“The NFT Market Is Like a Flea Market, Where Everyone Is Looking for Something to Their Liking”

CP Media has recently been working on a new project. We created our own NFT collection inspired by reflection and nostalgia for the things of every Millennial’s childhood. Our colleagues, who are also the creators of the collection, shared their stories of what brought them to the world of art, how they chose to pursue creative professions, and what inspired their first token drop. Let’s meet our Lead Editorial Designer Mike, a.k.a. intro. 

— What inspired you to design the pieces of the collection? 

— As soon as we came up with the concept of the collection — the culture of the ’90s and early 2000s — I immediately thought about cassettes and chips. For me, and for many people, the VHS era is a real portal to the past. I’ll never forget my first cassette tape. It was a compilation edition of Tom and Jerry in a chunky box. There were other cartoons and action movies with nasal voice-over translation, rental cassettes, and many other pleasant memories (sighs like an old man — ed.). We grew up when cult movies were being made. So, NFT tapes are a tribute to our childhood.

What about the chips? Probably a lot of us had a Pringles can that hid a collection of some hard-earned stuff. We’d quietly play with chips during school breaks, trading and haggling them. The most valued were Pogs and Mortal Kombat. Each had a unique design. Bright and new, and what a sound they made when you hit a stack of chips against a granite floor! Oh, nostalgia. 

The chips are designed in the ’90s style, with brightly-colored backgrounds. They feature Bitcoin, Dogecoin, Litecoin, and CPD. These are the cryptocurrencies I hold in my wallet. And what is crypto? Well, it’s the same as chips but for adults. We buy them, exchange them, and play with them on exchanges.

— What’s your creative journey? How did you come to be a designer? 

— I’ve always liked to draw, though I’ve never been very good at it. I did graffiti and street art for a while. I remember my poster was published in the first Belarusian street art book. Unfortunately, all references from that time were on an old hard disk far away in my homeland, but I found a few photos. 

At the end of the tenth grade, I thought about who I wanted to be when I grew up and decided to try design. Back then, there were no such things as courses that advertised employment after six months of training (laughs — ed.). My father and I found a teacher of academic painting in one art college in Minsk, and off we went. I don’t know if there was talent in what I was doing, but I was definitely persistent. I worked eight hours out of a supposed four hours, sometimes staying in the studio. I still miss that smell of old wood mixed with turpentine and oil. 

After studying for ten months, I got into a local private institute for Virtual Environment Design. The first year was challenging. I was studying with people who had at least graduated from art school and understood the principles of art and composition. I worked hard to catch up, staying up all night and bothering everyone around me to explain things to me. Thanks to all those who helped me during those difficult moments. Well, eventually, I got the hang of it! You can check out the archived sketches from 2009-2019 by following this link. By the end of the fourth year, I found a job in an exhibition company as a booth designer, and I’ve been doing all sorts of designs ever since.

— Do you have any plans for other art projects? 

— There are plenty of plans. As Mandalorian from the TV series says, “This is the way.” Seriously, though, a designer has to generate new ideas all the time. So, we’re planning at least one more NFT collection. We’re also in the final stages of redesigning the website, which means many changes. For now, I’m working on updating our Academy rubric.

— What motivates you to create? Is there any life hack on how to approach the creative process? 

— There’s no universal formula. Over time, you become more observant, and you form a knowledge base in your head for every occasion. Even now my Instagram feed is full of reels from artists and designers mixed with cats and food (laughs — ed.). You simply look at and read something every day. 

Professional deformation is a good part of it — when you start to spot design in everything on the street and at home. That’s why I love walking so much! You come across so many beautiful things: from fire hydrants to broken tiles, from slogans on walls to figurines in an antique shop. Creation is our everything.

It’s important to remember that design is everywhere and about everything. It’s not just posters or beautiful app screens. It’s user comfort, an ergonomic chair, the balance of red on a road sign, and clear navigation at the airport. 

— What do you think the value of the Millennials collection by CP Media is?

— Its awesomeness, at the very least! Actually, it’s somewhat of a reflection on childhood, something Millennials should enjoy, I think. NFTs were originally about the digital baseball card format. In our case, we took it a little further — anything can be collected. We have bottle caps, Tamagotchi, and gum inserts.

Over the last ten years, the theme of nostalgia has become very popular. I mean, just look at the TV show Stranger Things. You can even buy T-shirts from your childhood with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or your favorite band anywhere. Our collection is about that, too. 

We brought together these artifacts from the past, and everyone recalled something of their own. It resulted in several different items filled with memories. That’s the reason why I love watching videos about container auctions. People find so many cool things! Basically, the NFT market is like a flea market, where everyone is looking for something to their liking. Hopefully, we’ll get people’s feedback.