The other day I asked a question of the community- and put a Drip on the line, an NFT from my photography collection Drip Drop. I asked for people to reccomend artists who I should interview for ALLSHIPS- the "curator" would win the Drip, the artist would win the feature. The thread is a treasure trove of talent, and after an agonizing decision process, I couldn't stop looking towards the work from Eva Eller. Thanks to @d_fins for the reccomendation. Let's dive in.

EVA! So great to connect, I'm so glad that your work was shared in the thread I posted. I really admire your work. To begin, can you introduce yourself to our community? Where you are from and the mediums and style you work in?

Hi, Dave! Thank you so much for having me, truly honoured! I was born in Tallinn, Estonia and I create realistic digital paintings related to history and spirituality.

Renaissance flavoured with magic, obscurity and constant learning. Currently a 3rd year student (BA in Graphic Art) at Florence Academy of Fine Arts.

Before starting NFTs I was a book illustrator for 5 years. Very happy to be doing my personal art now!

Wonderful, thank you for taking the time to speak with us today. I am astounded at the level of detail in your work. And the era it evokes- I love the mix of classic styles with modern references. It works so well together. How did you first encounter your creativity and can you share a bit about the journey to get here?

Thank you so much, Dave! Exactly, I try to honour the old masters of Renaissance and bring my own flavour to my works. For 5 years I was in book illustration, I never had any time to sit and draw something of my own. But in summer 2022 I decided to work overnight and finally do it. Vision of my Angels of Knowledge came to me and I uploaded my first work on SuperRare and it was sold in several hours to @JaredSturman23.

This is important because I never expected anything, I just finally tried to escape book illustration and got a green light and support from the Crypto Art community. I had 16 followers at the time, so I truly was starting out from 0.

Why did I choose NFTs? Because I was a digital illustrator my whole life, and the concept of digital originals made me realize that this is truly where I belong. I am seriously passionate about the technology and the digital art renaissance!

Before illustration, I always knew that I would be an artst. I was sent to an art school at 11 because drawing was something that I did on my own free will. My dream was always to travel the world and draw and survive on my art. I didn't know at first how I would do it, but the path of an artist was very clear to me since the beginning.

I love to hear this passion in your responses, for the art, for the process, and for the revolution we are all living through. Much like the renaissance itself, we are in a moment where technology and shifts in financial structures are enabling a golden age of creativity.

Digital natives like us finally have a market for our work that is decoupled from advertising interests. Its liberating and very encouraging. Where can people find your works?

Thank you! I totally agree, we are creating a new economy and new, better conditions for artists! My work can be viewed on my website, there is also an opportunity to subscribe to my new releases in the "Available works" section as I truly take my time before dropping new works. In the "Links" section viewers can find all the minting platforms I am on.

My motto: "Knowledge is your most valuable resource". My belief is that knowledge can help you the most. It can be turned into a skill, it is the foundation to build or even restore your assets. I convey through my work the importance of studying. I depict a Temple of Knowledge and it's angels. My first works are also heavily inspired by the bible, when I am reading it, I find so much to ponder on and it inspired me to start on my Angels of Knowledge series.

Why knowledge? It changed my life in a very positive way, so I encourage anyone to start learning, it can be experience too, doesn't have to be from a textbook. Just go out there and observe and learn. Knowledge is the remedy for sadness and melancholy. Instead of pondering on the evil, I want to study our magical world, and discover as much as I can, whilst I can.

Love the way your mind works! Couldnt agree more. Speaking of embracing knowledge and new things- how did you first get involved with the web3 space, and how has it changed the way you engage with your audience and community?

My friend and first collector introduced me to this concept in 2021, I researched about it, as I felt like it is something breathtaking, but I saw that to mint my artwork would cost a lot of money because of gas and I couldn't afford that. I regret a bit not researching further and not starting on tezos or polygon in 2021.

Eventually I got curious about NFTs again and minted my first NFT on polygon, which was eventually sold to my friend who introduced me to the space. But after that, in summer 2022 I started to mint only on SuperRare, from then I took things very seriously, joined several communities, like @WHALEMembers and @verticalcrypto who basically helped me to make sense of the entire space, as I went into crypto art with 0 prior knowledge about crypto in general, not to mention NFTs and the community.

From summer 2022 till now I changed 180 degrees as a person and an artist, hopefully for the better. My life changed drastically and I am full of optimism and hope for the space. I found new amazing friends and accomplished old dreams. I can't believe to be honest that this is happening and hope to bring more awareness about cryptoart to help onboard new people! I also do NFT projects in my art academy, this would be impossible several years ago. It is truly mind-blowing.

Your energy and enthusiasm is clear- it’s making me even more excited than I already am as well. What advice would you have for artists about their creative path in general and what advice would you have specifically about succeeding and enjoying oneself in the web3 space?

Thank you so much! I would say that not expecting anything and finding a strong "why" for your art is essential. What are you trying to tell with your art, is it authentic? It is also important to be curious about the technology itself, find ways to incorporate it as an art medium, decide why specifically cryptoart is important to you.

Research about your own smart contracts, make sure you mint from a hardware wallet and that you are safe in general. Given that, it is good to also relax and not take anything seriously too. I sometimes go into my ultimate nerd state, so it's good to generally just connect with people and have fun, make friends. Be open-minded and curious is the gist of what I am trying to say.

Eva, thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts and talents with the ALLSHIPS community. We truly love the work and wish you all the best in your endeavors. To the reader, follow Eva on Twitter and find more about her work on her website.