Sinclair: Artist Spotlight

Simple, yet infinitely relatable and complex. Sinclair's abstractions let the viewer define their own fascinations with the infinite amount of emotions that we as human are capable of exhibiting.

- zonted

🖼 view Sinclair's art in the zonted genesis exhibition: https://www.cryptovoxels.com/play?coords=S@312E,567N,0.5U

How did you get into crypto (NFT) art?

I saw someone tweet “what’s crypto art?” and decided to research it! Selling digital art was a foreign concept to me.

But once I saw a couple of my artist friends promoting their work on SuperRare, I decided it was a good time to join!

A lot of genZ cryptoartists are “bored” at school and dropping out of school to pursue cryptoart full time is a thought that constantly runs through their minds. As somebody who’s successfully dropped out and broken into the art scene, do you have any advice to those contemplating the leap? How were you able to fight back your anxieties and fears of failure?

When I dropped out of college to pursue art, I knew it was a risk. I also knew that if I didn’t drop out, I’d risk thinking “what if?” for the rest of my life. So follow your dream, because if you don’t, you might end up living a nightmare.

But before you take that leap of faith, consider my advice:

Set goals for yourself and make a plan of how you will reach those goals.

My goal was to have a gallery exhibition in downtown Chicago a year after I dropped out. My plan was to make 50 paintings in a year and present my work to galleries all across Chicago once my collection was complete. My plan worked and the exhibition was a success!

My second piece of advice is to make art everyday.

The more art you make, the more you will develop artistically. The more you develop, the more people will take notice.

My last piece of advice is to trust the process.

It’s easy to get sucked into self doubt and anxiety, but don’t worry. Be patient and trust that doing what you love and working hard will pay off.

Making a goal to create art every day and then actually following through are two different feats. How do you deal with burnout? What's the longest break you've taken away from creating art since you went full time?

I don’t really experience burnout because I love making art! I make art so much because I don’t see it as a job, I see it as creative exploration. It’s what I do for fun!

With that said, I always take breaks from doing business when I feel the need to relax, but even on a day off, I love to doodle as a form of relaxation. Making art is therapeutic.

What inspires you to create art? Why?

In general, I’m always in a state of inspiration, but what inspires me the most is humanity. I feel it’s my purpose to simplify society through art so we can better understand each other and the world around us.

I love taking complex ideas and presenting them in a way that everyone can resonate with. Some examples of this are when I draw faces connected with one line to show that we are all connected, or when I create portraits using geometric shapes to show people’s tendency to view others as objects.

The human face is another one of my biggest inspirations because that’s where the most feeling is shown. I love to express multiple emotions at once by abstracting the face through new combinations of line, shape, and color.

How would you describe your artistic style?

Simple, yet complex. Structured, but fluid. Sometimes wildly colorful. Other times just black lines. I have many different styles, but it’s always abstract, and it’s always me.

We love your color palette on your work! The craziest part is that you’re actually colorblind. How are color choices able to come so naturally to you?

I think it’s just intuition. My color choices are either very thought out or completely spontaneous. Whichever the case may be, I’m always aiming to create harmony within the color scheme.

Color is very intricate. A different shade of blue can completely alter the mood of the artwork. Sometimes I choose colors based on how they make me feel. Other times I’ll choose a color by narrowing them down like pieces of a puzzle.

Whichever fits best is placed. Overall, I choose colors based on what I want the artwork to say and how I want it to make you feel.

Throughout your Twitter feed we noticed that you’ve done tons of portraits of your fans and fellow artists. What made you decide to do all of those portraits? Do you feel doing them all had an influence on your career as an artist?

Doing free portraits has always been very special to me. I started doing them about four years ago as a way to give back to my supporters. I remember tweeting that I was doing free portraits and the post was immediately flooded with hundreds of people commenting their selfies! It was great seeing the faces of everyone who supported me and knowing that I could make their day by drawing them.

I’m sure doing free portraits has influenced my career, but I’m just happy that I found a natural way to connect with my followers!

In your “Quarantine + Paint” video, we get an inside look at your thought process as you're working. Absolutely gorgeous take on how you approach your art.

In that recording, your process felt very “stream of consciousness”—creating and imagining as you worked. Do you approach all projects in this way?

Yes, I do. I always create in this state of flow. Before I start working, I put myself into a judgment free mindset, a sort of “meditative zone” which allows my creative vision to flow freely.

In this state, there are no mental blocks to inhibit my self expression, so I’m constantly bouncing between multiple paintings and drawings, picking up and putting down ideas as I go. I follow inspiration wherever it takes me.

As a follow up, you mentioned during the painting session that one of the most important things that artists need to do is focus. How do you flick away the random desires that might call out to you while you’re creating? Any advice on training your focus?

Stay off your phone. Get everything you need to do for the day done. Clear your schedule, and most importantly, clear your mind so all you have to do is focus on art.

I like to meditate for a couple minutes before I begin working. This helps me let go of the past and focus on creating in the moment instead.

Among the 4 reasons why you believe Crypto Art is important, you mentioned connection, support, innovation, and investment.

Speaking of “innovation”, you’ve been trying a wide gamut of things lately including ink drawings, animated videos, and album covers. How do you decide when you want to tackle a completely new “medium” of work (eg. video, album art)?

Ink

Album covers

Animated shorts

Physical art

I start searching for something new when the creative tools I’m using no longer excite me. New mediums will either jump out at me while browsing an art store or spark my interest while reading an art book. Sometimes I’ll purposely limit myself to one unfamiliar medium as a challenge.

I see every new medium as a chance to develop and create something the world has never seen. That’s why I’m always looking to experiment with new mediums. The most innovative artworks in history are due to experimentation.

Speaking of physical art, you create a lot of it! How would a Sinclair art enthusiast purchase one of your physical pieces?

Most of my physical artwork is available on my site:

Sinclair

A place where Sinclair sells his paintings, drawings, prints, and clothing.

SinclairSinclair

If you’re interested in an artwork I’ve posted that’s not listed on my site, feel free to reach out to me through email or direct messaging! Almost everything I post on social media is for sale!

Also in your note about Crypto Art was a comment about “investment”. What do you feel are the most important ways to “grow” as an artist for your works to appreciate in value?

The more excitement there is around your art, the more people will want it. The more people that want your art, the higher its price will go. The real question is how do you build that excitement?

From what I’ve seen and studied, the most famous artists are the most innovative. High priced artists always present us with something new. So in order for us artists to grow, we must be willing to take creative risks and put ourselves out there. We should also study art history to know what’s already been done, and what we’re building upon. Finally, we must always remain true to ourselves and create authentic work, because that’s what art is all about.

In your Culness magazine interview, you mentioned that you’ll be selling “jackets, backpacks, shoes, and anything else you can think of in the realm of fashion”. Have you started work on that project yet? Any details you can share with us?

Yes, I have started creating some 1/1 garments. For the most part I’m keeping everything secret, but keep an eye out for a new clothing release soon.

What excites you most about your future with art? Where do you see yourself going?

I’m really excited to see how my style will develop and what new technology I can incorporate into my creative vision. I want to push my concepts to their limits and show the world what I’m capable of. I’m also looking forward to more exhibitions, both in person and virtual, as well as new releases on crypto art platforms like NiftyGateway, async art, and MEME.

I’m grateful for everyone who has supported my artistic journey up until this point. The future is exciting. This is only the beginning.

Any shout outs?

• @colbornbell for believing in my vision.
• @kodone for inspiring me to go digital.
• @MuseumofCrypto for cultivating crypto art culture.

My supporters and loyal collectors along with the entire art twitter community.

Notable past exhibitions / praise / press:

• zonted genesis exhibition
  1/1/2021—4/30/2021

The first ever ("genesis") digital art exhibition by zonted art gallery. The exhibition features sculptures, installations, videos, and digital creations by a wide array of notable international artists that are on the forefront of digital art.

Visit the exhibition here: https://www.cryptovoxels.com/parcels/3734

• Culness Magazine shoutout
  12/06/2019

Magazine Interview | Connor Sinclair

Connor Sinclair

Support the artist:

• Website: https://www.sinclairshop.com/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/csinclairart
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/csinclairart/
• SuperRare: https://superrare.co/sinclair
• artistsourced: https://artistsourced.com/collections/sinclair