Meet the artist behind Minotaur Farms

I have to say a big thank you to kryptokumas for telling me about this artist its quite a young project but has so much room to grow .

Hey man how's things ?

Going good, another day just about in the books. How's yours?

Well I am shift and its dead .

That's how my day was too. I work from home, but everyone for the most part took the week off, so just a bunch of quiet time to get stuff done.

Of course will you use this time to work on your project ?

Definitely! This time of the year has made it easier to get going as I've been able to spend quite a bit of timing trying to make connections and grow a little community. I know we're really in our infancy with this, but people have been really supportive. (Big shout out to KryptoKumas)

How did the project come about ?

So, I've had this idea of Minotaur Farms in my head for a few years, but I didn't know how to bring it to life. My wife is a fashion designer with her own brand, and my first idea was that I'd like to make these children's clothes based around a character. I was thinking something like polo shirts with the little Minotaur logo on the chest. It was kind of a running joke for a while in our house.

When I started getting more interested I'm NFTs it clicked that maybe I could bring my characters to life as "art". I sketched out a couple of ideas and my daughter kept asking to see them. We even started making copies for her to use as a colouring book. It felt like I was on to something special, so I decided there was no harm in sharing with the public.

What made you choose wax blockchain ?

There were a couple reasons I chose wax. The first NFTs I bought were the Weezer drops earlier this year. I didn't even know what wax was at the time (and I barely knew anything about the NFT world for that matter) but it was so easy to get started and when I got more interested in collecting it is where my attention naturally went to.

The other reason is that at it's current value, I think wax presents a really low risk opportunity for collectors to check you out. I mean, for the equivalent of a couple US dollars you can get some rad art vs paying 30 times as much in gas fees alone.

Where you already in crypto at the time?

I was. Not a major investor by any means but I started buying on Coinbase and Robinhood about 3 years ago. In hindsight, wish I had trusted my gut and gone all in as opposed to a few dollars here and there, but I still feel like we're early enough.

In that sense though, I feel really supported at home to trust my instincts now. I think wax will have a really bright future and am excited to be part of the ecosystem.

When did you drop your first NFT ?

Just last month, though it feels like much longer ago at this point. Hah! Strategically it probably wasn't the best time as I think the holidays have been a little distracting, but in the spirit of the season also felt nice to start growing a community with a bunch of seasonal giveaways too.

I wanted to start sooner, but was also important to me to get white listed on AtomicHub first so that people understood I was taking this seriously (though all in the spirit of having fun).

Of course so what was the first NFT you dropped ?

I like to consider The Farmer and The Goose to be the first drop, but technically I released a holiday version I dubbed Santataur first as well as a promo logo/icon.

How did the community react ?

Seems to be really positive! I think the reaction to the cartoony images animated on top of photos has been received really well. My original version of this didn't have any of the animation and I'm so glad I added it in. The core part of the series will always have these aspects now.

I'll say too that adding in the animation has caused me to slow down (in a very positive way) to make sure that while it may be basic that I'm really thinking about what I'm doing and what comes next.

How many NFTs have brought out since?

Kind of depends how we want to count. I've got a couple live drops right now and have been airdropping a bunch of 1/1 PFPs of the Minotaur to my holders. I've also done a Polygon drop on OpenSea for a side project (Minotaurs on the Moon, which I may bring a version of over to WAX as well).

With the holidays I decided to hold on to a few drops until we hit the new year, January will be a busy month though with a bunch of drops, including an unannounced collaboration.

I'm also working on a lot of 1/1s similar to the airdrops I've done. Pretty excited about those too.

It may be a little counter productive in terms of a release schedule, but I like to work on a lot of things at once and then finish them once they feel right. Bouncing back and forth keeps me from rushing to put something out.

Of course still didn't answer the question lol .

Lol, oops! 3 drops so far. I think 10 of the PFPs have gone out too. I like doing things that maybe will add unique value for the people that support my project.

The other thing I dropped out was a special 1/1 for my 200th Follower and I'll be doing that again hopefully very shortly as I'm just about to 300 now. It's just a fun way to engage.

Do you have a favourite ?

Of the drops or the 1/1s?

Of all of them ?

For the drops, the Farmer and the Goose is most special to me because it started all this and really got things going and sparked some creative energy I haven't felt in a while.

I feel like I shouldn't say this here since we're talking WAX, but the Minotaurs on the Moon piece I put on OpenSea has animation and original music which might make it my favourite creation thus far. I have a lot of music ideas and want to add those on WAX too, but want to build the community first since there's so much more work that goes in to that aspect of creating.

I used to be a touring musician, so being able to add music to the art feels really cool to me.

Music and NFTs seems to be gathering pace there is already a few NFT artists who include music on there projects .

It's very cool and there's so much potential there. For me, I'm thinking more like little jingles or short songs that create a narrative for the art. Like mini cartoon themes. I actually recorded a theme song to Minotaur Farms, trying to figure out exactly what to do with it, but feel like it will take months to create the visual.

Ah that's cool but if the spending to much time on the music you take away from NFTs ?

Yeah, that's where it's about finding the right ways to bring it all together. I wrote a roadmap for this project which literally just said "have fun", which is what it has been. I want to keep finding ways to expand and create something that people can enjoy.

I plan on definitely doing some stuff with the music but the full on theme piece will be something that comes later. My kids have also created some things that will get added to Minotaur Farms. I'm pretty excited they can join this with me.

How do come up with your ideas ?

I've got my initial cast of characters and I just picture them living in this world where they live their normal lives. By no means am I a photographer, but I take a lot of pictures, so I started by looking at what I have and where would it make sense to drop the characters in. It's almost as if I'm creating photo albums for their lives. You'll see this more in the upcoming drops where I introduce a mother character and another with a child.

Now that this is going well I've started taking more photos with their future use in mind... the kid plays at the park, the dad mows the lawn, etc. etc.

This is also why (at least for now) the Minotaurs on the Moon series is on another blockchain. Just trying to keep the worlds separate.

How do you create each piece ?

They characters all started as my hand drawn sketches. I had a little help from my wife putting them in to Adobe Illustrator where they were then drawn in vector art. From there I've essentially had my templates to play with.

I bought one of the Samsung folding phones, which has been really great for drawing whenever/wherever the mood strikes. I've been using either FlipaClip for the animation (which is a lot of fun) or using the Sketchbook app which is a great tool on Android.

The photos are all from my person shots.

How long does each NFT take to create ?

I've kind of lost track of how much time I've spent on each. Which might be a good thing? I'm going to say it has been a good 6 to 8 hours minimum on the animated scenes. The PFPs I dropped out are much more efficient and I can crank out a few in an hour depending on how much I'm trying to accomplish with them. If they're just colouring, it's pretty quick.

Have you looked any artists to collab with yet ?

Yes, I think this is a great time to share we will be doing a collaboration with KryptoKumas in what I think is a pretty unique idea. I'm really excited. They've been a huge early supporter and have been incredibly generous in sharing their time and knowledge. I'm so appreciative of that and couldn't be more thrilled about the collab.

Is there a dream collab out there for you?

Wow, that's a tough one. I think SenorLupe would be pretty awesome. I can definitely envision the Farmer (that's the main Minotaur who sadly still doesn't have an official named) being friends with a Chummy!

Lol love it do you collect NFTs ?

I do. I'm definitely a novice though. I don't understand a lot of the more technical things or even much of the P2E (though I got the early survivor pass and am excited to try Zombie Outbreak Survival). I collect what appeals to me, which is kind of more in the moment. I love the Boneheads444 series, I don't have near as many as I'd like, but I think I'm up to 12 now.

Who is your favourite artist ?

When it comes to NFTs, I'd say Robert Bohn. Love the Boneheads. As for art on the walls in my home, I absolutely love Bruni Sablan.

What has been the best part of your project ?

There's 2 things that are probably equal. 1 has been the engagement with the wax community. Artists and collectors. I really enjoy the connections. The other is that my kids love and enjoy what I'm creating, so the project has already been successful in my mind on that part alone.

What has been the hardest part ?

I think whenever you put something creative in to the world self doubt creeps in and that is the hardest part. Will people like it? Am I charging too much? Too little? All that. The rest is just a learning experience, and it's a great ride to be on.

What does your family think of your project ?

They are enjoying it. A lot of support. My kids are making their own derivatives, which we'll do something with. They're coming up with stories, ideas for more characters. All that fun stuff. I told them once we get going that I'd feature their work and start a wax wallet for anything they sell. So, as much as I'm learning, I'm hoping it turns in to a cool experience for them too.

Have you brought any of the family into Wax ?

Not yet, but I've gotten a couple of friends started now. Hoping to influence a few more people in my life to give it a shot. Like I was saying earlier, the cost of entry is low so it's not difficult to dip a toe in the water so to speak.

What do you like to unwind ?

To unwind I just like to zone out with a guitar. There's nothing better. Even if nobody outside these 4 walls hears what I'm playing, it's my happy place.

Tell us something random about you ?

Always a tough question... I guess if going really random, I hate shaving. I'll let the beard grow until my family can't take it anymore, then I trim it back and start again.

Same as me lol . Have you created any channels for keeping the community up to date ?

https://twitter.com/MrLipman?t=IvWYiVZvdob90f3ZYF4vsg&s=09

Just Twitter for now. The world of Discord and Telegram are all pretty new to me, but the wax community in general has been so great and I look forward to creating a space for fans of the project as we grow.

Where can we buy your NFTs ?

At the moment I've been doing all my drops on Nefty Blocks. https://neftyblocks.com/c/minotaurfarm

On a side note, was having fun with a couple things and dropped a couple of 1/1s this morning.

What will be the next drop and when ?

I just finished cleaning it up this morning actually! This is Momma & The Butterfly

I'm planning on making it available next week. January 5th

Any chance of a drop or competition for the readers ?

Absolutely! I'm having a lot of fun colouring the Farmer for 1/1 PFPs. Perhaps a special one made just for this?

It'd be such a thrill to start seeing people use them as profile photos.

I'm also happy to giveaway a copy of the original Farmer and the Goose... or do both for that matter. I want people to enjoy these and have fun.

Well its always up to the artist ?

Let's do that! Giveaway the Farmer, and I'll make a 1/1 PFP with your logo colors for another so there can be 2 winners!

Perfect . So before we finish up is there anything you would like to add or say to the readers

I'm just very appreciative of your time, this chat, and of course everyone who even checks out the project. Looking forward to having a lot of fun with this in 2022 (and beyond) and hoping I've got a great community along for the ride!

You will its only the start of the journey just strap in .

Ready for liftoff!

Good it has been a pleasure bro and looking forward to your new drops.

Thank you! I really appreciate the opportunity to have this conversation 🙏

Anytime .

To win one of the NFTs check the link and dont forget to give the artist a follow. https://twitter.com/Crackers832/status/1476214137239842832?t=2lxMkuxIzNSpRTr9pwnKrQ&s=19