Lilly, also known as Soulthesea, is a creator and yoga teacher. By combining her passion for yoga and photography her works explores freedom through body movements and self-expression. Lilly reached an all-time high of 1.1 ETH in October 2022, selling her piece RADIANCE ARCHES as a photography NFT through Manifold.
Could you tell us about your story and how you got introduced to the NFT space?
Hmmm… on June 20, 2022 a good friend introduced me to crypto as she had just dived into the space and I thought it was literally just a matter of throwing some money in the drawer and forget about it. But somehow I was drawn into the space and did a lot of exploring, following daily movements (trying to act like a pro), oh my god hahah, until I found a video that really caught my interest. It was in EllioTrades Youtube channel, which talked about how to choose a niche in a whole web3 world, where what caught my eye was NFTs. Then I couldn't control myself, I kept swimming and diving deeper.
Nevertheless, with lack of information on where and how to start, I minted my very first NFT on September 20, 2022 on Foundation and I wasn't even on Twitter yet (yeah, I know hahaha). I was just waiting for a bid without interacting or knowing the NFT community. But on October 20, 2022, I decided to plunge onto NFT Twitter, make new friends, contacts and have a lot of fun.
What inspired you to start creating NFTs?
The possibilities of living financially free and the creative within me have paved my way even before I discovered NFTs. With NFTs, I realized that it can be a starting point for what we badly want to achieve, the artist renaissance.
What was the first NFT you created?
It is called 'Holding on to Hope' and was minted on Foundation.
Which tools do you use to create?
I create photography NFTs, so the tools are the camera and myself.
What are your biggest influences or sources of inspiration?
To be honest, I'm a pretty self-centered person and my source of inspiration has always been my yoga, movement, stillness and everything aesthetic in between.
What has been the most rewarding part of being involved in the NFT space?
Of course I will mention sales. Getting paid for what we create helps us artists stay alive, especially in this period of time. Other than that, friendships with tons of people whether their identity is an animated pfp or not (I can't have it that way though), unforgettable connections; artist-artist, artist-collector, shit posts, reply guys - everyone involved has been brought together through NFTs which creates magic.
What advice would you give to someone starting out as a creator within the NFT space?
Making connections and finding your fans. It may seem cliché to say, but sales often start once you find them.
What do you think are the biggest opportunities within the NFT space in the coming 5 years? Culturally, artistically and financially?
I didn't want to say we are still early, but I will because the NFT space is moving at the speed of light. Culturally, I don't think we can avoid the NFT technology, ultimately people will have to adapt, catch up and push the boundaries of what is possible. As the developments take place, eventually there will no longer be such a thing as "fitting in" in society. You create and shape your own existence!
Artistically speaking, NFTs art renaissance is driven by freedom of expression and creation. More and more people will be able to enjoy and connect with art in a way that was not possible before. As we and the entire NFT space continue to grow and develop and the powerful tools and opportunities within NFTs emerges, it will hopefully lead many of us involved to financial freedom or independence.
As a creator, is there something that you feel is missing in the current NFT space?
I'm not 100% sure of my answer but for example a space or a platform that helps us artists get a broader reach and wider audience across the whole NFT space so we are not as dependent on Twitter.
What’s the best piece of advice you have been given?
Savor each creative process, stay true and be authentic to your absolute self.
You can find Lilly and her work via the following links:
- Foundation: foundation.app/@soulthesea
- Twitter: twitter.com/soulthesea_
- Instagram: instagram.com/soulthesea/
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