang it’s difficult. You really have to make friends, to know the ins and outs, to know opportunities,” She answered.
Although challenging, it’s also an ideal approach because people in Web3 are beneficial and very supportive in terms of lifting others up to success.
Not only bringing you out of your comfort zone, but you can also learn more from them and exchange values based on each other’s skill sets.
“You have to know din kung ano ba yung goals and expectations mo as being an artist. I know it’s difficult kasi dami nga nahihiya na parang you want a genuine connection within your artwork na parang pag pinost mo siya maraming nagkagusto o bibilhin to kasi they really want it,” She stated.
Conclusions
That concludes all the highlights for our TMM x Marso TownHall. We hope this gave you valuable lessons and will continue supporting Marso and The Mega Maxi.
If you miss this TownHall session, don’t worry as we still have a lot of events lined up with other key leaders in the space.
Join our Discord so you won’t miss it!