{"id":17988,"date":"2022-05-15T14:35:56","date_gmt":"2022-05-15T18:35:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pley2win.com\/metaverse\/we-chat-to-mike-winklemann-about-nfts-and-digital-art\/"},"modified":"2022-05-15T14:35:56","modified_gmt":"2022-05-15T18:35:56","slug":"we-chat-to-mike-winklemann-about-nfts-and-digital-art","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pley2win.com\/?p=17988","title":{"rendered":"We Chat To Mike Winklemann About NFTs And Digital Art"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Digital and NFT artist Mike Winkelmann, popularly known as Beeple, needs no introduction. After all\u2014in a way\u2014he has become the face of the NFT craze that blossomed last year. Little over a year ago, Beeple\u2019s record $69 million NFT auction at Christie\u2019s had made headlines for months. Even today, there\u2019s likely no one in the NFT space that doesn\u2019t know about Beeple and his iconic NFT artwork \u201cE<\/span>verydays \u2013 The First 5000 Days<\/span><\/i>\u201c.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
At the time, <\/span>Everydays<\/span><\/i> broke every NFT sales record as the most expensive NFT sale in history. This remarkable achievement was only surpassed in December 2021 by <\/span>NFT artist, Pak<\/span>. Luckily, NFTevening\u2019s <\/i>Angela Giampolo got the chance to speak with\u00a0 Beeple during NFT In America conference.<\/span><\/p>\nBeeple spoke to NFTevening about his journey as a digital artist.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
But, who is Beeple?<\/b><\/h2>\n
A few years ago, Beeple was just your average digital artist with no worldwide recognition. To be sure, digital artists and digital art themselves were yet to attain the popularity they enjoy today. Indeed, Beeple recalled that he didn\u2019t really consider himself an artist for the longest time. In his own words, he was a designer that \u201cpeople hired to solve problems.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>Obviously, Mike Winkelmann was not always known as Beeple. As a matter of fact, he started going by the moniker in 2003.<\/span><\/p>\n
What Is A Beeple?<\/h3>\n
Apparently, \u2018Beeple\u2019 actually refers to a little furry bigfoot-like toy that beeps. The original toy was also an inspiration for some of his artwork. Namely, the spring collection of 2021 featuring vials of hair \u201cwhich were actually shaved from one of those Beeples\u201d. Plus, over the years, Winkelmann has often gifted these toys to fans, friends and family.<\/span><\/p>\n
How Did Beeple Become So Famous?<\/h2>\n
Even as little as four months before he made his eight-figure sale, the most his art had ever sold was for a mere $100. This was when Beeple held an exhibition in Toronto in late 2019. There, the organisers decided to put up his artwork for a \u201cridiculous amount of money\u201d, knowing very well that no one would buy it. They were right\u2014no one bought neither the original piece for $14,000 nor the prints for $1,000 each. The most anyone bought were the prints costing $100.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n
How Much Does Beeple Make?<\/h2>\n
But, the tides turned in Beeple\u2019s favour when in October 2020, he sold his first pair of NFTs for <\/span>$66,666.66 each<\/span>. Later, in December, a series of his works fetched $3.5 million in all. In February, one of the NFTs from his first series was sold for $6.6 million in the secondary market. Weeks later, <\/span>\u201cEverydays \u2013 The First 5000 Days\u201d <\/span><\/i>scripted history.<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cNow I just make whatever the hell I want and pray to God somebody wants to pay money for that,\u201d Beeple told NFTevening<\/em>. Today, he describes himself primarily as a digital artist who is now \u201cstarting to wade more into the traditional world (physical world)\u201d*.<\/span><\/p>\n
Top NFT Artist Mike Winkelmann On The Secret To Success<\/b><\/h2>\n
Post the Christie\u2019s auction, many have described Beeple as an overnight success. This comes despite the fact that he didn\u2019t create the piece overnight\u2014it took him 13 years. To an extent, Beeple agreed that for the traditional art world and the media at large, he \u201ccame out of nowhere\u201d. However, he reasoned, they are focusing on the NFT aspect alone and not the social media following he has gained over the years.<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cI think social media and building up a following of millions of people over the preceding decade, that\u2019s what allowed me to do something like this once this NFT technology came along,\u201d he said. \u201cSomething that people maybe don\u2019t really understand with NFTs is this is not some magic bullet where you\u2019re suddenly going to start selling stuff. If you do not have a built-in audience and you have not built a community around your work, then it is going to be very hard to sell stuff\u2014NFTs, canvas, photography, sculpture, whatever.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
Building An NFT Community Is Key<\/h2>\n
That\u2019s exactly what Beeple did\u2014he built an audience over the years. \u201cIt had nothing to do with sales for the first 20 years here,\u201d he added. \u201cI think it\u2019s really just about making that emotional connection with people. And if people don\u2019t have an emotional connection to your work, I\u2019m sorry, they\u2019re just not going to buy it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nEverydays: The First 5000 Days old at a Christie\u2019s auction, catapulting Beeple into the world stage.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Beeple & Fame: After The Everydays Christies Auction<\/h2>\n
A year since his record-breaking sale, Beeple said that he\u2019s still processing the Christie\u2019s auction.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cThings were happening at a [normal] pace and then everything just got bumped up to a new pace and then it stayed at that pace,\u201d he said. \u201c\u2026because NFTs have not gone away. Now, there is this sort of shorthand\u2014if you\u2019ve heard of [NFTs], then there\u2019s probably a good chance you\u2019ve heard of me too.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cEven now, when I\u2019m in the fu***** airport, somebody comes up to me and wants to take a fu***** selfie,\u201d Beeple added. \u201cThat was not happening before. So, it\u2019s a different level of attention that I\u2019m still getting used to. But, it\u2019s also been just so exciting and something that I just feel so, so blessed and fortunate to be in this position.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
That said, Beeple believes a \u201cdegree of luck\u201d certainly helped him reach where he is today. Even though he put in the time and work, he added, he did not invent NFTs. Indeed, he didn\u2019t join the NFT space as early as you\u2019d think. Actually, several others were working on them for years before that.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s something that I have processed, but I\u2019ve also, to some degree, just made peace with the fact that I\u2019ll never kind of fully process it\u2026Because it\u2019s just one of those bizarre things that just does not seem like that happened.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nA glimpse into some of the artworks in Beeple\u2019s Everydays NFT.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
What\u2019s next for Mike Winkelmann?<\/b><\/h2>\n
Currently, Beeple is building a 50,000 square foot building in Charleston which will act as his studio. The space will also have a gallery which will likely be ready in the next couple of months. Besides, the building will also have an \u201cexperiential space with tons of projectors\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
Winkelmann hopes this space to function as a bridge between the traditional and digital art worlds. \u201cA place where I can show physical work immediately without having to wait,\u201d he explained. \u201cIt will also be a place where we can have events and bring communities together. I think it is going to be super exciting and something that I\u2019m very much looking forward to.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
Thanks so much for NFT in America for arranging such a great interview with the legendary Mike Winkelmann (Beeple). Not to mention, a huge thank you to Beeple for lending us your time. It was a pleasure to meet you.<\/p>\n
If you want to see more like this, catch the full Beeple interview on our youtube channel and watch this space for more interviews coming soon.<\/p>\n
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All investment\/financial opinions expressed by NFTevening.com are not recommendations.<\/em><\/p>\n
This article is educational material.<\/em><\/p>\n
As always, make your own research prior to making any kind of investment.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
![\"NFT](\"https:\/\/nftevening.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Beeple-scaled.jpg\")
![\"Everydays:](\"https:\/\/nftevening.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Everydays-The-First-5000-Days.jpeg\")
![\"Various](\"https:\/\/nftevening.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Everydays.jpg\")