My emotional perspective, both in my creative process and in what I want to convey, hasn’t fundamentally changed. What has shifted is the freedom I now allow myself: a release from the conceptual frameworks I used to follow. I can still depict Pepe in an abstract way, but in doing so, I invite viewers to experience Pepe through a completely different lens.

The most challenging emotion to portray is mental instability, as it’s an inner state that manifests differently for everyone. By contrast, boredom is effortless for me to express, it requires simple, unembellished lines, and I genuinely enjoy creating bored expressions in many forms. Perhaps it’s because I often wear that look myself, lol.

Personally, I’ve navigated my fair share of turbulence in Web3. The pace here is relentless, and creating art each day has become my way of anchoring myself in the present. It’s a space where I can flow with the act of drawing, but achieving that flow isn’t always easy. I hope that when people encounter my work, they too will pause, just long enough to explore their own inner landscapes.

Selecting characters to reinterpret is never straightforward. The ones I choose are those that have remained part of the Web3 culture since I first encountered them, enduring what I call the “cycle” of crypto. I entered this world in 2021 and have since witnessed which icons have truly stood the test of time.

Instinct and joy drive my creative process. Each work is not simply about reaching completion, it’s about the pleasure of building upon the initial sketch, adding details in the moment, guided entirely by the enjoyment I feel while creating.

Early in my career, I gravitated toward highly detailed works, like my Land collection, which I still love. But after spending significant time in Web3, I encountered countless memes, particularly within the Pepe community. Here, the focus isn’t solely on detail; it’s on how the character communicates with people. That energy is powerful. This inspired Cycle Pepes, the beginning of a shift toward simplifying my work and centering it on emotional resonance. Pepe is just one part of this, a character within my broader “Lavaagang’s World.”

I want my audience to feel, whether it’s amusement, boredom, irritation, or anxiety. My work might mirror an aspect of their own emotional state, and sometimes, when they share my art on social media or other platforms, I feel connected to those spaces. In those moments, I know my work has reached not just their eyes, but their hearts.

This practice keeps me mindful, always attuned to my own emotions, like keeping a visual diary of shapes and colors. It also allowed me to realize one of my goals: becoming part of the Ninfa family. I believe that to build trust and credibility, both the artist and the work should exist within respected, positive spaces. Such environments nurture growth and push us to refine our craft.

In terms of emotional expression, NFTs don’t inherently amplify an artwork’s emotional impact compared to traditional media. The depth lies in the artist’s intent. For me, NFTs expand the reach and scope of communication, enabling my work to connect across borders. While they don’t make the emotions “stronger” by themselves, they add layers of meaning through uniqueness of ownership, provenance, and the potential for interaction or transformation based on coded conditions.

Inside, because I want people to practice looking inward, to explore the state of their own mind. After all, our faces don’t always reveal every emotion we carry within.