“Ethereum Girl” by Emi

“I myself experienced war in my childhood and I know how terrible it is. It is always the peaceful people who suffer and who are not to blame. It’s not fair, it shouldn’t be like that. And it always hurts…” -Emi

In this piece, I share the profile of an illustrator who knows war. As a child, she was part of the rebirth of her war-torn home, Chechnya. As a Russian woman, she is forbidden to use the word in relation to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Despite these barriers, I insisted on making friends. She remains anonymous, and is only known to us as “Emi”.

Armed only with her digital art equipment, a basic understanding of cryptocurrencies, and her connections in the NFT community, Emi seeks to rebuild her world and ours with aesthetic beauty.

Can art uplift the society?

Who is Emi?

“Crypto Queen” by Emi

“Maybe not the answer you were expecting to hear, but I can be inspired by a good movie. I love a good quality movie and I can also be inspired by music and by nature, of course.” -Emi

Emi is an digital illustrator from Russia who creates across multiple platforms that support Ethereum. You can follow her on Twitter and can find her popular collections on Foundation and OpenSea.

For a deeper introduction to NFTs, read this explainer.

A Closer Look

I reached out to Emi to get a closer look into her heart and mind so I could find out about her personal views. Here is what she had to say:

1. How and when did you get into art?

I came to drawing in 2018. Before that time, I only drew as a child and was no longer associated with drawing. My parents wanted to put me through medical school. Then I got married, had kids and after the kids got a little older I decided to do what I wanted to do. I started painting. But I didn’t come to NFTs until early 2022. Certain situations happened in my life that led me to the NFT community, which I am very happy about. After all, what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. I’m a big believer in that.

2. What inspires you to create?

Maybe not the answer you were expecting to hear, but I can be inspired by a good movie. I love a good quality movie and I can also be inspired by music and by nature, of course. Beautiful nature is a true inspiration.

3. What is the biggest barrier you face as an artist?

There is not enough time for me. I would like to create more, but there is always lack of time. Living in a metropolis, a big family that comes first for me.

4. What do you consider your greatest accomplishment as an artist?

So far is my collaboration with Estée Lauder Russia and Maison Francis Kurkdjian, Russia. The most important thing is that I believed in NFT and joined the community. Also, that in a short period of time I made good results in NFT sales.

5. Who is one artist living or dead you wish you could speak to for an hour? What is one question you would ask them?

I would like to talk to Banksy. I really like his work, his presentation of art and of course his marketing moves. In fact, I think he’s a very interesting person and would be great to talk to.

I would probably ask — “How did you manage to remain anonymous?”

6. In what way has crypto influenced your life and work?

I started to develop myself and learned a lot of new and interesting things. I realized that cryptocurrency is the future. I found myself in it. That’s why I am going to keep developing in this direction and not to stop. Also I made new acquaintances and new friends all over the world from crypto and NFT community.

7. What is one bad situation in the world that you wish you could improve?

It’s hard to choose one thing, of course. But I would probably choose — the prevention of all wars on earth. I myself experienced war in my childhood and I know how terrible it is. It is always the peaceful people who suffer and who are not to blame. It’s not fair, it shouldn’t be like that. And it always hurts…

8. What is one location in your country we all should visit at least once?

I would advise you to visit my home Republic of Chechnya. Which has risen from the ashes after 10 years of war. We have a lot of beautiful places, as well as magnificent mountains.

9. How do you feel NFTs will influence the creator economy over the next decade?

Based on today’s realities, the NFT economy is growing every year at a tremendous pace. This trend in my opinion will continue. For those who do not believe in the future of NTFs, I have to explain them that NFT is the future.

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This content is for educational purposes only. It does not constitute trading advice. Past performance does not indicate future results. Do not invest more than you can afford to lose. The author of this article may hold assets mentioned in the piece.