Please introduce yourself to our readers:

Hello, my name is Peter, the creator of the Esthetic Monte Collection on the WAX blockchain. I’m a graphics designer located in California, USA. I’ve navigated myself through the creative corporate world where I am currently a Creative Director for a marketing agency. I’m particularly interested in this social experiment of the NFT community.

What was the inspiration for this piece?

This piece was based on the proposed drop date, May the fourth, I wanted to create a War of the Stars type of key art; the Tyche Collection visuals are generated by a neural network. For this piece I was listening to the Jam Pearl, this piece is the visualization of a lyric “I know someday you’ll have a beautiful life, I know you’ll be a star, In somebody else’s sky, but why can’t it be mine?”

How long have you been creating in the digital realm?

The “digital realm”, what exactly does that mean…lol. I’ve been mastering graphic design for the past 18 years typically working to deliver assets for the digital realm. As for creating and publishing on the blockchain, I started this year. With the genesis project minting in February.

Can you tell us about your workflow (what equipment and software do you use to create)?

I recently discovered the artificial intelligence power of a neural network and its capability of creating a visual based on a phrase I input. What’s interesting about this process is like the human brain, ideas come from phrases, words, stories, movies, and experiences; those ideas can manifest into imagination which then leads to inspiration. It’s a very difficult process to tap into, however, the A.I. is able to create a unique visual from the words in a matter of minutes. Amazing.

If I was to take the same phrase, I would ponder over it for who knows how long, most likely overthink it, try to find some abstract way to go about it; quite frankly over complicate it. I then take this asset into photoshop for post-production. I lean on my graphic design experience to create collectible art in the form of a card.

Who are your artistic influences?

There are so many, but to name a few; Jean-Michel Basquiat, Barbara Kruger, Andy Warhol, Stefan Sagmeister, David Carson, Dr. Seuss, @toonpaintNFT, @ShnazzyNFTs, the WAX fam…

What got you interested in NFTs/Crypto Art/Digital Collectibles?

Like so many others, I was drawn into the NFT space with the launch of the TopShot NFT collection. I couldn’t tell you what blockchain, or what marketplace that collection was launched on, but the visuals they created drew me in. It wasn’t about the tech or the cryptocurrency at all for me. Initially, I was drawn to the foil packs they created. It triggered the nostalgic cord in my brain, from there I started researching NFT creation.

For me, it’s about trying to reverse engineer the experience to arrive at a project. I found myself watching YouTube videos on the subject. One day the algorithm feed me a NiftyBC tutorial on how to mint NFTs on the WAX blockchain. From my little research and headlines about “Gas Fees” the cost of entry on the ETH blockchain was crazy. But what Nifty was pushing was attainable, had the ability to create packs, and away I went…I consider myself a Time-traveling Mutant. I learned about the WAX blockchain and how to mint assets on the NeftyBlocks platform from @MORBS15 🙏 . Shortly after creating my Twitter account as part of the verification process with something like 5 followers @FromNullToZero somehow found me and offered to promote my work, that 🚀 the collection. I can’t thank those two people enough.

Where can we find you online?

• You can find the Esthetic Monte website at: https://estheticmonte.com
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Esthetic_Monte
• Nefty Blocks: https://neftyblocks.com/c/estheticmnte
• Atomichub: https://wax.atomichub.io/creator/collection/estheticmnte

Anything else you’d like to share?

I like to thank CryptoSwatches for the opportunity to collaborate and showcase my artwork on their platform. I’m honored to be canonized alongside the many talented artists on the collab roster.