I have been chasing this interview for a while now you mightn't know the name but I bet you will know his first project on WAX blockchain so before I say anymore IL lets meet the artist .......
How you today ?
All good cheers, pretty hot though!
It was a little cooler today thank god . Do anything exciting today ?
Just juggling the day job with my NFT project! Luckily they're quite similar, I'm a graphic designer and work from home at the moment so find myself constantly sneaking in some NFT project work and then having to catch up on my client work later in the day!
Ha ha ha are you a free lance or you working for a company ?
I'm freelance, have been for years. I like the freedom and flexibility it provides! I used to work for agencies but it's great getting the variety of work from lots of different agencies as a freelancer and no office politics!
Any work you have done we might know of ?
It's mostly internal comms stuff, so not public facing, but I work for some big companies like Sainsbury's, eBay, the NHS as well as lots of smaller independent companies. It's a real mixed bag but that's what I like about it
Sounds good something different each day ?
Yeah, it's cool! And gives me the opportunity to meet lots of creatives, designers and developers
Of course . So what's your name ?
My name is Pete but go by PETEtheCREATOR in the NFT world
Where you from ?
I live in Southampton but from Wales .
How did you discover NFT's ?
I can't actually remember, it seems like so long ago now but it will literally just at the start of this year. I think I was reading something online about crypto currency and Ethereum and it was mentioned there so I looked into it a bit and thought I could do that! I remember seeing a few projects I liked, pixawizards on ETH, TwerkyPepe was cool and rarebit bunnies
I created some characters years ago for an app game and they were just sitting on my mac in a folder so I thought I'd revive them and started thinking up some concepts to make the appropriate for the NFT space.
That's how the Crypto Miners were created !
Oh so Crypto Miners where for an app you were creating I am guessing that game is dead ?
It never really came to life! I had an idea years ago when crossy road and flappy bird got big, I think back in 2015 or there about's . It was basically a little character that cracked rocks and revealed a diamond and you simply tapped to break the rocks and swiped to get the diamond. In my head it was going to be a massive success but never really got it off the ground!
But all these years later and I discovered NFTs and thought they'd work well I have changed them a bit and introduced the coins, came if with the name and then decided to create lots of different characters based on things people know - inspired mainly from things I like or nostalgia
So your game was goin to be a game for a fidget lol so you have basically upgraded your characters so when you say coins you mean like BTC BCH ZEC and so on ?
Lol, yeah I added a coin with the ETH logo on it and then decided to list 150 characters that I decide to create as crypto miners.
I was learning as I went and trying to understand gas and wallets etc. and get my head around how everything worked . I was creating each crypto miner by hand in illustrator then exporting them and dropping into photoshop to create the gifs
It took a while and went well but the more I leant about the NFT space the more I realized a smart contract and autogenerated NFTs is where the project needed to go, but gas fees and lack of web 3.0 dev skills led me to explore other blockchains to see what they had to offer . Which is when I found WAX !!!!!
Where had you planned to sell them before you came to WAX ?
I started selling on Rarible before realising you could pay gas once on Opensea and then mint for free within that collection. So that's what I did!
But in hindsight, I wish I had more of a structure and a plan before launching the crypto miners. They we well received but I was just creating them and minting them as and when
I've learnt from that and put a lot of thought into the ImposterPunks as a result.
And so has ImposterPunks been minted on Opensea ?
No, it's completely on WAX . When I discovered WAX I liked the fact there were no gas fees and that it was carbon neutral . I was trying to figure out how it all worked as it was different to Opensea, and it was taking a while but then Neftyblocks arrived and that was a game changer
I wanted to create an ETH style character collectible project on WAX because from what I could see, they didn't exist.
And Neftyblocks made it possible .
Yea have to say a lot of people seem to be loving Neftyblocks and WAX doesn't have minting fees but you pay for the ram usage
Yeah, I think long term, if Neftyblocks created a market place they'd attract the masses to WAX . Ram is so much cheaper than gas fees and nothing is offset to the collector either so win win!
Yea totally agree . How many NFT's have minted on WAX so far ?
I've pre minted 2000 imposterpunks and added them to a pool in Neftyblocks then created 2000 packs . Which basically means there are 2000 unique imposterpunks available and 1 of each appears in the pool. When a pack is bought and opened, that imposterpunk is removed from the pool and can't be collected again
This is the eth style I was referring to earlier
Where every character is unique in the sense that it is made up of a combination of attributes that no other character has
Is there 2000 different types so ?
There are 2000 unique characters made up of different attribute combinations so some have a hat and glasses, others have trousers, a belt and glasses etc. There are loads of hat styles, glasses styles, backpack colours etc. Some rarer than others
Basically they are all random so there different type of classes like standard , rare and so on ?
They are all random and the rarity is determined in a couple of ways. Either by the total number of attributes the character has and/or by the type of attribute that the character has
On my website https://imposterpunks.com/ there is a list of all the attributes and character types
The common characters are pink, beige and brown and then zombies, apes and aliens are rarer . I think there are only 15 aliens in the whole 2000
They really are rare and when are the packs dropping ?
Then certain hats are rarer than others, so and alien with a rare hat becomes more valuable if that makes sense?
The packs have dropped!
https://neftyblocks.com/c/imposterpunk/drops/6570
I just wanted to get them out there . A few people said I'd be better marketing them and building some hype for a month first but I saw this as a bit of a chicken and egg scenario . I wanted to drop them then use them to build a community and I'm really glad I did it this way . Over 25% have been collected already which is amazing considering the drop was last Wednesday
And I've built a great community of over 250 members so far on Telegram so Chapter 1 is going very well so far
And do you have plans for many chapters ?
There are 10 planned . Each chapter will introduce new / different characters
And what is the long term goal with this project ?
The whole concept of the project is the journey of the imposters. They come to earth to discover what all the fuss is about the blockchain and NFTs, but they needed disguises so they could sneak on to the block chain without being detected - this is where they cryptopunks attributes come in
Chapter 2 sees them trying to actually get onto the blockchain and guess who is digging a tunnel so they can sneak on... the crypto miners!
The long term goal is to delver a new chapter every 2-3 weeks and with each chapter comes new characters, as well as a few other approaches to mix it up and keep things fresh. So don't always expect 2000 characters every drop!
I'm keeping a lot under wraps right now because I want people to join us on the journey and for there to be some excitement around what's coming next
How long is each one taking to design ?
It's taken me about 3 months to get the first 4 chapters all designed and plan out the other 6 . I love the creative side of things and want to showcase as much of my skillset as possible over the 10 chapters
So don't always expect pixel art !!!!!!!
Oh is that a hint it wont always be pixel art have you thought about adding Collab's in
It might be that my skillset extends beyond pixel art or possibly that there might be a Collab further down the line, I'll let you decide lol . I want to avoid repetition and make the project as exciting as possible. Who's to say chapter 10 will be the end...
Of course I mean why limit yourself to 10 so will chapter will follow a story line as such ?
The story will follow on through each chapter. I release a little comic strip NFT before each chapter to set the scene . The idea is that those who get involved early will see the story unfold as each chapter drops but at the same time they might not see the narrative and just want to collect the characters
There's hopefully something for everyone
Brilliant so can I ask are you just creating NFT's or do you collect as well ?
At the moment it's been head down trying to get this project up and running but I have got a little collection going on ETH . I do plan on collecting on WAX just as soon as I find the time to get in line for the drops I want
Twerky is first on my list!
Of course Twerky on there . Have you looked at many artists on WAX ?
I've checked a few out! I'm not so big on the gaming side of things but I like the Alpaca Worlds, and Grafitti Kings a lot . Bosak and CryptoStache are always doing amazing things too
So there could be a chapter 11 with random drops of Collab's ?
Who knows! I guess the question is would anyone want to Collab with me?!
I bet you will have people lining up
I've got a plan to take the project beyond chapter 10. If you notice all the chapter 1 imposter punks can't be burned but that's all I'm saying !!!!
So blending might be coming ?
Yeah, this is something that really excites me about WAX and Neftyblocks make so much more possible with blends . I love the way you can add value through blends and I'm looking forward to it becoming a part of the project
but you'll have to follow the journey to find out what and when
Do you have a favorite one of the collection ?
I do, it's imposterpunk #425 but it's not been pulled yet
Can we have a picture of him ?
Only if you can find it on AtomicHub in the templates lol . I think every one is one there but it's not the easiest to find them
I did try but failed
But it's by far my favorite ! I'm excited to see who collects it and I'm hoping a few of the characters become iconic for their appearance over time like some of the cryptopunks
#425 has got potential for that! There are a few others too that look really cool I love it when the colours coordinate
Will there be any side project NFT's as will during the chapters ?
Nothing planned but you never know what will happen . There is potential for some of the characters from the other chapters to have their own spin off projects . But there is so much in store for this one that I've not had time to think about much else
I am gathering you have an interested in crypto ?
Yeah but it's a fairly new found interest. I have a friend who built and manages the website for a small crypto exchange and he got me into it. But when I discovered NFTs I sorted of moved my interested across
I do keep a close eye on ETH and have also spent a bit of time looking at WAX predictions and forecasts but creating NFTs is far more up my street than anything number related
Do you have a favorite artist ?
I’ve always been a fan of collage and the work of Peter Blake. His sgt peppers cover for the beetles is iconic . But now there are so many talented artists it’s hard to single people out . I think being part of the NFT space you can easily get overwhelmed by the amount of talent people have
In terms of my favorite NFT artist I’d have to say either crypto geisha or rarebit bunnies
I think their work is incredible and they just constantly deliver every time .
Tell us something random about your self ?
I got sea sick on a lilo once! I was in Ibiza and was just lying on it letting the waves take me out to sea a little and then got really dizzy and sick! Pretty ridiculous but a true story! I don’t think I’ve been on a lilo since just in case
What you do for fun when your not working or creating NFT's ?
I’ve recently got married and have also got a little 2 year old boy, so family time is very important! I also play a lot of football, 5 aside during the week and 11 aside at weekends.
Are you still on Opensea ?
I’ve still got a couple of crypto miners on there but all my focus has been on WAX for the last few months. As soon as things settle and the project is in full swing I’ll be back on Opensea to support new artists and continue to grow my NFT collection.
What advice you have for new artists ?
I’d say don’t rush things! Take a bit of time to learn what’s what and create a plan for your project. It can be a little overwhelming to begin with and it’s a very saturated space but just believe in yourself and only focus on realizing your own goals.
Also get on telegram and Twitter and talk to people. Start to build a community and listen to what people in your community want and suggest. It becomes a team effort
Any chance of a small drop or competition for the readers ?
Sure! I’ve got a low mint zombie that I’d be happy to give away.
To win 1 of 3 NFT's hit the link
https://twitter.com/Crackers832/status/1404944990388862982?s=19
Yea that suits
Cool! I’ve held a few back for giveaways and promos. This zombie is pretty nice! I’m on my phone now but I’ll send it first thing. What’s your wax address ?
Before I let you go is there anything else the readers should know
I’d just like to encourage people to find out a bit more about the project by joining our Telegram group and seeing what the early collectors are saying about the project.
https://t.me/joinchat/qXkSCfVaLrwxYzE0
https://twitter.com/imposterpunks?s=20
The project is going to grow quite a lot over the 10 chapters and beyond and this is a great chance to be a part of a project that is the first of its kind on WAX and it would be a pleasure to welcome you all onboard .
I have to say a big thank you to Pete for chatting to me and don't forget to check out the competition on Twitter now and don't forget to check his project out
Woah! Cute..among us