MezFi Meets Episode #13 - MezFi Meets Justin Maller

digital art, NFT, crypto, artist, Nifty Gateway, personal journey, loss, presence, AI, art industry, ethical implications of AI, tips for artists In Episode #13, MezFi Meets Justin Maller, an OG in the Digital Art space and the NFT space. Founder of the Depthcore Art Collective and previous Chief Creative Officer of Deviant Art, Justin has had a long and storied career in digital art, he developed a passion for Adobe Photoshop in High School and followed his conviction at all costs. Justin has released 5 NFT projects including his first incredible collection, Second Storm and a collaboration with Shaq for his first NFT drop, as well as developing the art for the MezFi DFT collection. Jerome and Justin discuss his career in art, how he got into the crypto and NFT spaces, the ethics of AI art and lots more. To find out more about Justin and his various projects, go to: https://www.JustinMaller.com https://justinmaller.com/project/second-storm https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinmaller https://x.com/justinmaller https://www.depthcore.com To find out more about MezFi, go to: https://www.MezFi.com 00:00 Introduction and Background 03:46 The Evolution of Digital Art and NFTs 09:34 From Freelancing to Chief Creative Officer at DeviantArt 13:50 The Overwhelming Response to NFT Drops 19:45 The Personal Significance of the 'Second Storm' Collection 25:47 The Connection and Existence 28:09 Justin's NFT Projects: The Second Storm and Shaq 30:01 Exploring Grief and Personal Projects 31:50 The Impact of AI on the Artistic Process 34:10 The Harmful Effects of AI on Professional Digital Artists 38:04 The Industrial Revolution and the AI Revolution 42:48 The Devaluation of Rights for Artists 45:37 The Comparison to Metallica vs. Napster 48:15 The Unethical Scraping of Artwork Data 50:03 Tips for Aspiring Artists: Making Art, Building Community, and Marketing 55:33 The MezFi NFT Collection: Architectural Inspiration and Unique Artwork