Speaker 1: GM, this is Boona and
you're listening to Vaulted, a

Web3 podcast series from the
Shuler Archives.

This episode was originally
recorded on May 16, 2022 and

features Samantha Cabot, a
photographer most known for her

surreal and painterly-like
photos.

In this episode, we discuss
everything from her early days

as a photographer, the story and
concept behind her super rare

genesis collection, fascination
with Japanese culture, editing

process and so much more.

As always, this podcast is for
entertainment purposes only and

should not be relied upon for
investment advice.

Boona and guests may own NFTs
discussed With.

That being said, let's dive
into the dreamy world of

Samantha Cabot we are recording
now.

Good morning, GM.

Samantha.

How are you?

Speaker 2: Good, how are you
Hello?

Speaker 1: I'm good.

It's a pleasure getting to meet
you.

This is even though we're in
completely opposite time zones.

I'm glad we were able to make
this happen.

Speaker 2: Thank you so much for
inviting me.

I'm so excited to be here.

Speaker 1: Yes, yes, yes.

How was your mother's day?

How was your day today?

Speaker 2: Well it was actually
really calm.

I was just out with my mom.

There's a really good weather
today here in Madrid, which is

nice.

It's really hot.

I was just outside and now I'm
home.

Speaker 1: You.

How was it?

It was good, I mean yesterday.

I'm taking it easy today.

Yesterday I didn't expect to be
out there for that long, but I

sat at the pool for probably
three or four hours yesterday.

Today I just went to a coffee
shop with a friend and taken it

a little easier today and doing
what I love and sitting here

talking with you and making some
really cool content.

That's really all I have
planned.

I don't have anything planned
after this besides editing

another episode.

Speaker 2: Yeah sounds good.

Speaker 1: Yeah, so super easy.

Obviously, I've seen your work
on Twitter.

I've really admired your work
from a distance, what it seems

like For the podcast listeners
as well.

I actually found Samantha
through Joey, the photographer,

who I interviewed back in early
January.

I found Samantha's work.

I think Joey quote-retweeted
her and I'm just like, holy shit

, I need to have her on.

Speaker 2: Oh good, I remember
that tweet and I screamed inside

because Joey has been so
inspiring for me since I joined

Twitter.

Actually, since I very first
joined Twitter, joey was one of

the first photographers that I
met here and his story is just

incredible and super hard, but
at the same time, he I don't

know he's super inspiring for me
and for a lot of more people,

and just saying that he likes my
work and that he supports me,

it's just incredible.

I never could have thought that
something like that could have

been, but I'm super grateful for
him and to know him.

Speaker 1: Yeah, me too.

I mean it was a treat getting
to know him and I actually found

him through these who I
interviewed before.

That I'd say it's all funny.

It's a small world.

Good people typically tend to
find each other.

Speaker 2: Hopefully we're
making the connections.

Speaker 1: That's right.

We're still, as the meme goes.

We're still very early, that's
right.

For those who don't know you,
samantha, just give a little bit

of a background of who you are.

What do you do?

Just a quick little intro and
we'll get started here.

Speaker 2: Okay, great, my name
is Samantha.

I'm currently based in Madrid,
spain.

Well, I was actually born in
Venezuela.

I don't think a lot of people
know that about me because I

don't really talk about it, but
yeah, I was born there and I

moved to Spain seven years ago
and now I'm a full-time

photographer.

I took the decision of being a
full-time photographer in

January and I don't know so far.

It's been yeah crazy ride, but
I'm super excited and hopefully

it's gonna go well for me.

I'm gonna give it my all, even
though I don't know what the

results might be.

But yeah, I'm super happy to be
able to be doing this and just

getting to know more people,
artists and collectors and just

people in this space who are
helping me and others.

Look forward, it's really
inspiring.

Speaker 1: That's awesome.

No, that's really cool.

And, yeah, it's really crazy
how this is a very lonely

journey in the web three world,
just in general, just because,

as we were talking about,
offline, we're still figuring it

out and this is a brand new
technology, it's a brand new way

to think about things and so to
find people that it's weird how

everyone's doing their own
research and doing their own has

their own path or journey, but
there's always this section for

the people who have been here a
while and people who have

obviously dedicated themselves
to this and are here to stay is

that there's always a portion
dedicated to helping people and

figuring it out.

It's just a really cool thing
to witness and be a part of.

Speaker 2: Yeah, completely
agree with you.

Actually, when I started, it
was in March last year.

I think I was one of the three
photographers that first started

with the entity thing because
when it started it was more

directed to 3D artists and video
work, so photographers were

like I don't know if I should
get myself into this.

Who's going to buy my work?

I don't feel like my work
belongs here.

And to see the amount of change
and the amount of photographers

that are now inside of the
entity space is incredible.

And it's just.

It has been in a year and a
half, so that's huge.

That's big and I think about
that a lot.

Speaker 1: So, yes, yeah, it's
the end.

A year and a half in this
industry feels like an eternity.

I think about a week Exactly,
and so to think about how

different this space was back in
March, because you and I

entered in.

I entered in in a different way
, but I became curious about the

space in March and it was just
a different energy, it was a

different vibe.

It's changed a lot since then
and there's been so much that's

happened and when I've
interviewed a few other

photographers, it's very much
the same sentiment that you had

is that, especially in the
beginning, there was not only

was photography not like it's
I've spoken to a few people and

they had the same feeling but
some collectors and people that

were like high end were like
very vocal about how photography

didn't belong in the entity
space.

It was actually very, it was
actually really strange to see.

Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, I
remember, because it was like a

common thing to read on the
timeline.

So the photographers that
really went into that were like,

oh my god, what are you doing?

Like people were like you're
selling your, your, your work

this way.

So it was like I'm not going to
say, it was like I don't know

how to say that like really like
people started to judge in a

way, when you, when you, started
to sell your work this way, but

at the end it was like an
incredible opportunity.

So that's how people learn and
know about this space, like with

the people who actually start
doing it and you see the results

.

So it's worth it at the end to
just dive in and it is to go for

it.

Speaker 1: That's right.

That's right, you know going
forward it's got.

It's got its trials and
tribulations and it's got its

downfalls and we're I mean, we
were talking about that a little

bit offline earlier.

It's just you have to have a
little bit of a stomach to be

early in a space.

So you know what you mentioned.

You mentioned a little earlier
that you decided to go full time

, like a full time photographer,
in January.

What were you doing, like
before you went full time

photography like?

What were you doing?

Like?

What were you doing for a
living?

How were you like?

How were you like getting by?

Speaker 2: Yeah, so when I came
to Madrid, I came to study.

I graduated in advertising, so
this was in 2019.

I actually went to the United
States one year to do my

internships.

There I worked at Disney and
then I came back to Spain and

COVID hit.

So I had to look for a job and
I found one in mid-summer and it

was for a company in the
marketing department.

But it was weird because at
first I was supposed to be in

the marketing department and
just do community manager stuff

and advertising just small
things.

But my boss was really weird
with the whole advertising thing

.

He was not really into it.

It was weird.

Who doesn't want their company
to have advertising?

So it slowly turned into me
being in the accounting

department too.

He wanted me to stop doing
underings.

For some reason, that happened,
and I had absolutely no idea

what to do with numbers and just
stuff about the company, that I

had no idea what to do.

So I was starting to get really
depressed because I didn't do

the job at all and it was super
hard to find something else here

in Madrid during that time.

Almost no agency wanted to have
new people, so I was stuck in

there.

And that's when I started to
get more into photography,

because I was feeling so bad
when I was at work that when I

came back home I was like what
can I do just to feel better?

And that's when I, almost every
single day, I went out to just

take photos and go outside, and
even if it was raining or if I

was super tired, I just took my
camera and went outside and it

was the best feeling ever.

I think that's where my journey
with photography started.

Speaker 1: That's really cool.

I can relate a lot to your
story, just in a different

setting.

For a while in my professional
career while I was working very

much.

It was a very unique
opportunity, but it was a very

also tough part.

I was not going into too much
detail just for a lot of the

politics behind it.

There was a lot of tough
learning experiences that I was

walking through, with a lot of
not standing up for myself and

not leaving when I should have
or whatever the case may be.

But it was a really tough time
for me and I had a very similar

thing.

I said I'm miserable when I'm
here.

I know I need to be here, but
I'm still really miserable.

It was a really tough thing to
deal with.

So then I said what makes me
really happy?

And I said, well, video games
have always made me happy.

I know I mentioned before I
started podcasting doing the

eSports thing before this, but
what actually was before that?

I was actually a content
creator on Twitch.

That was my thing.

I wanted to start streaming on
Twitch and building a community

and hopefully make some revenue
there, hopefully find my strides

.

So a very similar thing.

It was like that's where I
found.

That's actually where my
content journey started, but it

was the same thing, kind of the
same thing what you said.

It was like you weren't happy
here.

You didn't have anywhere else
to go at the time, so you found

something to make yourself happy
when you got off work.

Speaker 2: Yeah, I absolutely
love that because you can find a

way to find something that
inspires you and makes you happy

.

I don't know any incomes, so
naturally, in a way, because I

was not forced or obliged or I
didn't study this, I'm

completely just going out with
the camera.

I can imagine you did the same
for yourself, just learning

everything from zero, but it
just made you happy.

It's worth it.

In that way, I just love that.

Speaker 1: Yeah, it is.

I think this actually just hit
me now literally in this

conversation is that I think
that somehow it's not.

I don't think it's a
requirement.

I don't want to gatekeep what
it takes to be successful,

because everyone is different
and has their own journey and

finds their own way through
anything.

But the correlation I noticed
between your story and my story

is that both what we're doing
today or both like the journey

that we're on, we found the joy
in it when we really had nothing

else and when there wasn't any
financial upside, when there

wasn't any lucrative opportunity
and it typically was bred from

a place of like.

We spent most of our day
unhappy and so we just wanted to

find a way to be happy and I
think that gives a lot more

appreciation, because you're
just doing it just to make

yourself happy and then, if you
keep doing it, then you figure

your own way out as time goes on
.

Speaker 2: Yeah, I completely
agree.

So that typical question when
you're like young and people ask

you like how do you see
yourself in like 10 years, or

what are you going to study when
you're in high school?

I had absolutely no idea, never
went to a high school, so I

just picked my career just by
thinking about this stuff that I

didn't really like.

So I never like thought like
I'm going to be a doctor Never.

I've never had like just one
direction just to pursue

something.

And for me to be able to like
feel right now that I could not

live without like going out with
my camera and just being a

photographer, it's like one of
the I don't know biggest things

for me to stay and to feel right
now.

Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean I and I,
your and your work is really

unique and I want to.

I want to start getting into
that, you know, because you have

a few like.

You know you have a few
collections.

I mean you're on Super Rare,
you're on Foundation, you're on

OpenSea and you have two
collections on OpenSea and you

also do some prints.

But I wanted to the.

You know when, when I first
learned about you, I wanted to.

I saw the Super Rare collection
, okay, and something that's

like it's all I want to talk
about.

Is that something that like?

Something that stuck out to me
is like you have a really in my

like from what I like.

What really resonated with me
is not only the image but your

title and just the short
description behind that.

So I like, for some reason, it's
almost like the name of the

picture, almost like makes the
whole experience for me.

So I want to talk about like
the fragility, like the

fragility of existence, like
tell me, like you know where

this, even if it's like because
I know this is part of a, like a

you know this is like a series
that you did.

So tell me I guess let's zoom
out a little bit more.

Tell me a little bit about the
inspiration behind the stories

on Super Rare.

Speaker 2: Okay, actually, that
work well, the fragility of

existence.

Once the very first image that
I made for the series and I

don't know, I feel like I have
been thinking about this for a

very long time because when I
started with photography I was

like all over the place with my
style.

I did a lot of things like
should like landscapes, but also

did like conceptual and surreal
stuff.

So I was just finding my style
and that photo I made it in

April of last year and I feel
like it was a way to communicate

how I was feeling in the moment
and it just happened, I don't

know, because I'm like a really
shy person and I'm like super

close and I like spend a lot of
time alone.

That's why I think most of that
series is like just like a

solitary figure in like an open
field, like vast landscapes, you

know, like super melancholic in
a way.

That's how I usually feel like
most of the time.

So it was like the very first
photo that I made that like told

one of my like inner stories in
a way.

I don't know if that makes
sense, but like it is connecting

with me.

So I thought about making more
photographs, like following that

concept, which was really
meaningful and like super

emotional for me, because I was
like finding a way to finally

put my feelings into something,
and that's how the whole series

began to like to exist and yeah,
yeah it's actually super

inspired by this painter, my
great.

I don't know if you know him.

Speaker 1: But I don't like.

Speaker 2: The figure with the
man in the hat is like really

common in his work and I was
felt like I don't know a

fascination with it because it
was so mysterious.

Like all of my subjects in that
series are like facing like you

can.

You can only see the back of
the person and that as like a

mistake.

Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, that was
like.

What stuck out to me is is you
never see?

You never see the face of it,
and I so when it, when it came

to like, oh no, looks like me.

Speaker 2: Oh, my God.

Speaker 1: Oh my god, there we
go.

It's okay.

So this we can edit a little
bit without here this platform.

This platform accounts for
things like this, so it's all

good.

Nothing has been lost, nothing
has been lost, okay.

You're good.

You're good.

So something that you know you
had mentioned, the like all of

your subjects have, like they're
all facing away yeah, something

that's always been curious to
me, like when I see work with

subjects like this do you, how
do you find people to do this?

Is this like you, just like you
know, because I know you

mentioned you spend a lot of
time alone.

So how do you like go find
people to do this?

Speaker 2: I'll try to find
people.

It's actually always friends or
even family.

Like my brother has
participated in almost all of my

photographs, so yeah, got it.

Speaker 1: Got it.

No, I was just curious because
I'm like and like, when you,

when you do this, do you tell
them to like stand a certain way

, or is it like you know, are
you like kind of like the

director of of that and you like
have the vision of what you

want to express before you do it
?

Speaker 2: For this series?

Yes, most of the time.

Yeah, because I like only
conceptual work that I'm working

on right now and I usually just
have an idea and just like

search for places where I can go
and shoot it and you'll have to

think about, like, what is the
person going to wear and I don't

know.

It's a beautiful process, but,
yeah, I, I plan it before.

Yeah.

Speaker 1: Very cool, very cool.

And the in the description is
that is that something like that

you feel initially, and then
you find a way to express that,

or does the like, does the
description and the name of the

art come afterwards?

Speaker 2: Yeah, most of the
time my titles come afterwards.

I have like very few photos in
which I think about, yeah, the

title before.

And for this series I had a
really hard time to put a title

to them because I don't know.

I always feel like my work is
very emotional to me, so like

putting words to it is like like
closing it.

I don't know how to say it.

But for this, well, for most of
my work, I like read a lot of

poetry too and I just like try
to combine, yeah, like some

stuff that I read with things
that inspire me, and the title

of this particular series.

I wanted to portray something
that like wasn't super obvious

for for the viewer, because I
actually want the work to like,

like speak a story for itself.

So putting like a huge, like
large description to the work

and just I don't know a title
that I don't know that I felt

that could like potentially
create more imagination to the,

to the piece, rather than making
it like super close, was my

goal.

So, yeah, so the fact that you
tell me that you really like

that is really important to me
and it makes me happy that you

say it.

Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, because I
I've always been as I've, as

I've looked at art since I've
been here.

You know there's some artists
that like to put a really long

description.

There's some artists that don't
put like any description.

They like, you know, it's
completely subjective, it's what

you feel, you know.

But I like the simple like,
because I think there's a lot of

beauty and simplicity and
anything that's that's simple,

it's typically like.

If it appears simple, it
typically means there's a lot of

work put behind it, you know,
and you don't need a whole lot

of words to like, you don't need
a whole lot of words to tell

the story.

You know what I mean.

Like you just, there's a lot
that can be said with, with,

with very little, and that's
what I think.

What speaks to me a lot about
this is that, like, the work is

very powerful in that it's
almost like the description,

just like.

That one sentence, description,
just like, adds a whole another

layer of emotion to it, if that
makes sense.

Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah,
completely.

That's what I was like going
for, and if you can see it that

way, then I'm super happy,
because that there was the goal

with the, with the whole series,
just to create stories that are

not like literally there, but
like that you can make sense to

it you know, like you can
imagine things yeah.

Speaker 1: So now I want to hop
over to one of the other pieces

here in that collection.

It's the and the the color of
time.

Speaker 2: Yeah.

Speaker 1: This one, you know,
because, like all the other

subjects, all are the guy with
the top hat, you know, and this

one and it's like in a valley,
and this one's like a woman in

front of the ocean, and so why
is this one?

Like, what made you want to put
this in the collection?

Like, what was the?

How did you come about this,
this, this art?

Speaker 2: So that idea I like I
had it in mind for a very long

time.

I went to the north of Spain
because in Madrid we don't have

sea, so I I have to travel a lot
to find beaches.

That like, yeah, and I was with
a friend and we literally met

the girl in the photo like the
day before and I just like saw

her presence and I was like
would you like really pose for a

photo?

Because I have this idea in
mind and everything like the

hair and the way she dressed was
like you need to be in this

photo.

So we went to this beach and
there was like I don't know if

you say active, Is it active?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, a cliff
Well yeah, so it was perfect for

the photo, because I wanted to
like portray her figure and the

like the sea in front of her was
like, like, like it needed to

show, like it was like an
infinity, something like that,

like you cannot see like the end
of it.

So I wanted to portray her
figure and just like her hair

moving, like it was just perfect
in the moment, because I wanted

to portray something regarding
time and just like something

passing and like the wind
playing there.

So that was the idea behind the
photo and the fact that she's

facing backwards to the viewer
is like part of the theme.

But I also want to incorporate
more photos to the series, and

this one is actually the third
of like the sea part of the

series, because I have other two
more photos.

Yeah, that I haven't minted, but
they are part of the series too

, and it's just another girl in
a beach.

I don't know if you have seen
that photo, but she's facing

backwards too, but there's like
a moon in like in the sky and

she's watching the moon.

So yeah, I got three photos
with the man in the hat and then

three photos of this woman in
the beach.

So that's how I'm building the
collection, yeah.

Speaker 1: I like that.

I like that.

I like that.

It's the same I know you had
mentioned on the last one we had

talked about.

Is this the same kind of like
melancholy, like emotion that

you wanted to portray, or is
this like almost something like

a little bit more?

What was the emotion behind
this?

Is it the same or is it
different?

Because my feeling is that it's
different.

But I want to like, I want to
get, I want to hear, like, how

you thought about that as far as
the emotional, yeah, no, I feel

like this work started with the
same feeling that I'm still

working on.

Speaker 2: But I understand if
you feel like it's different

because it's like brighter and
it's like the colors are more

like saturated.

But yeah, the whole idea behind
it it's the same.

It's just like to portray like
emotional isolation and just

longing and this feeling of
melancholy and just feeling like

you're I don't know by yourself
thinking you know that feeling

of I don't know.

But yeah, it's the same, it's
the same feeling for this photo,

even though it's portrayed
different.

It's another way of me viewing
it.

Speaker 1: So, yeah, I like that
and I think part of it is also

like I really just personally
love the color blue and I think

blue is like.

Blue has always, like you know,
brought out a certain emotion

in me and it's always made me
smile and it's always made me

feel like very comforting, and
so I yeah, I think that may be

why, specifically, I have a
different reaction to it.

Is that like?

there's like the blue ocean, and
then there's like this, like

streak of, like clout, like
white clouds, but then it's like

blue on top of it.

It's almost like a yeah, it's
almost like a reflection of that

.

Speaker 2: Yeah.

Speaker 1: For at least from
through my eyes.

Speaker 2: Oh, that's nice.

It's really good.

I like that.

Speaker 1: Yeah, I, I think that
with my work.

Speaker 2: I tend to to work a
lot with blue because I feel the

same way.

I feel like I'm more attracted
to it, for for some reason it's

like the color in which.

I feel more comfortable editing
and I feel like that collection

and my whole work in general
goes towards like greenish and

blue tones, except for the
previous collection that I just

launched it.

Yeah, most of my work goes
towards those colors, yeah.

Speaker 1: I like that, yeah, I
mean, yeah, as someone who loves

blue, you have a I mean you
already had a fan in me, but you

know I love the blue.

When you mentioned, like the
editing, you know, like when you

, when you edit these out, you
know how long does it take for

you to edit these photos?

Like what does that process
look like?

Speaker 2: Yeah, it depends a
lot on the photo I it's.

It's weird because I could be
like two months trying to edit

one photo with no results, but
then I go out and shoot and the

same day I get an edit that I
love and I just share it

instantly.

So the process really depends on
, yeah, on the photo and I don't

know.

It just depends on how I'm
feeling and if I like get a

result that I that I want.

Most of my work is very
experimental, so I just do like

a lot of random things and if I
see good results that I like,

then yeah, that's how it
happened.

Speaker 1: That's cool.

I like that because that's
honestly how I approach even

editing the podcasts or my
interview style or some of my

intros that I record.

Sometimes I'm all over the
place and I'm like you know what

.

That's completely okay, because
that's really how I was feeling

in the moment.

A lot of times when I accept,
even if it's a little goofy or

even if I stutter my words every
once in a while, I don't ever

choose to edit that stuff out.

I just think it's part of the
fun of this.

It shows the humanity and it
shows that like and I like that.

You said that it's like some
days you spend, or sometimes you

spend some shots you spend
months editing and you don't get

the results you want.

In the other days, you like,
you find the edit in like a

couple hours.

I think that's really cool.

I like how you approach that.

Speaker 2: Thank you.

That's actually, I think, one
of the things that most people

ask me, like how do I get this
certain like type of look into

my photos?

A lot of times I have no idea
what to say because it's just so

random and so experimental and
I feel like people are waiting

for me to do, I don't know, a
tutorial or something like

explaining it super, like step
by step, and I have no like a

way to do it.

Like every single photo is
completely different from the

last one, and there's beauty in
that, but at the same time, it

makes you crazy when you're
editing.

Speaker 1: So the question is
when Samantha edited, in course,

so she can figure out a way to
explain her edits.

Speaker 2: Sometimes to figure
out how I can make a tutorial.

Speaker 1: I like that, but it's
, you know, again, like we have

very similar styles and
different ways to create.

But I think that now that you
say that it's like, I love that

you do that, because I'm kind of
the same way when it comes to

just any sort of editing that I
do on this, and so it's cool to

see someone has the same mindset
with, like, just like a

different form of creation or a
different form of curation.

So I like that, so I wanted to.

You know the let's hop into the
collection that you just

dropped, the echoes and whispers
.

What was like the like this is
obviously very different from

you know, from your super
collection, like from you know

from the stories that you told
me about earlier.

So, like, walk me through, like
, where the inspiration came

from for you know, for the
sechos and whispers collection.

Speaker 2: This is this
collection for me like very

special because I have always
had like a special interest and

like fascination with old, like
Japanese and Chinese art, and I

like took some photos and I
didn't know like in which

direction I wanted to like take
them.

And I went to Los Bern like at
the beginning of April and I

went to a museum there which had
like like a special exhibition

of Japanese art and it was like
my first time seeing like really

elaborate, elaborated work from
Japanese painters, and to see

like for the very first time in
person was like completely mind

blowing to me.

I came back to Madrid and I
immediately started like

searching for archives of
okiyo-ii paintings and like

starting to like really dive in
what was like this old art.

And I had an idea with one
photo that I took when I was in

the United States, like at the
beginning of the year, and I

just wanted to recreate not
recreate, but like like create

something that could portray
what the okiyo-ii paintings were

.

So I started to like really
research about how the painters

created the work and I was like
completely fascinated by it

because it was like so like
there was so much work behind

just one painting, because they
used ink and wood blocks and

just like it was a very special
treatment for each painting and

the whole concept of the
paintings were like super

different of where I have been
like getting inspiration from

lately, like Monet or like other
impressionist painters.

So diving into this like new
work was like an incredible

experience for me and I just
wanted to find a way in which I

could create something that was
like a dedication to this art,

that inspired me in this way
that I I don't know it was

special in that way because I
was feeling like very stuck with

my work not stuck, but like an
art block, you know, like I

didn't know where to put this
new work.

So I found this and I created
these four photos, like getting

really inspired by the way these
painters created the work, and

I actually spoke with some
Japanese artists and collectors

that I have to know if I was
like doing a right thing,

because I I didn't want to like
disrespect or, you know, because

I was like literally saying
that it was inspired by Japanese

and Chinese paintings.

So I didn't want to like
disrespect the culture in any

way possible.

So I like spoke to them and
they told me that in no way I

was doing that and that the work
was great.

So I feel confident and some of
the well, one of my collectors

he's Japanese and he told me
that he was really like happy to

see that I like was honoring
like traditional Japanese art,

because he hasn't like seen that
, like not even in Japan.

Like he told me that
photographers are like mostly

trying to make their photos look
like anime scenes you know like

like the modern photography
style in Japan.

And he told me that he has never
seen something like that and

that he was like really like
interested in the work.

And he was actually super nice
and he sent me like a page, like

a website, where I could search
for more paintings and he'll

send me a lot of new artists
that I could look at.

So he was like super nice to me
about it and, yeah, like a lot

of the my collectors and friends
, which whom I talked to, they

were super receptive and like
open to tell me that it was okay

.

But it's true that I didn't
want to like use Japanese words

or like be like I'm doing this
for like for another reason that

just yeah, just like honoring
this thing that was inspiring me

in the moment.

So it was very important to me
to have like a feedback from

people like from Japan or from
China that tell me about what

they thought about it.

So, yeah, it was really special
and I love that work.

Speaker 1: Yeah, I do, and I do
too, I like, and I think what's

really cool about the cement and
something that you just touched

on and I'm not sure if this is
unique to the NFT space or the

NFT art space or if it's, or if
this was happening before, but

I've never, I've never once
heard from like a lot of like

people that were whether they're
photographers or like painters

or anything you know before the
space that they have.

You know, like it seems like the
collect, like you have a really

good relationship with your
collectors and I think, like the

way you navigate, like in the
way you not I don't want to say

use, because it's like that that
has like a negative connotation

but like the way you like
collaborate with your collectors

for future work, I think is
really inspiring.

You know, and I don't know if
it's again, if that was

something that was able to be
done beforehand, but I think

that you know, at least in the
online space, you know it's a

lot easier to collaborate and
it's a lot easier to get

feedback and it's a lot, it's a
lot easier just to to continue

moving forward, because I think
I think feedback from collectors

is like you know, sometimes it
can be like some collectors like

have a weird opinion and it
sounds like you have some like

really down to earth, like
collectors that like are willing

to share their honest opinions
with you.

Speaker 2: Yeah, completely.

I feel very lucky because you
said exactly what I think and

I've been lucky enough to have a
really great relationship with

some of them.

I have met two in person, yeah,
and it was awesome.

And yeah, I just really want to
create a meaningful

relationship with this because
it's something that I tell most

of them, that their support is
changing my life in a way, and

it's super important to me that
they know that and that I really

want to create something
meaningful from it.

So the fact that I could be
able to talk to them about new

work and just to get feedback
was incredible because, as you

said, I have no idea if in that
traditional work, you can

actually do that Talk to your
collectors and think about new

ideas or how to grow in ways you
can expand your creative

process.

So it's a very innovative and
incredible thing to do.

Speaker 1: Yeah, that is really
cool and, whether it is or not,

I think it's just a really
important thing to highlight, at

least in the Web3 world, is
that collectors can play in a

very important role, and I think
part of it is also, just like

you know, when typically there's
a decent amount of money that's

being exchanged for the work
and the way, like the amount of

motion that you put in through
your work and what people pay

for your work, it's almost like
you attract what you promote.

You know where it's like the
people that are going to buy

your work or the people that are
like the same people that you'd

want to surround yourself with.

Speaker 2: I think that makes
sense.

Speaker 1: You know what I mean,
yeah, and so I think it's just

really important to highlight,
especially if there's any

artists that are, you know, like
some of the artists that are

listening to this that, like,
are wondering how to navigate

the collector.

You know, the collector artist
relationship.

I know it's different for
everybody, but I just I like, I

think that yours is so special
and I'm really happy to hear

that.

Speaker 2: Yeah, I actually have
a really special story with one

of my collectors.

I was like creating my first
collection last year and since

the space was like really new
and a lot of people didn't know

what to do, I started doing
auctions, which is not common

nowadays If you release a
collection, and I remember I

priced like some of my work at
0.3.

And I was like promoting the
collection and like tweeting

about it and this like person
like he's anonymous online we

have talked like two times
before that and he told me that

like they wanted to to buy one
of my my work in this new

collection and I was like super
excited and they told me that

they wanted to pay me way more
than I was asking for the

auction.

And it was insane to me because
they started like talking about

the work in a way in which I've
never seen that before in the

NFT world and they not only like
appreciated the art, but that

they were willing to like pay
way more than what I was

expecting to in the auction was
like mind blowing.

And now we're just like super
close and it's like a very nice

relationship and it's got the
noise.

It was just awesome to
experience.

Speaker 1: Yeah, I think because
, even when I'll share a similar

, it's not not the same story,
but what your story reminded me

of a similar experience that I
had where, like I mentioned,

when I was doing a lot of the
gaming content creation and the

twitch streaming and when I was
looking to brand my channel,

like to find like graphics and
like overlays and emotes and all

the things that you can use on
on twitch, I found this designer

and, like we had he was in, he
was somewhere in EMEA, like I

can't remember what exact time
zone he was in, but, long story

short, it was like two or three
in the morning local time for

him.

And when I found him and like
express the idea for my brand

that, like I wanted to portray
you had, we had like a three

hour conversation.

He was just like so excited to
work out like it was just this

like really cool shared idea
that we had.

And I remember like once we had
this conversation and it came

time to, like you know, purchase
, you know package and to, like

you know, go over this, you know
scope of work and the details

of like what it would do or like
how long it would take, like I

like ordered on, like everything
and like I think I ordered like

$4000 worth of graphics from
him and he was trying to talk me

out of it.

And I'm like, dude, I don't
intend on changing my brand More

than once.

Like so I'd rather, you know,
you have clearly have something

that I want.

You're super talented, like
everything is so thoughtful and

you not only are you just
ridiculously talented, but like

you are invested personally into
this.

Like I am happy to pay it like
any amount of money to like get

this done, because not many
people I can have that special

of a relationship with, you know
, and that just your story

reminded me of that, because he
was like trying to talk me out

of certain things.

Like no, dude, like, like, like
I don't care if it takes three

months to complete, like I know
what I'm paying for.

You have very clearly, clearly
told me what I'm paying for.

You know Super nice guy, so I
appreciate you sharing that.

Maybe think of that story
because it was like a similar

experience, because he was like
I think he was like blown away.

Speaker 2: That.

That's awesome, that you
experienced that, because that's

I really one of the most I
don't know special connections

you can like make with people
and it's.

I don't know, memorable in a
way.

Speaker 1: It is yeah, I'll
never forget it.

Like I'll never, I'll never
forget it.

Yeah, but yeah, this is, this
has been, samantha, this has

been really fun.

I want to like, I want to start
.

I want to start rapid.

Like we shared it, we talked
about a couple of your

collections.

Like I love your thought
process.

I love like that we've gotten
to dive into.

Like how you do you, how you do
what you do.

You know, essentially put or
simply put.

You know, when it comes to like
we're you know we've talked

about this a little earlier,
we're still really early, like

you know, in the web three space
and you know what is your like,

what is your vision?

Like what are you wanting to
Accomplish in the future?

Like, where do you see your art
going?

You know, and like I hate to
answer this as this question,

but I it's also challenging
questions like where do you,

where do you want the space to
go as it relates to your art in

the next?

Like this is call it three
years.

Well yeah, yeah, big question.

Speaker 2: Yeah, no, but I've
been actually been thinking

about it because I I actually
want to incorporate more web

three tools to the way I I
create work and I like I still

need to think about in which way
I want to create some ideas

that I have, because I have, I
have some, but at the same time,

I feel like as artists or I'm
talking like in my opinion to

like learn more about like the
other, like deep side of things,

because I just recently created
like my very first smart

contract.

Yeah yeah, yeah, like huge,
because when I first started

that was like not the common
thing to do.

So every single day, what
happens in this space is like

new, but at the same time it's
like old.

Yeah, because, yeah, I know
what you mean.

Yeah.

So what happens today and the
way the platforms are like

moving right now, it's just like
hard to adjust to, because I

created, for example, this smart
contract, but I cannot use it

in like all of the platforms
like, for example, foundation.

I can't Right.

So it's just like a matter of
just having an idea and finding

the correct people that can help
you, and I feel like learning a

lot about this space is really
important too.

So I want to like really
research and like start learning

about other stuff that I can
make, because when you learn

about something, then more ideas
like flourish.

So I really want to do that and
hopefully I can create like

maybe like an immersive
experience with my photos.

That's something I've always
wanted to do, like a way in

which you can see photography in
a whole different way.

I'm still trying to think about
how can I do it, but yeah.

I think this space has a lot of
tools that we definitely need to

like, dive in more to.

Speaker 1: I love that when you,
when you said, when you said,

like creating an immersive
experience, like I was like

secretly hoping you were going
to say that, yeah, yeah.

Like I was not going to bait
the conversation to make you

like say that for my own, like
selfish reasons, but like I was

secretly hoping that you were
going to go there.

Speaker 2: Yeah, it's always
been a dream, so yeah, once work

and then yeah.

Speaker 1: I think yeah, because
I think that's the next step,

because I know a lot of you know
, I mean I appreciate the art in

general, but I know, when it
comes to like, when it comes to

adoption, when it comes to
harnessing the technology to see

what we can do, like it's
really fun to explore the ways

that, like you know, we can use
this technology to create

experiences that we haven't
created before.

You know, and I think immersive
experiences are like the next

thing, whether that's through
augmented reality, whether it's

through virtual reality, whether
it's through, you know,

whatever the case may be, I
think that's the next step

because art is really cool.

But I think the challenge, at
least from a collector and just

from an appreciator and just a,
you know, from my perspective in

the space, is that, like, I
very much enjoy the digital

collection, you know, but I
always like and we have like the

on-site and the digital
galleries.

We have some of these digital
galleries like a way to flex and

a way to like go visit other
people's galleries.

But, like, I feel like that's
like the next step to like make

this like the NFT space explode,
or at least the art space

explode in general, because I
think, once you, once immersive

experiences are there, I'm like
okay, like count me in, like I

cannot wait to like see how that
unfolds.

Speaker 2: Yeah, I actually went
to like two immersive

experience galleries and point
us.

The art is way different and I
love just like sharing my

photography and, like people,
like being able to feel things

by looking at it, but I see this
as an opportunity to add more.

Yeah, I'm like saying this is
the whole value, but just like

adding more to it.

So, yeah, it's gonna be
interesting to see what we're

capable of doing here.

Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm very
excited.

I think our excitement aligns
on that because, you know, at

the end of the day, in my
opinion and I had this, I was

just chatting about this on a
previous episode is that you

know, like you know, I love the
PFP collect, you know, the

profile picture collections.

I think that's an interesting
way to build community.

But I also think, like a lot of
that, like that just doesn't

really fit for photography,
doesn't fit for like the one of

one art, it doesn't like that
mentality in the way of like

looking at that doesn't really
match.

And like everyone's, like when
utility, when this one, that

it's like you know, I think that
makes sense for profile picture

projects because, like, when
you're making 10,000 of

something and you make, like you
know, five, five, 10 million

dollars in like six hours, I
think it's pretty reasonable to

expect utility.

But when it comes to art, people
come over to the scene and they

start demanding on artists and,
like when you tell it's like,

it's like to the art, is the
utility Like if you don't see,

because one of the things that
got me so excited about NFTs and

just in Web 3 in general was
that, like, after hearing a lot

of stories that I've gotten to
hear is that you know this

allows it.

You know I'm going to back it
up a little bit further.

Like in the corporate world.

You know, we're always like.

You know, the corporate world
is very demanding of like.

You know, like we need to have
work like balance and we need to

have like limited hours and we
need to like bring our best

selves to work so we can do
better work.

If we're happier, we'll do
better work, and it's like that

all made sense to me.

But for some reason, the world
did not agree that that was a

benefit that was that creators
and artists were entitled to.

You know, it was always like
artists had to like grind and

like get themselves to a brand
and like get their own insurance

and get their own you know,
basically just figure it out on

their own.

And it was almost just like
there was just a very.

There's a very lopsided.

You know it's just very
lopsided the way people look at

it.

I don't know if that makes
sense, you know.

So it's like what?

What I saw in NFTs was that
like we now can have a, now we

have a mechanism and tools that
allow artists to make what they,

what they are what they are
owed on the creations that they

make and that when they make a
bag from doing the work, they're

not just going to run and leave
and like, just like you know,

never do this again, like when
people are taking care of them.

People are when their work is
valued.

Speaker 2: They typically tend
to do better work, you know, um

anyway, and it's true, and I I
saw a tweet from I don't know if

it was a collector, I imagine
he was.

He tweeted something like Now
that I think about it, I've

never been wracked by a
photographer and, yeah, like,

are he's doing what they love
and being able to continue to do

it?

I'm like leaving off your art
is something that I feel like

every artist dreams of.

So the fact that we're able to
like experience that, or have

the opportunity to really have
like a chance to do it, um it

like enough reason to just keep
getting better and keep

providing and just being I don't
know inspired in this space,

like we're all growing at the
same time, we're all failing and

winning at the same time.

So, yeah, what you said is I'm
completely like agree with

everything you said.

Speaker 1: Yeah, I just that's
one of the things that, you know

, I think, stuck out to me the
most when I was learning about

this.

It's like, okay, now artists
are getting the same benefits

that corporate America is
demanding from all these big

corporations, you know, and like
this allows artists to be self

sovereign and allows them to,
like you know, like it allows

their craft to expand and grow
and you know, further than it

already is.

It's already incredible to
begin with, but this allows the

journey to keep going and, um,
you know, I just think it's it's

really cool to see the creative
like there's a, there's a,

there's a transfer, kind of like
, of power, there's a transfer

of voice, of what's happening
here is that, you know,

creatives really run the world
when you think about it,

although we haven't valued them
the same way, yeah, you created

the same way, for whatever
reason.

And that's like one of my
single biggest narratives that I

like to push is that, like this
narrative is changing to where,

because you look at everything,
everything around you is art.

Like my computer is art, like my
mouse pad is art.

Like someone designed my mouse,
someone designed the logo,

someone designed everything,
everything is art.

And it seems that you know that
hasn't been well respected in

the past.

So I could go on and on on that
.

But I think we are very much
aligned in that and I you know I

have been this.

This interview has been so much
fun to get to know you better.

I am super, super thrilled to
be able to to.

I cannot wait for people to
hear this.

Speaker 2: Thank you so much.

You've been the best host.

You're a beautiful podcast.

I cannot thank you enough,
really, for inviting me.

I'm you know I told you before
this was my very first time in a

podcast, so this is me being
like out of my comfort zone.

I was really nervous, but you
made it like super easy to talk

to and just being here and share
just thoughts and it was.

It was awesome.

So I'm really happy I did it
and thank you again for inviting

me.

Speaker 1: Absolutely, samantha,
that that makes me smile.

I know we're not on camera, but
that makes me smile, thank you.

Thank you so much for saying
that, Um, but yeah, we're going

to go ahead and sign off.

Thank you for joining us for
another episode of the Schiller

vaulted podcast.

We hope you enjoyed our
conversation.

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