Art a positive influence, art plays a significant role in cultural tolerance, civic engagement, or political movements. It boosts communities’ local economy, connects the newcomers, develops critical thinking and problem solving, or impels corporations to support the collective through investment.
Since Web 1.0, fostering a more robust economy, cultural inclusions, and reinforcing the understanding among diverse ethnicities and identities have been transformed beyond physical or geographical borders. Fast forward to this day, removal of the global boundaries through blockchain technology has morphed into trusting the strangers by generating and validating smart contracts. A technology that is rooted in transparency and unconstrained collaboration.
By embracing the blockchain technology’s vast potential, DADA.nyc encourages artistic aspirations, enables the artists to sell their digital artworks, and be compensated in real-time. The underpinning inclination of this social network is to create a collaborative platform for anyone to express their ideas through art and generate financial value for the artist. DADA.nyc’s marketplace is about honoring creativity and establishing the element of scarcity to appreciate the artistic works.
DADA.nyc offers simple tools to push your imagination, ignite your inner passion, initiate partnerships with the artists or the audience, and create MAGIC. The application reveals the art’s provenance, and its cooperative ecosystem bypasses “gatekeepers” & champions fair financial reward for the artist.
Here is my exclusive interview with Beatriz Ramos, an artist, entrepreneur, film director, producer, illustrator & founder of DADA.nyc. I would like to thank Judy Mam, Co-founder, and CMO of DADA.nyc and Beatriz Ramos for their time and friendly cooperation for this interview.
Jupilings: Tell us about yourself and how you got into art:
Beatriz Ramos: I was an introverted child and spent a good part of my childhood drawing by myself. I didn’t get into art; I was an artist, and I was lucky that my parents encouraged me to be just that.
Jupilings: What is the outside force that compels you to create, leading to a novel idea?
Beatriz Ramos: It’s actually an inside force, a combination of two things: First, I get bored with trends, anything done too many times becomes derivative and uninteresting. I’m not great with conformity, either. I look for what’s unique and personal. Second, in that quest for my own personal voice, I always approach everything I do from the inside out. I try to understand and articulate my motivations, my needs, my values, my concerns, my skills, what makes me tick. What are the life experiences that inform my point of view about the world? I take the same approach, whether for a project, a team, or an organization. Those insights are the base for all the creative decisions I make.
Jupilings: Do you have a creative pattern, routines, or rituals?
Beatriz Ramos: I enjoy the process regardless of the outcome. I trust that if I had fun and loved the experience, it’ll translate into results. I get bored if I repeat myself, so I push myself out of my comfort zone. I put myself in a place where I have no control. Figuring out how to get out of it is exciting, and the new things I discover are rewarding. Melancholy is the mood where I feel more creative, so I listen to very sad music and drink coffee by the window. I love rainy and snowy days. I collect objects that I find beautiful or interesting: rocks, rusty nails, vintage toys, bones, wood printing press letters, instruments, old keys, etc. They inspire me, and I use them in my work. I embrace limitations, mistakes, imperfection, and happy accidents. Ultimately, being creative is part of who we are. I exercise creativity constantly in everything I do.
Jupilings: What’s the best advice you ever had about how to be more creative?
Beatriz Ramos: I can’t think of anything that stuck with me.
Jupilings: What is DADA about?
Beatriz Ramos: Dada.nyc is a platform where people speak to each other through drawings and create collaborative art. Anyone can join. For us, anyone can be an artist; there is no good or bad art, it’s all about self-expression and collaboration.
Jupilings: How can an artist make money on DADA?
Beatriz Ramos: We are using blockchain technology to create an economy within our community. We are selling limited edition “Rare Digital Art” created on Dada with IP protection and ownership proof. Soon we will issue our own currency, and creators will be able to earn Dada tokens for drawing, curating, and contributing value to the community.
Jupilings: The blockchain technology provides an incentive for the artist to be in charge and gain from their artwork. What about the investors or patrons of the art? What is the motivation for them?
Beatriz Ramos: Value is subjective. We are looking for new ways for people to receive value from our community beyond the price they pay for artwork. For some collectors, it may be being part of the creative process, or connect in meaningful ways with artists they like; for other people, it may be that they are supporting a community with values they share, or simply that when their drawing made them smile when they were having a bad day. We are creating a system of incentives with more to do with receiving a valuable experience than just capital.
Jupilings: How have you decided on the commercial value of the secondary market’s artwork when it is resold by the first owner?
Beatriz Ramos: We don’t. The seller and buyer decide that. In fact, we don’t think the value of the artwork is equal to the price someone pays for it. There may be an incredible piece of art that nobody wants to buy or that can’t be purchased. We did use blockchain to make sure that every time a particular artwork is sold, a percentage of that profit automatically goes to the artist. Our smart contract can track and verify every transaction and send the money to the artist in real-time, without intermediaries.
Jupilings: What role does an artist have in society?
Beatriz Ramos: Creativity is part of human nature, but societies have evolved in a way where only a few can experience the joy and marvel of creation like artists do. As a result, artists are the ones that don’t conform, we think outside of the box, we create beauty, we inspire people, we speak truth to power, we challenge the status quo. At Dada, we believe it is important for anyone to exercise creative self-expression, so our society becomes more diverse, inclusive, and just.
Jupilings: What are your tips about building a brand name as an artist?
Beatriz Ramos: I think the concept of a brand name is toxic. My tip is to avoid falling on that trap at all costs. I believe artists should spend their time experimenting, honing their skills, playing, creating, and figuring out the most difficult thing to achieve as an artist: finding your own voice.
Jupilings: Who are your biggest influences?
Beatriz Ramos: So many influences and very diverse. I can still find a few in my work’s DNA are Van Gogh, the Brothers Quay, Abbas Kiarostami.
Jupilings: What does women empowerment mean to you?
Beatriz Ramos: A reminder that we still have to reclaim the fundamental intrinsic right women have to be free and independent of this day and age.
Jupilings: What do you do to conquer fear or self-doubt:
Beatriz Ramos: I rarely feel fear or self-doubt. Perhaps it is about the joy of living and experiencing new things, trusting that the more we do, the more we grow. Embracing failure is part of the process.
Jupilings: What is your life motto?
Beatriz Ramos: To experience life to its fullest.
