Today I'm lucky to share with you a conversation with Jaiden- a young cryptoartist who is finding a lot of success in the space. I've always been a fan of this work so I wanted to take some time to speak with him and hear his thoughts and his story. Let's go!

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

Absolutely, my name is Jasti and I am a 15-year-old artist based in Washington. I mainly work in vector-based programs as a digital artist, but I love to experiment with other mediums in both the physical and digital space.

Love your work, and I have for a while. How did you come across NFTs? You are way ahead of the game for someone your age, it's impressive to see you grasp the power of this movement. What was the moment you realized what the potential for NFTs was?

Thanks! I came across NFT's in December of 2020 through other artists on Instagram posting about them. I already had experience dealing with cryptocurrencies at the time through buying Bitcoin in the summer of 2020, so NFT's came pretty easy to me in terms of the technology behind them.

The moment I realized the potential of NFT's was around the same time I minted my first NFT in February on SuperRare through engaging and integrating myself into the community and doing external research into how everything worked behind the scenes in terms of smart contracts etc.

Incredible foresight- and I'm glad you were so early to something so important. How has this community affected you as an artist and as a person so far?

Hm- That's a tough question. I definitely think it has affected me positively as an artist, allowing me to share my art with more people which was one of my goals at the beginning of the year. As a person, I'm not quite sure yet.

I'm still a teenager and I still have a good 5-10 years of development as a person, so I can't tell what is natural development and what is shaped by all of the success.

That's great to hear- for me, the best value I've gotten from the space so far is definitely all the incredible friendships I've made, especially during a year of lockdowns. It's been a wild ride- I'm glad you've found a powerful platform for your art. When did you first begin exploring creativity and making artwork? Was it a recent thing or do you trace it back even further?

The friendships are definitely the most important part of the space. The amount of new amazing friends I’ve made has been incredible, especially with such a collaborative space. Sharing and working on ideas together with other creators is one of my favorite things to do.

I first started making artworks back in July of 2020, but have been a creative thinker my whole life, making doodles and little drawings in class and making logos for my older programming projects as well as for clients before I started making artworks.

Awesome. Has your propensity towards creativity been encouraged by your friends and family so far? Sometimes people think it's a risky career path.

Yes absolutely. My creativity has been greatly pushed forward by my family, allowing me to invest in myself with better equipment and art supplies to explore my creativity even more.

You have a unique perspective on this whole world, I'm wondering what your peers, like the people in school and your friend groups- do they get what NFTs are? It's still so early, I'm curious to hear how the next generation is thinking about these technologies.

Honestly- Not a lot of my peers know what I do. To them I’m a ordinary kid who likes to doodle in class. However, my main friend group knows all about what I do behind the scenes. I’m not quite sure if they really understand it very well because of how the large media companies portray it, but they are still very supportive.

What are your hopes or dreams for where this artistic journey takes you?

I really hope that this artistic journey can become my “job” in some sense. Working for myself has been my goal since around 6th grade and I have been doing everything I can to make sure I can in the time left before I move out.

My ultimate dream would be to have a large studio to work in on any creative project I wanted, whether it be painting, drawing, digital, physical, and anything else I could do.

Lastly- what advice would you give to creative types looking to get started in the world of NFTs?

Do your research, makes sure you know what you’re getting into before you mint your first piece or follow the next big thing. A lot of people come into this space looking for money, but I believe it’s more about the community and the technology behind the NFT’s that really brings it together.

Awesome. Great advice, and thanks so much for taking the time to talk with us today. Keep up the great work! To the reader, keep up with all things JASTI by visiting his LinkTree and by following him on Twitter.