Today, I'm excited to bring to you a conversation with an incredible human and artist, my friend, Adam Levine, AKA @itsadamtastic. Let's dive right in.

First off- can you introduce yourself to the community? Your name, where you are based and the mediums you work in?

Hi! My name is Adam Levine and online I go by my artist name, Adamtastic. I'm based out of New Jersey and I work in a variety of different mediums but mainly digital and physical painting. I have a background in animation (2D and 3D) and have had a career as a Creative Director for the past 14 years directing video productions - both live action and animated.

I should also say that I'm super honored to be interviewed by you. You've been such a positive force for good in our community and I respect the hell out of the effort you put forth to help raise so many people up. Thank you for that!

You have such a fun, whimsical style in your work- where did you first encounter your creativity in your life?

Thanks Dave, that's really kind of you to say. Looking back, I've always enjoyed the art of creating. I was inspired early by such a wide variety of things from vibrant and detailed illustrated children's books to Saturday morning cartoons, and puppets on Sesame Street. I was also lucky to have had a grandfather who got me into photography and while I only really do that now as a hobby, it helped spark that curiosity in me to look at the world differently. I'm also fortunate to have parents who appreciate the arts and would take my sister and I to museums where we would spend hours soaking it all in.

That’s beautiful, how lucky to have been raised by people who encouraged your creative leanings. You’ve had a long and winding path to get to where you are today. Let’s jump to the present before we talk more about your journey. Tell me about your upcoming drop and what we can expect to see.

Sure thing, thanks for that! My next drop is the second phase in a series that's equally steeped in a rich history. My collection is called Fluffy Goodness. Back in 2005 I was dating a woman who would later become my wife. I didn't have much money and I wanted to get her a gift for Valentine's day. So, always looking for an excuse to create something, I got it in my head that I would make her some cute stuffed creatures. I had no idea what I was doing but after a lot of failed attempts, I finally had something worth giving to her. Luckily, she loved it... and so did I!

I just kept making them until some friends saw them and suggested that I sell them. I went store to store and sold them in little boutique shops, craft fairs, and online. I made them all by hand and I gave them each their own name and backstory. I only had one rule - I could never repeat one so that whoever got one would be the only person in the world with that unique creature. I made thousands of them and it was a ton of fun! I've been illustrating them for years too, with them winding up on countless birthday cards, cake toppers at our wedding, and party favors for our kids baby shower! The other thing I would always do was to lean into the Goodness side of Fluffy Goodness by donating a portion of my sales to charity.

The collection can be found on OpenSea and I'm excited to share that I worked with Richerd and the team at manifold.xyz to create my own smart contract for this series. I really wanted to add value for collectors by establishing provenance and I'm grateful to those guys for helping me do just that!

Recently I began creating small, limited run 1/1 illustrated versions of my characters and minting them on the blockchain. I've already minted 58 in the first run and now I'm set to drop the next 58. There are three different parts to my upcoming drop. 51 of them were done by me dropping on 9/27, 6 were done in collaboration with amazing artists in our community dropping on 10/1, and one was done by me but will go on auction for charity on 10/5. The artists I've collaborated this time around are Cory Van Lew, Maalavidaa, Fesq, Soul Curry Art, Jen Stein, and Glowa. They all made some truly fantastic art and I can't wait to share it with the world! As for the charity piece, I'm excited to say that I've been talking with the kind folks at charity: water for a while now. They're an organization I believe in and currently my wife and I donate to them monthly. They're on a mission to bring sustainable, safe, and clean drinking water to everyone in the world. Having a clean water source can be the difference between life and death and with clean water, people in a community don't just survive, they thrive. I really want to do whatever I can to help raise both funds and awareness. 100% of any profit from the charity auction will be donated directly to them, in ETH.

Wow. What an amazing group of creatives, and what a wonderful cause to be raising funds for. That's really special. You've always been so central to the "community" we are building here in NFTs. What has that experience been like for you over the past year?

Honestly, it's been transformative. I don't think I could love our community any more than I do. I used to tell people that this was the single best art community that I've ever been a part of, but in reality, it's not just art. Everyone involved here has helped shape it into something much bigger than anything I could have expected, and we're just getting started! At the beginning of this year, I had a mental shift in how I looked at my online presence. Like lots of us, I was a victim of the toxic machine that has us chasing "likes" and follow counts to validate our worth. I decided that none of that actually mattered because at the end of they day, I had to be happy with what I was creating for myself. I also saw an opportunity to help raise others up. It was the easiest and most rewarding thing I had ever done on social media.

All I did was find art that I genuinely liked and shared it with others. I was surprised at the response I got and also how good it made me feel. Since January, I've tried to start the hashtag #RisingTideTuesday and every week I pick 3-5 artists to shine a light on, in the hopes that others will follow suit. Clearly you and I have been aligned in this same mentality as the phrase "A rising tide lifts all ships" spoke to both of us on a deeper level. I very much want everyone in our community to succeed... however they measure success.

That attitude is so powerful, and dovetails so nicely with our mission here at ALLSHIPS. Glad to have you here my friend. Lastly- what advice would you have for someone earlier on their creative journey? And advice if they want to dive into NFTs?

Thanks my friend, I love what you've been building and I'm excited for the future! For someone just beginning their creative journey, I would encourage them to look everywhere for inspiration and don't be afraid to take risks. Remember to play around with different mediums and techniques, and if something seems too easy, put yourself in a position to fail. You'll find that this is the fastest path to growing as an artist.... and just know that it's a never ending journey so enjoy the ride!

As for someone looking to get into NFTs, while it can appear daunting as a whole and the community moves at lightning speed, don't be afraid to move at your own pace. Also, work to either be a part of the community or build one around you. At the very least, do what you can to make friends. I know I did, present company included. This space is much more fun when you can root for others... they'll root for you too!

Amazing conversation Adam, thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us today. To the reader, please follow @itsadamtastic on Twitter as well as @FluffyGoodness to keep up with the drop and any new developments!