Interview with wonderful Marlua! and all about her art - mix of abstract art with expressionism!
FireFly
Marta, please tell us where you are from. How long have you been drawing? What are your hobbies and activities?
I'm from Zagreb (Croatia). I finished Art gymnasium in the capital, and I'd say I was always an artistic soul. I completely fell in love with art about 2 years ago.
My biggest hobby is cooking. I worked 6 months in Denmark (Copenhagen), and in a few restaurants in Zagreb. Also, I tend to train at least 3 times a week as an activity.
Wow, cool!!! What are your favorite culinary dishes? List three!
Bolognese, sushi, and gnocchi (pesto and tomato mix).
FireFly
Bolognese and sushi are beyond competition! But to my shame I ate gnocchi once, and I don't even remember whether I liked it or not) I have to try again)
Marlua
If you ever come to Croatia, I will make you some 😁.
FireFly
Agreed) Great offer! I have not been to Croatia, but I know how it is beautiful there.
In what style do you draw? And what styles do you draw longer than in the others?
Marlua
I'd say this is a mix of abstract art with expressionism. My main goal from day one was to attach a certain emotion to a drawing you are looking at. You maybe don't like every piece I make because of diversity, but I'm sure you will find one suitable for your mood by even looking at it.
FireFly
Yes, it is true, word for word, as you say! You have works that really move me!
Marlua
Thank you! You see? We triggered an emotion ☺️
FireFly
Tell us about your beginning in NFT world! Who introduced you to crypto? Where and how did you post your first art?
Marlua
Well, my husband is a big crypto enthusiast, so he mainly did that first introduction. One of his friends talked about Singular and DOTSAMA community, so we discussed it. I liked the idea, and we started showcasing NFTs.
It was a struggle to mint the first piece due to a lack of knowledge, but eventually all elements were brought together like a puzzle.
FireFly
Your first collection on Singular was Marlua's emotions? Tell us more about it!
How was your first mint? Do you keep in touch with your collectors?
Marlua
The collection was rising through different emotions, so my drawing improved by that. The community voted on Twitter for 200 pieces, and we locked it up a few days ago with that. I'm very proud of that accomplishment because it was a magical journey. Art connected me to the community, and we still hangout daily on Discord "Marlua's corner and chill".
My first mint took me, I think, around 30 minutes. That was also the first time I made a polkadot.js wallet which I find extremely hard to use.
Regarding community, I think every artist should put that first. Without community, there is no you. So yea, I tend to have fun with my peeps daily, and I think we have a special bond due to everything we experienced together.
FireFly
The collection is impressive. Congratulations. Tell us about your new plans. Also, what kind of surprises will await the holders from your collection Marlua's emotions?
And many thanks from me for Angel - https://singular.app/collectibles/kusama/b4d42c2aa369ee1f27-PREZT/12125497-b4d42c2aa369ee1f27-PREZT-ANGEL-00000265
Marlua
Currently, I really can't wait to showcase some of my 1/1 art pieces on the Raresama NFT platform. I'm already discussing my future collection that I'd love my "Emotion's" collectors to benefit from. Nothing is set in stone, but if it ever comes to existence, they will surely be the first in line for it! For now, I did 2 banner collection airdrops😊.
FireFly
How was your introduction to Raresama? I know that you have already minted one of your art there. What are your thoughts on this NFT marketplace and the same community?
Marlua
Well, my introduction to Moonsama community was in November 2021, thanks to Yumi and the team. Since then, I'm a big fan of everything the team is building, and I enjoy being part of that journey. Currently, I showcased "Clarity" as 1/1 piece belonging to Raresama Originals collection. Regarding Moonsama community, I can say, they showed us an enormous amount of support. The guys are amazing, helpful, and friendly. Feels like a blessing. I believe the marketplace will succeed because it is all related, and connected within everything they are building.
FireFly
Yes. I agree with you. I also really like the platform's approach to artists. I mean that Raresama takes on many issues related to marketing. True, we still have to see how things will be when there are a lot of artists in the marketplace. However, I think the team itself will cope with it.
Are you preparing a new collection at Raresama? What will it be called, and what will it be about? Tell us the details
Marlua
My newest collection will be called "Imagination". I picked ''imagination'' because it can symbolize really many-many things; also, I think everybody loves to visualize things in their mind. It will give me freedom of creation, and also bring a lot of diversity)
Marlua
Here is one preview of art where I wanted to transfer emotion: how we can all fall into our imagination, and also maybe become a prisoner of the mind.
FireFly
Amazing!!
Tell me about your daily routine. When do you usually draw? Do you only do it when you feel like it?
Marlua
I work 8-4 Monday to Friday, so I usually draw during work days from 6 PM until I feel like it. But mostly inspiration hits me on weekends when I'm fully rested.
FireFly
What is your main job now?
Marlua
My main job is drawing schemes for reinforced mesh and rebars, when an engineer sends drafts to a company, I work for☺️.
FireFly
it means you create at work) only within the permitted limits)
Marlua
Semi-automatic stuff😂, I don't have a lot of freedom. Everything is how we say - set in stone.
FireFly
Please tell us about your favorite painting!
Marlua
My favorite painting would be Klimt "Der Kuss". Also, if we were talking about Marlua's emotions, I think "Famlua" because that is the day I truly experienced the community of DOTSAMA, and felt like a big part of it.
FireFly
Do you use cryptocurrencies in your daily life? What do you think are the advantages of cryptocurrencies?
Marlua
Well, I do. I buy them with my every paycheck as much as I can, but nothing serious (mostly DCA because my first knowledge of crypto was in all-time high prices). I feel ashamed, but I used Binance for most of my time until community friends told me to invest in Ledger. Well, as advantages, I see it as "cut the middle man"? I see it as people's money; I'm not well educated, but if you can use smart contracts for businesses or gaming, why not?
I think gaming crypto is new stuff in the world because I have an example. My brother played Fortnite, he spent around 30-40$ a month on those skins, now he doesn't play. So, could blockchain provide him an opportunity to sell his old skins for Crypto, right?
FireFly
In general, keeping money on any exchange is not a good idea. But I understand you perfectly, using Binance is much easier and faster than Ledger. However, if you do not plan to sell anything quickly, it is still worth transferring everything to the Ledger every couple of months.
DCA is a great strategy; here I definitely agree 100 percent! This is probably the only correct approach! As for Fortnite, I think the question here is simply the greed of digital game manufacturers. They could allow players to trade on their internal market even without blockchain, but then players will buy fewer skins from the company !)
FireFly
Do you often continue to study drawing? Learn new styles? Is there something you can't draw but really want to?)
Marlua
I learn daily. Something I would love to draw, but really can't is the body and hands. Hands are killing me😂
FireFly
😂😂😂
FireFly
Where do you improve your skill? Are there any Youtube channels? Or books?
Marlua
I use random videos on Pinterest and YT, nothing special☺️
FireFly
In any case, learning is cool!) self-learning is also convenient)
Marlua
I totally agree with you. Every day we should learn something new.
FireFly
Thank you very much for the interview! Please, give advice to artists who are just getting acquainted with the world of NFTs!
Marlua
I would say number one is to believe in yourself. After that you should never quit and continue to work on what you love no matter how conditions get bad. And last, maybe most important, is to be in touch with your community, you should evolve with them as a person. People build you. I think everybody in "touch" with me knows how deeply I care about that, and consider all of them my friends.
P.S. everybody is welcome in the Chao Sama Discord server and "Marlua's corner channel".
FireFly
Marta, great words! Thank you very much for the interview!
Marlua
Thank you!