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- Leading NFT photographer Isaac “Drift” Wright spoke with Decrypt.
- He discusses his next steps as well as his idea of the expanded NFT photo space.
Isaac “Drift” WrightK’s photography evokes powerful emotions in viewers, depicting post-death scenes captured from the tops of skyscrapers, bridges and cranes around America.
Photos from his Ethereum NFT collection “Where’s My Van Go” Show off a new pair of dangling or planted kicks above such as in Times Square, a pro baseball stadium, or over high bridges. The stunning shots have made Drift one of the top photographers in the NXT space, generating millions of dollars in sales to date.
The images themselves tell a compelling story, but Wright’s own saga has also captivated collectors. A US Army Special Operations veteran, Wright struggled with PTSD and depression, and found that scaling buildings and chronicling his adventures brought relief after his medical retirement from the military.
However, climbing such structures without permission also put them in trouble. Wright was charged with a number of crimes, including burglary, as a . is detailed in new York Times Profile from last June. He spent months in prison amid a legal battle, but eventually agree to a plea deal And some charges were dropped.
Since then, his star in the NFT field has only grown. His “Where My When’s Go” project now has a starting price of 45 ETH ($86,000) on the secondary markets, plus he has collaborated with Time magazine, They recently sold over 10,000 versions of “First Day Out”, a photo NFT that garnered over $6.8 million in sales—Including $1 million for the nonprofitBail Project.
In May, Drift appeared in Entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk Inaugurate Veecon NFT Conference, where he appeared on a panel with other notable creators. Later, he was surrounded by fans and signed several pairs of Vans sneakers.
“It’s like I always knew something was going to happen—I didn’t know it was going to happen so fast,” he said decrypt In this program, discussing the skyrocketing attention for his work. “You know, a lot of these things are things I used to look at with my eyes closed. So it doesn’t feel out of place. I feel great at home.”
Signed so many pairs of Vans today, some moments let you know the world is getting to you and your vision as an artist and they are special. Thank you for this journey. pic.twitter.com/4NwnYtX1Yb
— Drift (@DrifterShoots) 22 May 2022
An NFT serves as a proof of ownership and is often used for digital items such as artwork, photos and collectibles. Even if he had confidence in his work before his photos were sought after by NFT and made him one of the brightest stars on the scene, Drift said the reality of the situation as a producer It has been powerful for them.
“It’s reaffirming as an artist that the world is feeling what I’m putting in,” he said. “It’s a confirmation to me that what I’m doing is right, and I don’t need to change anything. I just need to remain an artist.”
That’s the plan for Drift, but it might take a while before we see his next artwork—at least in the NFT space. told the flow decrypt That he is just entering “a big quiet period”, and that he is focused on continuing the momentum around “Where’s My Van Go”, which recently released a 123-photo archive amid the market downturn. Has continued to sell pieces from.
He has begun work on a new single-edition NFT photo archive, but said he is “a long way” from releasing it. Meanwhile, Drift is exploring other ways to tell its story that are “out there”. [NFT] space” and “more web2“In nature.
One of those storytelling methods may have come from a collaboration with Vans, a shoe and apparel company, which unofficially features prominently in their photography. At Vicon, Drift teased that it was in talks with the firm, but told decrypt that nothing is final.
“Whether it will come out or not, we will see,” he said. “VANs is a large corporate company, and it’s challenging for them to take the risk of openly supporting my work. If we can jump through those hoops and loops, we can do that. That’s really what seemed to be the roadblock right now.” Is. “
The NFT photography space started catching fire last summer and fall Artist Justin Aversano and his “Twin Flames” project Attracting prime holders in the way of yielding millions in sales and a spectacular auction at Sotheby’s. Photographers such as Drift, Cath Samard and Dave Krugman also began to gain attention in the NFT space during that time.
That activity led to an explosion of activity in the photo NFT space, and dedicated platforms such as sloika and Eversano’s quantum art We have risen to support such creators.
But in Drift’s view, the NFT photography market has become overly saturated, with artists vying for all the attention and cash. told the flow decrypt That they have seen less extraordinary collections and creators among the multitude of content.
“Honestly, I haven’t been impressed with photography NFT lately. I think we did well last summer and saw a decline, but 2022 has been slow,” he said. “We are not seeing the quality of work I think there are good quality photographers out there, but it’s hard for people to find them because of how crowded it has become.”
“I want to see more innovation,” he said. “I want to see people working further.”
Drift said the onus is on artists to create compelling content and stand out from the pack, rather than just having platforms and marketplaces work to elevate the cream of the crop. Not many photographers are telling a strong enough story with their NXT work, Drift said, but she believes many artists will recognize the need to step up their game.
“What are you trying to say to your job? I feel like it’s missing a lot. A lot of people are like, ‘Here’s my job. Buy it.’ And that’s not satisfactory to me,” he explained. “I’m a little disappointed, but I think we’ll see that change because a lot of photographers are going to feel like, ‘I need to go deeper.'”
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