From sitting in his car crying before work every morning to becoming a successful digital artist, the story of Australian-based VR painter and sculptor Giant Swan is one of persistence, timing and pushing boundaries.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n In a world where a digital artist can now monetize their work through NFTs as opposed to cheap\u00a0likes and comments on Instagram, Giant Swan stands out from the pack, being the first artist to put a 3D object on-chain and for his truly unique and immersive pieces that have captured the attention of collectors all over the globe, including renowned whales such as j1mmy.eth<\/a>, Moderats Art<\/a> and Whale Shark<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cFor me, crying in the car before work was a lot to do with knowing that you should be somewhere else. I knew I didn\u2019t fit with what I was doing. To be where you suddenly belong, I think, is what every artist is probably striving for in some way,\u201d Giant Swan says.\u00a0<\/p>\n After minting his first NFT on Nov. 30, 2019, on Known Origin, Giant Swan caught the initial wave of interest in digital art. He credits the likes of David Moore<\/a> from Known Origin for helping him take the plunge.\u00a0<\/p>\n You can get lost viewing Giant Swan\u2019s art; the depth of his work often needs to be seen to be believed. OG Crypto artist Josie Bellini<\/a> described it thus:\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I look at Giant Swan\u2019s work, you can\u2019t stop thinking, and you start to feel a certain way. I can see the blood, sweat and tears. I can see that he\u2019s put his heart in his canvas and the way that every stroke he builds them in VR. They have so much depth and so much emotion to them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Giant Swan states, \u201cA really simple goal of my art has always been that I want you to experience it and feel like you had a dream, or you have to describe it like you try to describe a dream.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n To create the art he does via VR, the Melbournian from Australia uses a PC VR headset and gaming rig, but said a basic Meta Quest VR headset could do the job for most people.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI create art by turning my movement into shapes and color. I do that by wearing a virtual reality headset that places me into an empty void. There\u2019s no roof, there\u2019s no floor, there\u2019s no walls; it\u2019s just endless. That movement can be filled with an endless amount of material shapes, color, density, size, and scale. I feel that until I have a space that I\u2019m happy with,\u201d Giant Swan says.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cFrom there, I explore that space to see how I can capture a story and share that with other people. I like to make art this way because traditionally, we look at computers of digital art and we judge it by its perfection.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the pursuit of perfection we\u2019re hiding or imitating how we look at the world until it\u2019s digital or not. VR art lets us explore imperfection, and in that, it enables a very digital art medium to become one of the most organic digital art forms available. I\u2019d be surprised if you could find someone else who does what I do now.\u201d<\/p>\n How would you describe your style as an artist?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d like to think that it\u2019s a balanced emotional take on surrealism in art. Really thrash, almost impressionistic kind of take on 3D art. I love to hit gothic notes and symbolism. I like drawing from a lot of things, but I wouldn\u2019t know how to name it. That\u2019s why it\u2019s Giant Swan style. That\u2019s why people can pick me out in the crowd because you can\u2019t put it in a bin.\u201d<\/p>\n Who are the influences on your art career to date?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve got lots of influences, but to name a few. Ashley Wood<\/a> worked on Tank Girl, which is a loose inky comic book style. Also Jamie Hewlett<\/a>, who does all the imagery behind The Gorillaz and Tank Girl.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe Gorillaz were an influence on me in that you used to get their CDs and to get all the extra stuff out of it. You had to put it into your PC but they never said that; you just put the CD in, and you\u2019d explore and find all the cool stuff. It was an experience. That really informs how I see my work. Now I want my work to be experienced.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Read also<\/p>\n The Road to Bitcoin Adoption is Paved with Whole Numbers<\/p>\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n Crypto regulation: Does SEC Chair Gary Gensler have the final say?<\/p>\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Is there an up-and-coming artist\/s you think people should be paying attention to?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a Melbourne artist named Mysterious Al. He is a muralist that you\u2019ll probably recognize the moment you Google him. He\u2019s an incredible artist.\u201d<\/p>\n Who is a notable collector of yours that makes you smile knowing they own one of your pieces?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWhen I think of people like Pranksy<\/a>, j1mmy.eth<\/a>, Josie<\/a>, Whale Shark<\/a>, Moderats Art<\/a> and Deej<\/a>, it brings a smile. These are all big whales, but they are also entrepreneurs and extremely successful people. They all saw that in me before my works became really expensive.\u201d<\/p>\n What\u2019s your favorite NFT in your wallet that\u2019s not your own NFT?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cMy favorite NFT in my wallet is a pair of shoes<\/a> for Cryptovoxels that n0shot made. It was so early in the crypto art culture we\u2019d all meet up in Cryptovoxels. That was probably the first time sneaker culture really kind of teased its way into the space.\u201d<\/p>\n Notable recent sales from Tyler Hobbs include an Incomplete Control and Fidenza that was sold via Sotheby\u2019s<\/a> and a pipe Chromie Squiggle that collector DGMD<\/a> picked up.\u00a0<\/p>\n For the majority of 2023, amid a bloodbath for NFT collection prices, the creator royalties discussion has felt like a race to the bottom and OpenSea all but confirmed this with their announcements the marketplace will move to optional creator royalties on secondary sales.\u00a0<\/p>\n Read also<\/p>\n Blockchain is as revolutionary as electricity: Big Ideas with Jason Potts<\/p>\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n This is how to make \u2014 and lose \u2014 a fortune with NFTs<\/p>\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n This unpopular decision probably doesn\u2019t come as a surprise, however, with Blur marketplace continuing to dominate market share.\u00a0<\/p>\n From Aug. 31, OpenSea will sunset the filter it introduced in November 2022 as a response to Blur and other marketplaces allowing collectors and traders to bypass creator royalties. At the height of NFT mania, the issue was heralded as the big game changer in an emerging new creator economy.\u00a0<\/p>\n The technology remains the same, but when the market was booming \u2014 for most of 2020 through 2022 \u2014 paying out creator royalties along with OpenSea\u2019s 2.5% marketplace fee was rarely questioned.\u00a0<\/p>\n OpenSea CEO and co-founder Devin Finzer said:<\/p>\n \u201cIn November 2022, we launched the Operator Filter: a tool designed to give creators more control by restricting the sale of their collections to Web3 marketplaces that enforce creator fees in secondary sales. It was meant to empower creators with greater control over their Web3 business models, but it required the buy-in of everyone in the Web3 ecosystem, and unfortunately that has not happened. So we\u2019re making a few changes to our approach to creator fees.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n There doesn\u2019t seem to be any great solution to be able to enforce royalties without compromising on true decentralized asset ownership, with many having their two cents on the matter, including OpenSea VC backer Mark Cuban<\/a>, artists Matt Kane<\/a> and Beeple<\/a> and NFT influencer Wale Swoosh<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Not collecting and paying royalties on NFT sales is a HUGE mistake by @opensea<\/a>. It diminished trust in the platform and hurts the industry. And I say this as an @opensea<\/a> investor @DevinFinzer<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Mark Cuban (@mcuban) August 18, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\nDreamlike states\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Notable sales<\/h2>\n
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Rapid-fire Q&A<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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OpenSea in royalty race to the bottom <\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Yuga to the rescue?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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