Where are you from? (Provide a little bit of your background, have you moved etc)
I grew up in Northern England near to Manchester and have now lived in London for 10 years.
Can you tell us about your background and what lead you down the path to becoming an artist and ultimately experimenting with NFTs?
I only started Photography during Covid Lockdown, so it’s been 1yr9mths since I picked up a camera. I used YouTube tutorials to teach me everything and my style developed pretty much since month one of me learning how to use the camera.
Creatively I’ve been writing music for 10 years so have always had an artistic output in that sense. Adding photography to that skillset was just a further development of this.
I’ve never had a Web2 career in anything artistic, so finding the NFT Space in October 2021 became the only thing I know from an artistic output, I guess I’m doing it in the complete reverse order to most.
November 2021 using Opensea, as it was the only one I’d heard of! It took me 2 weeks to learn how to make a metamask wallet and actually mint a piece, it was so confusing and there’s such a high barrier of entry for most people! I’ve onboarded a few artists myself since, as I understand the frustrations that come with this.
Can you tell us one thing you cannot live without? (and why)
My laptop! I make all my music on here and edit all my pics on here, so I’d be lost without it.
Who is your favorite artist(s) (Non NFT)? What about their style resonates with you?
Without a doubt Björk. She is the daughter of Mother Nature and truly an innovative force in the creative industry. Her music and imagery inspire me every day and she will forever be my creative muse.
Who is your favourite NFT artist? What makes this artist unique?
Don’t have a specific favourite but some collections that have caught my eye are:
- Parker Day (@heyparkerday)
Her ‘ICONS’ series is a fantastic celebration of the weird & wonderful captured through a lens. Reminds me of watching The Mighty Boosh and League Of Gentlemen growing up.
- Rob Woodcox (@RobWoodcox)
His photos are just magical and inspiring, they really do make you feel something.
- Dmitry Shad (@Blacksunphotog1)
His ‘Under The Black Sun’ series is an incredible project in the world of photography and expertly captured, such striking and powerful images.
What made you pursue NFT art?
I never had a Web2 career in anything artistic, so NFT’s just seemed the best option to start out with. Web3 has been set up to finally celebrate the artists and creators out there and show them respect for the time, emotion and creativity they all put into their work.
What is the one piece of NFT art you wish you had purchased but missed out on?
I’d love a Parker Day ‘ICONS’ piece.
If you could travel anywhere in the world where would you go? Why this location?
A tiny remote cabin in Norway (with good WiFi ha)
What are your other passions besides art? Why?
Aside from music and photography, I love fashion, specifically Men’s Styling. I’m obsessed with designers such as Rick Owens and Ann Demeulemeester.
I also love good TV/Movies – ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ is my favourite ever TV show and ‘The Handmaiden’ my favourite ever movie.
Do you make other forms of art?
Just music and photography.
How did you come up with your specific style?
Honestly I have no idea, it’s all completely subconscious. It all definitely stems from the musical artists I love to listen to (Bjork, Sigur Ros, Jeff Buckley) and how they make me feel, but I couldn’t give you a tangible answer.
There was never any influence from photography or photographers, as I didn’t know about any people’s work before I started (I literally had no idea who Tim Walker was!).
How has your style evolved over the years?
My photography has pretty much been the same since month 1 of me learning to use a camera. Once I understood the basic camera functions and how to use the features in Adobe Lightroom, my images have all had a similar style. My editing has gotten better since, but in general you’re witnessing my evolution as an artist in real time.
What is coming in the near future?
Lots! I’m SUPER excited about my next project. I’m finally combining my musical work and my photography together. I’ve created 100 1/1 portrait images using a long exposure technique I just learnt. I’m also learning Premiere Pro to add some animation to the final pieces. The main part however, is that I have created a 42min song to accompany the images, so each image will hold 1/100th of the final song.
It’s something I’ve never seen be done in the space before and it truly showcases who I am as a complete artist, so that’s why I’m really excited for people to see (and hear) it!
If you could collaborate with one artist who would it be?
Björk
Do you have any upcoming drops?
Yes my 100-piece music/photography collection I mentioned previously will be coming in May!
Where can collectors find your work?
Link to Website: https://linktr.ee/moal.nft
Social links: https://twitter.com/MoalNft
NFT marketplace links:
https://foundation.app/@MOAL.NFT