Mel Hearts Interview

Before we dive into what you do and why tell me a little about yourself

My name is Mel Hearts! I am a creative polymath, and when my birthday comes in February, I will be “The Answer To Everything” years old! (If you get this reference, we can most definitely be friends!) I am an avid reader. I LOVE nature, kindness, and all the beautiful, tiny, miracles abound in the world we live in! I live in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina with my husband, our nine dogs, two very loving turkeys, a flock of generous, egg-giving chickens, and a rescue cat who thinks he is a dog! The turkeys love their hugs. The dogs love everything. The cat loves food. And the chickens, well they just like to escape and wander the neighborhood! I love people and animals alike!

I love bringing light to others’ lives, so one of my first jobs was as a Certified Nurse’s Aide, in a nursing home facility. The stories, friends, and lessons I received there have lasted me a lifetime! I ruptured a disc in my spine lifting on a patient there, so then I altered my career plans and became a tattoo artist for about 14 years. Fibromyalgia and shaking hands brought a quiet end to my ability to give meaningful skin art to others so I retired from that, and picked up Photography, which led me right to digital art, NFTs, and all of the amazing people in web3.

As an artist, Founder, Author and Ambassador what attracted you to the art world?

I have always been attracted to the art world. As a lover of knowledge and learning, I truly enjoy getting glimpses of how others view the world. You can get a feel for this through their art, or stories. Everyone processes information and stimuli differently, so I think it is a special gift to be able to share your innermost responses to these things in a visual, auditory, or physical way. Art is also very therapeutic. Sometimes it is easier to “vent out” your feelings and frustrations through creating, when you can’t seem to find the appropriate words.

There are many interpretations as to what an NFT is, some of these may be confusing to the non-technical consumer, how do you describe them to a prospective collector?

Great question! I start by explaining what the difference is between fungible, and non-fungible. Fungible basically means interchangeable. So a good example of this would be a dollar bill. One dollar bill is worth exactly as much as another dollar bill. On the other side, Non-fungible means that something is unique, and its value cant be exchanged for something similar. A great example of this can be made using baseball cards. A Babe Ruth rookie card is not worth the same thing as a Derek Jeter Rookie card, so they are not interchangeable.

When it comes to NFTs. I explain that once they are yours, they are yours forever and your “receipt” of purchase is forever on the blockchain. You can’t lose it, or misplace it. I also convey my love for the fact that you can attach all kinds of neat digital perks and rewards to the NFTs for the holders, like access to special events, or downloads.

When you create digital art whats your “trigger”, what inspires you to create?

Oh man…. EVERYTHING!! I am like a sponge. I take everything in and use it to fuel my creative output! I have gotten into the habit of keeping my art laptop close by me at all times. For me, the trigger I think is just being able to stop and create whenever it suits me. I get such joy from creating, and then sharing that it seems like a beautiful endless circle of inspiration!

From your website I can see that you offer digital art, physical prints and animated displays which of these product types do you find sell the best and do you offer them as unlockable content when you sell an NFT?

I have had the highest response so far to digital art that includes the ability to download the NFT art and any digital extras. I try to ALWAYS offer a download of at the least, the NFT art, (Which if it’s animated, is always a 30 second or longer MP4 file) so that the purchaser can truly have possession of the art that they connected with. This way too, if the holder of the NFT wants a framed print, they have the ability to take the file and print it as they wish.

Having had the benefit of reading one of you pdf books “Hope’s Genesis Voyage” and seeing some characters from the book appearing as NFTs on Voice can you tell me did the story inspire the characters or did the creation of the artwork inspire the story?

I LOVE that you read my book! (Its also available on Amazon in hardcover, paperback, or Kindle!) The story inspired the creation of the artwork at first, and then as I created more characters for the book and its upcoming sequel, I noticed that it became reciprocal. The images I create help me to better describe in detail what I am imagining!

As an experienced AI artist what attracted you to start using AI tools and which ones are your favorites?

Another amazing question! So, as I said, I am an avid reader. I like words. There are so many! What drew me to AI assisted art creation was the fact that I could use my extensive vocabulary to create art. ART WITH WORDS?! Yes please!

I love that even changing one word in a sentence will totally change the kind of image produced. I also love that I can describe a concept or an emotion and from that, these beautiful images are born! It is exciting watching the images take shape, and every completed generation is like a Christmas present for me! My current favorite AI tool right now is Midjourney.

Do you have any tips relating to creating digital art that may inspire others to pick up the digital pen and start making artwork?

There are so many “Pros” to digital art! I love that it is mess-free.

The tools available mimic the output of real art tools so well now! I can paint with watercolor, then move to oils, or charcoal, without smudging my surface or having to spend hours picking up and putting away tools.

Another fantastic point is that the stability tools can smooth out lines for people like me with shaky hands, making clean concise drawing a possibility. I have a really neat digital pen that I use and it is really like I am drawing on paper when I use it. It behaves the same way with pressure and tilt sensitivity.

File storage is yet one more plus to digital art. I don’t have to worry about my creations getting lost, bent, ripped, dirty, misplaced, or destroyed.

And last but not least.. OPTIONS! There are so many! If you can imagine it, there is a place for it in the digital art world. I think that this is prolific for sustaining and encouraging imagination.

As a successful NFT artist, what guidance would you offer a new or emerging artist looking to break into NFT sales and which platforms would you recommend?

The number one piece of advice I give is to follow your passion! Create what makes you happy. Create art that makes YOU smile. Then share it! Connect with the people who also smile because of it. Take your time and build your personal community of like minded peers. Art that comes from your heart and soul WILL speak to others!

Don’t let Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO) drive you to waste your time creating art that is part of a fad because the feeling of the art won’t be there for people to connect with.

Be your authentic self and that will draw others to you like moths to a flame.

Be patient. Art is not going anywhere. Your niche will find you and success will follow.
I started on Opensea. If you have some experience with Crypto currency, Opensea is a good starting point.

There is a platform called Voice that I feel is a great in between step for people who have no NFT experience. You can mint your art on the blockchain, and others have the option to purchase with a credit card, instead of just with crypto currency.

I think it is important to note anyone wanting to get into creating NFTs should do a good amount of research into crypto currency, digital wallets, wallet security practices, and gas (transaction)fees, before just jumping right in.

Have a beautiful day, and stay creative!