Nathaniel Parrot, AKA Parrot.ism, has been a big player in the NFT community and who worked on big projects like Artifex and collaborated with artists like Fewocious, Odious and Jonathan Wolfe.
DREAMING WITH MY EYES OPENED by Nathaniel Parrot
Can you begin by introducing yourself and give an insight about your background?
My name is Nathaniel Parrot and I also go by the artist name of Parrot.ism. I’m a 3D artist based in Seattle, Washington, and I’ve been professionally making art since 2017, more specifically 3D art. Then, I jumped in the NFT world in 2020, and it’s during that time that I joined SuperRare. Additionally, I’ve been doing multiple mediums other than 3D and digital such as traditional art and music. I started making music at the age of 11, and that’s all I really wanted to do at that age – music and skateboarding. At the time, my parents gave me a good balance of support in my creativity but they also wanted me to go to college for a plan B. Although, I ended up dropping out of college in my first year, so that didn’t work out well for me in the end. But despite all that, they were still supportive of my art and that pushed me to do well in that field.
Do you often switch between digital and traditional mediums as well as music?
I often switch between digital and traditional mediums. I get excited by pretty much anything that is creative. I initially started making electronic music and hip hop beats on my computer before art. So it made 3D art was easier for me since I knew how to work my way around a digital creative environment. But I took a lot of art classes growing up in school, and I always doodled and drew. Despite doing more digital art, I do like how paintings look and I want to improve with that medium a bit more.
How were NFTs introduced to you and how has your experience been in this space?
It was a friend of mine who knows Glass Crane that introduced me to NFTs and he was on SuperRare maybe a month before I joined. He used to tell me about how Glass Crane is selling visual art to collectors digitally. So I went and checked out SuperRare, read about NFTs, then I applied and I got accepted. Before NFTs, I was involved in crypto but I wasn’t truly passionate about it so I didn’t invest too much time in it. But when I discovered crypto art which involves the medium I love, I started getting very passionate about it and learn as much as I can about it.
Do you have any projects that are mainly related to music?
When it comes to my music projects, I don’t have a ton of music out right now. I have a bunch of unreleased stuff that I was supposed to release last year, but I was way too busy with art to actually focus on that. I often make music by myself but I do have a project with a friend where we both make hiphop beats and electronic music together and then, we perform them live.
Can you talk about your project and experience with 0x Society?
Participating in 0x Society’s project is very exciting. At the moment, I’m being very careful with the projects that I take on because there are a lot of offers and I really have to trust my gut on what excites me and what seems to involve a good group of people. So when they hit me up and told me about their initiative, I was definitely intrigued. Also, I love all the artists that I saw on the list that were participating as well. The artwork I’m making for the Solstice exhibition is a little bit different from what I usually make so I’m excited about it.
Do you have any advice for up-and-coming artists in the digital art and NFT space?
My biggest advice would be to value the community, be open to learn from it and don’t be afraid to ask for help. A lot of people are really nice and will help you, whether it’s about art techniques, the technicality of NFTs, minting and such, creating a wallet, pricing or networking. I think a lot of people are really helpful in this space. That’s something that I’ve learned: everyone here is so nice and it’s not as competitive as it might look from the outside. A lot of people would really want other people to succeed in this space. People ask me for help and I’ve asked others for help as well. Most of the time, it just about trust. As long as someone’s not copying your exact style, there’s a lot of tips out there for people to get better.
