RMRK Artist Spotlight #20: The Po-Ku People

On this episode of RAS we chatted with the creator of the Po-Ku People collection. We are huge fans of Singular and RMRK loyalists and so we were happy to engage in this conversation.

The Po-Ku People collection is very unique for one key reason--all KSM raised from sales of the NFTs are staked and every week staking rewards are distributed to all holders. Throw in a private discord and you have the early makings of a self-sustaining private community. Periodically, the community makes charity donations, whereby everyone has a say in which charity should be supported. This is quite impressive, showing in one stroke the freeing power of NFTs, their ability to facilitate the creation of a community, and their capacity for enabling the distribution of funds to worthy causes.

RMRK: How did you start your art career?

Po-Ku People:

It all started on Singular.

I have a formal qualification in Interaction Design that included courses on digital art creation. I have created art-like media for various organisations I've been involved with and I've tinkered with art ideas as a hobby, but I wouldn't classify any of that as a career in "art". So RMRK created a nice little on-ramp for me to dip my toes into creating digital art.

How did you get into NFTs?

I have been curious about NFTs for a while, but I never really explored the idea much until I followed RMRK on the Kanaria journey. I think Kanaria opened my eyes to the broader potential of NFTs. So while waiting for the Kanaria eggs to hatch, I started working on hatching some of my own on Singular.

What is your favorite project that you’ve worked on?

Easy. Po-Ku People. Why? The amazing community and new friends I've made. Having random internet people join you on a journey with positivity and support is honestly hard to describe, but it is great. Also, something that is quite special about the little eco-system RMRK has created is the artist community. A community where artists are supportive and encouraging of each other. I also think the artist collaborations are a shining gem of the Singular space.

NFTs have provided accessibility and exposure to various forms of digital creations. Do you have new artists that you follow and what do you find interesting about them?

Paola the art director for RMRK is someone I feel doesn’t get enough acknowledgements, but the quality of the work that she produces and in such short time frames is really amazing. I'm also a big fan of the vision for Shiba Tales, NFT dog creatures that are going to be somehow linked to a real person wearing an array of full body sensors then realised in a dance-to earn blockchain game? Such a cool idea. Under also gets a special mention for making Cheese art both cool and stylish. But honestly, there are too many amazing artists on Singular.

What is your creative process like?

Most times I have a character story in mind, and I might even write out quotes from the character so I can feel their personality, then I keep sketching and erasing lines until that personality emerges. Photoshop is the main tool I use for the Po-Ku People collection. While the Po-Ku Citizen collection was (painstakingly) created in Illustrator.

Where do you get inspiration from?

Music is my biggest creative inspiration. With the right set of songs I can sit locked and focused for extensive drawing sessions. It can be euphoric having a song grooving and simultaneously feeling that energy flowing out of your hand while drawing lines on a page.

What are your goals in the NFT space?

Finish Po-Ku People collection. Explore RMRK 2.0 space with Po-Ku. Do some more collaborations.

How do you see the NFT space shaping up?

If I wasn't anchored to the machinery of RMRK, I'd feel a little uncertain about the lifespan of NFTs, I think I’d be a little worried it was all going to be a flash in a pan. But when you listen to the RMRK vision, you interact with the Kanaria NFTs, it starts to give you a glimmer of the possibilities and it really fills me with excitement for things to come.

What would you most like an NFT platform to have?

RMRK is really well-suited for facilitating art collaborations, where NFT objects can be remixed by other artists into new and amazing things. RMRK ReMIX - there I've branded it for you Bruno! I think as artists together we are stronger, and Singular/RMRK as a platform is at its best when the creative talents pool towards a shared vision. I think something like RMRK ReMIX could help incubate and evolve this in new and unexpected ways.

What exciting new stuff can we look forward to from you, and where can people find you?

Planning a launch of something special in Q1 2022, but top secret right now. In terms of where to find me, anyone that holds a Po-Ku People NFT (or IOU certificate), or Po-Ku Citizen NFT can join with our community on our private Discord. Otherwise I’m lurking in the RMRK Discord or on Twitter.

We enjoyed our chat with the 'convener' of the Po-Ku People. RMRK ReMIX sure does sound like a cool product name. Who knows what could come of it in future.

We also agree that one of Singular's best feature is our artist community. It warms our heart to see the camaradiere amongst our artists. The high number of collaborations between different artists and collections is the icing on a lovely cake.

Read other episodes of Singular Artist Spotlight.

Are you a talented digital artist? Start minting your cool NFTs for free on Singular, a brand new limitless NFT ecosystem. Apply here to get a sponsored trial of Singular worth 500 FREE MINTS! Feel free to refer your friends, we will be happy to sponsor them too.