Nifty’s Interview with Featured Artist, Shay The Surrealist

This post was originally published on Nifty’s

Featured Artist Shay The Surrealist talks about her work and new NFT collection Blooming Blossoms, launching exclusively on Nifty’s.

From the world-famous artist, making digital art since 2014, Shay The Surrealist introduces her newest drop of Blooming Blossoms, exclusively on Nifty’s. Learn more about her and her new work in our Q&A below.

Q&A with Shay The Surrealist:

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

My name is Shaylin Wallace or Shay The Surrealist and I’m a 23 year-old surreal digital artist based in Wilmington, Delaware.

When did you release your first NFT?

I released my very first NFT on February 20th, 2021 on an NFT platform called AsyncArt.

Where else have you dropped NFTs?

I’ve dropped NFTs on AsyncArt, Foundation, OpenSea, Rarible, Zora, KnownOrigin, and MakersPlace.

What was your inspiration for this drop?

For this drop, I was inspired by my recent series called the Blooming Blossoms series. I dropped the first 3 Blossoms in December 2021 and I knew I wanted to continue this series and create more Blossoms in the new year. I decided to create 3 new Blossoms: Blossom IV, V, and VI for this drop and used pink flowers in honor of Valentine’s Day. . The Blooming Blossom series consist of unique, afro-centric floral portrait edits and each blossom has their own special traits such as different types of flowers and butterflies. The Blooming Blossoms series is about embracing change, uniqueness, and inner beauty.

How did you start making digital art?

I started making digital in 2014, when I was only 15 years old using an app called PicsArt on my phone. I would take photos for fun and started experimenting with different photo editing apps to see what I could create. My edits were very simplistic, but became very complex overtime.

Describe your work in one sentence.

My style of artwork is surreal, unique, bold and minimalistic at times.

What opportunities have NFTs opened for you as an artist?

NFTs have allowed me to spend more time on my own artwork, rather than spending it doing small commission projects. NFTs have also allowed me to collaborate and partner with different brands/companies, have more exhibitions to showcase and auction off my artwork in physical and digital galleries. They’ve helped me support myself financially which is a huge blessing.

Any advice for other creators who want to make NFTs?

If you’re a creator and want to make NFTs, I’d say do your research on NFTs first. Don’t feel the need to rush minting anything. Also, become active in the community and engage with other artists and collectors, especially on Twitter and/or Discord.

ARTIST BIO

Instagram: @smwallday

Twitter: @surrealistshay

Shay the Surrealist is a 23-year old surrealist digital artist and graphic designer based in Delaware. Her work uses manipulated stock imagery of trees, clouds, birds, flowers, and smoke to symbolize growth and freedom. Known for her stunning and beautiful compositions and use of African-American figures, Shay the Surrealist is a prominent and inspiring artist in the NFT ecosystem. She has previously released NFTs with Foundation, Makersplace, Rarible, and KnownOrigin.

Stay tuned for next week’s drop with Maxwell Step on Thursday, February 17th. To stay connected with these and future drops, subscribe to our Medium and follow us on Twitter.

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