Nick, thank you so much for taking the time to talk with us. Where are you based, and what would you call the medium you work in?

My name is Nick Sullo, known as @xsullo online. I come from a fine art and VFX background. I've worked for 10+ years in the film industry, doing vfx for Stranger Things, Iron Man 3 etc. I'm originally from California, and relocating to the East Coast after COVID has stabilized. My medium could be defined as mixed media digital art, combining both 2D and 3D assets.

One reason I love following you is your openness about sharing your process. What drives you to be so generous with your knowledge and technique, and can you describe the flow from concept in your mind to final finished piece?

I think people are drawn to how art is made, whether it's to spectate or to learn. I think it adds more to the artwork and people appreciate that.

My concepts always start with an image or a word that pops into my head. This could be inspired by what's happening in the world or what's happening internally. Overall, I don't get inspired by individual people, instead, I'm inspired by things that affect either the world or worlds within myself.

I want to talk a bit about NFTs and digital art. You’ve had success recently minting some of your work on the blockchain, it’s been inspiring to watch your work unfold in this new space. I feel like a lot of artists online are fed up with the standard model of social media. What are you impressions of the NFT world so far and would you encourage digital artists to look into how they can engage with this new world?

The NFT community has been supportive of both the artists and collectors. There's a concern of over flooding the market with artists though. I believe the focus will shift more towards gathering more collectors into the space. I would encourage artists to join, though it's getting more difficult to get listed on SuperRare and Nifty because of the ratio of artists to collectors.

But there's been word that more and more collectors are joining the space because of the growing interest. Nowadays artists that are able to join Nifty or SuperRare tend to have a large social media presence, and/or have a selling history with their art.

Great, I’m excited to see where the space goes in these coming months. What are some things you draw inspiration from? And are there specific artists who have had an outsized influence on you?

When I first started xsullo five years ago it was for art therapy, it was a meditative/calming thing to do to deal with personal struggles and growth. That's where a lot of the inspiration came from. These days I also find inspiration from current events in the world, tech innovations, and fututrists.

When I was younger I got really into MC Escher, Dali, Katsuhiro Otomo, Akira Toriyama, Alex Grey, Jean Giraud. So I see their impact they had on me as a kid influence my style even to this day.