Interview with @TapirOne
@TapirOne or TO,
Host of Morning tea and torture podcast
TO explains his love of wild Tapirs & discusses the finer points of collecting art.
Can you tell us a little about your background and or any personal details you care to share?
I live in Berlin. IRL I support people in job related crises that threaten their livelihood.
Tapir One is an interesting name choice, how did you come to select that as your identity?
Tapirs are among the most majestic animals in existence. Anyone who has ever seen one will confirm this without reservation. ;-) They have been perfected by evolution, and have been around in their current form for about 14 million years. You could say I just love them. ;-)
How did you become interested in NFTs and what drew you to this new form of digital art?
Curiosity. I am always interested in expanding my horizon. After reading some books on Blockchain technology and Ethereum, I found myself on a blockchain-based social media platform, then called BitClout. There, I posted a couple of photos I had taken and was asked whether these are available as NFTs on OpenSea. I thought: what the h*** are NFTs and what the h*** is OpenSea? 😂 As it happens, at the same time a couple of podcasts with Tim Ferriss and Balaji Srinivasan related to that topic were washed onto my timeline. I was hooked, re-activated an old Twitter account and never looked back.
What is your opinion on the impact of NFTs on the art world, and how do you see it evolving in the future?
It democratizes the process of owning and distributing art. Our kids grow up with screens in front of their faces, for them owning digital art will be the default. For me, it has re-ignited the interest in traditional and physical art, too. I think that art was only the first use case for NFTs. Going forward and with the improvement of AI and deep fakes, the provenance of documents, news and political publications will be important. NFTs could be a solution to authenticate these things and to avoid falling victim to fakes.
Can you walk us through your process for evaluating and selecting NFTs to add to your collection?
I love it and can I afford it? > Buy
I don’t love it, but can flip it to buy A) > Buy
Some pieces immediately stop me in my tracks. Some of them, I scroll past, my mind circles back to them again, and again.
Click to checkout TO’s favourite pieces
How do you ensure the authenticity and provenance of the NFTs you collect?
Double checking and sweating. If I am unsure, reach out to the artist directly.
In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges facing NFT collectors and artists today?
Too much noise, too little signal. Also, impatience and unjustified expectations of going anywhere near the moon.
How do you stay up to date on the latest trends and developments in the NFT space?
Twitter (including DMs), Discord (though, to a lesser extend), Podcasts.
How do you decide when it's time to sell a particular NFT from your collection?
Sometimes, when I can’t remember why I bought it in the first place, and if there’s a market for it. But usually, I am a buyer, not a seller. A good reason (unfortunately) is when the tax man rings the door bell. 🥲
What advice do you have for someone who is new to collecting NFTs and interested in starting their own collection?
Be patient, don’t be afraid to ask questions, follow the obvious accounts who will teach you (Punk 6529, Zeneca, for example). Expect nothing, have fun. Don’t load up on PFPs. Those will all go to zero. Choose your forever PFP, and stick to it. Don’t click on links. Ever. Oh, and don’t forget to take a profit now and then.
You’re also an artist and keen photographer, can you tell us a little about how you got into photography?
I have always been interested in photography. I can remember playing around with the analogue SLR of my dad when I was a little kid, while he was standing next to me, sweating and hoping I wouldn’t break anything. Viewing the world through a viewfinder, slowly getting it into focus, felt magical to me. And it still does.
Can you give us some insight into your creative process when creating art? What tools and technologies do you use?
I am not very vigorous when it comes to deleting photos. I may return to a piece I have already discarded, only to discover that there is something there that I could use, if I changed the perspective or the frame. So I use a Canon mirrorless DSLR, and mostly Photoshop for post-production.
Can you share with us a special project or piece of art that inspired you or that you recently created?
There is so much inspiration out there, it’s hard to pick just one. A special project that I like is Click Create by Klutch & GuyNorcal. I like the laid-back atmosphere, and the curation process so far has been superb. Really excited to how the next curation month will look like. :-)
How do you assess the value of your works and how do you set pricing?
I like my art to be accessible and affordable. That’s why I am setting my SuperRare reserves at .069ETH. I am happy to let the market decide the value of my work. I am doing this for fun, not to make a living off of it.
How important is it to you to connect with the crypto community and how do you use that connection to spread the word about your art?
Without that, I would be gone already. Web3 allows us to connect directly with artists which I think is amazing. You can learn so much and meet people from all walks of life you would have never met otherwise.
Which NFT platforms have you used so far? What are the advantages and disadvantages of using them in your opinion?
OpenSea was my first (as for most), then Foundation and now SuperRare. As long as you are minting on your own contract (Manifold comes to mind), it should not matter where you are releasing your art. However, I do not like OpenSea’s policy of arbitrarily banning artists because they are living in countries OS deems “inappropriate”. Art does not know borders.
Who is your favorite artist or someone you want to shout out in the NFT space at the moment and why?
Oh boy, there are so many. But Ilan Derech is one of my favorites, he is humble and amazingly kind, and produces immediately recognizable art that draws you right in. Also, and always Iranian artist C3, who was kind enough to tell us about his life and art on my little podcast. Eternally grateful for him, and his art. 🖤As I said, there are so many fantastic humans out there, so shout out to y’all - keep creating kick-ass art and keep connecting on web3! 😇
You can find TO’s amazing web 3 art podcast - Morning Tea & Torture with Tapir One on all podcast platforms including an episode I had the honour of being interviewed for here.
You can checkout his minted works on SuperRare here
If you have any other questions please leave a comment below.